Johnson, once a Republican governor of New Mexico, has pinned his hopes on taking part in the debates.
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Have at least 15 percent of the national electorate as determined by five selected public opinion polls.
The next big test for Johnson’s candidacy is whether or not he can make the debate stage, a goal that now looks unlikely under the rules for inclusion as determined by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
“We will appear in November on the ballots of all 50 states and the District of Columbia”, the ad, more of an open letter, begins, referring to Johnson and his running mate, former MA governor Bill Weld.
The first debate will take place on September 26 at Hofstra University in the northeastern town of Hempstead, New York. Tim Kaine of Virginia will participate in the vice-presidential debate October 4 in Farmville, Va. He’s spent months, if not years, publicly campaigning to get himself on the stage, arguing that debates are crucial to legitimizing his candidacy and to eliminating the two-party stranglehold on American politics.
Johnson added: “Gaining ballot access in all 50 states and the District of Columbia is a monumental task, as evidenced by the fact that we will be the only ticket other than the Republicans and Democrats to do so”.
Candidates were required to reach 15% support in a selection of national polls to qualify, which means the Green Party’s Jill Stein also failed to win an invitation. Johnson averaged 8.4 percent, while Stein was trailing at 3.2 percent, according to the Associated Press.
A CBS news poll of OH put the former New Mexico Governor at 10%, but OH is an important swing state and it means he could be a factor in the election. “I came to know Hillary Clinton as one of the most left-wing members of her husband’s administration, and she has moved much farther to the left since then”.
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The exclusion was announced Friday afternoon by the privately run Commission on Presidential Debates, whose board includes many established Democratic and GOP players.
