The suggestion is clear: If voters knew the Libertarian Johnson, who is on the ballot for president, he’d be at 30 percent, eligible for the first debate September 26 and in contention for the White House. There are 589 Libertarian candidates on ballots in the USA this year. As long as a candidate is constitutionally eligible and they have completed the herculean task of getting their name on the ballot in every state, giving every citizen the ability to vote for them and legitimizing their bid, they should be allowed to participate in the Presidential Debates. If voters had not been given the opportunity to see him go head to head with the standard bearers of the obsolete two-party system, he would never have gone so far.
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After spending that much time with him one on one, I am fully convinced he should be part of the debates scheduled between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Because of the widespread voter disgust with the two major-party candidates, Johnson has gotten more attention and support than many other recent third-party challengers, but his resources are still dwarfed by Clinton and Trump.
Paradoxically, in order to get a bump in the polls from the debate, Johnson first needs a bump in the polls to get on stage.
For the first time in 20 years, voters in all fifty states and the District of Columbia will have the option to vote for a third-party candidate.
The so-called minor party candidates, Dr. Jill Stein of the Green Party and Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party, have been largely ignored by major media.
The Houston Chronicle appears to have made history when it endorsed Mark Miller for Texas Railroad Commissioner last week, which – by most accounts – seems to be the highest mainstream media endorsement for a Libertarian candidate in the party’s history.
Johnson answered questions from Daniels and the crowd over several topics like drug legalization, the Syrian civil war, military spending, vaccines, LGBT rights and religious freedom restoration laws.
Gary Johnson is going all out in a final push to qualify for the presidential debates.
Johnson focused many of his remarks on giving power to the states instead of the federal government. “It is not controlled by any political party or outside organization and it does not endorse, support or oppose political candidates or parties”.
The poll threshold puts Johnson at a disadvantage.
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The Times notes the endorsement of The Union Leader could give Johnson a boost in the Libertarian-leaning state – and possibly drain votes from both Trump and Clinton.
