Also, even if Johnson did not win the Presidency, or even prevent either Trump or Clinton from taking the White House, if he won eight states, that would be an all time record for a third party nominee, as Theodore Roosevelt won 6 states in 1912 and George Wallace won 5 states in 1968.
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“Two heads for the price of one, and that it would be a plus for the country, believing that”, the former New Mexico governor said.
You are no doubt familiar with the candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, but may not know so much about Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico.
Maine-(4 electoral votes)-Maine is a very independent oriented state, which has elected independents as Governor and Senator, so could be fertile ground for Johnson. Johnson is now averaging 8% in the RealClearPolitics average of polls of a four-way match up between him, Clinton, Trump, and Stein.
There’s trouble in paradise, alas.
The pair of two-term Republican governors – both of whom were elected in Democratic states – has more executive branch experience than Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump combined.
Shapiro was particularly troubled on two fronts – the courts and religious freedom.
But in a decision released Friday morning, U.S. District Court Judge Rosemary Collyer picked apart that argument. “It’s given us just a clearer focus as a party, and doing so, of course, that helps other people recognize us as something that’s legitimate and serious and a group that will have a real impact on the elections in November”.
Shapiro told me Garland “defers to the government more than anyone I’ve studied in depth”. A strong Johnson-Weld performance can do that.
This isn’t because I’m anti-Libertarian, either. He endorsed Barack Obama in 2008. “Why Government Fails – But Individuals Succeed” and host of “Stossel” (Fridays at 9 PM/ET), a weekly program highlighting current consumer issues with a libertarian viewpoint. So he supports laws that force contrary views on social conservatives. To savvy Libertarians, that’s an overuse of government power.
The two are starting a university tour and hope to reach a broad audience in the coming weeks. You mean private companies could do the testing?
The place where Republicans get it wrong is that they espouse minimal government and maximal personal freedoms, except in the areas of your personal life, where they like to legislate what you can do.
Shapiro is not out to enforce Libertarian purity.
“‘It’s hard to say who would be the winners and losers, this year it seems, while not certain who is more threatened, I think there is some concern on the Republican side”, Borick said.
But Johnson and Weld, who has called Clinton a friend and sought an ambassadorship within President Bill Clinton’s administration, have avoided attacking Clinton.
The closest thing Democrats had to authenticity was Bernie Sanders, the “revolutionary” who, like every great revolutionary when defeated, immediately endorsed his opponent and told his followers to be quiet and do what Hillary says.
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Johnson and Weld have pitched themselves publicly to major Republican figures, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and most pointedly, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. This is the year of political disruption. The trenches have moved since 2003.
