INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Gary Johnson Polls Continue To Surge As Congressman Breaks From GOP To Support Him

By Effie Orfanides
Published on: 01:19 PST, Aug 8, 2016

Gary Johnson polls are on the rise. The former Republican Governor of New Mexico is running as a Libertarian, running a third-party candidate that could take essential votes away from Hillary Clinton (D) and Donald Trump (R). Although Gary Johnson is a Republican, he’s running his own campaign, breaking away from his party and trying to take as many people with him as he can.

You may have heard people say that there is no winning in this presidential race. Well, Gary Johnson and his chosen running mate, former Massachusetts Republican Governor William Weld, are trying to give registered voters another option; an out, if you will.

Gary Johnson polls have been increasing steadily, and he feels as though he really has a shot at taking down both Clinton and Trump on November 8. In a new poll out of Utah, Gary Johnson is at 16 percent, according to Utah Policy. This is up from 10 percent in mid-June.

According to Business Insider, one Republican congressman has already endorsed Gary Johnson and pulled away from the GOP. Rep. Scott Rigell of Virginia is officially the first member of Congress to endorse Johnson, saying that he will not vote for Donald Trump.

“I’ve always said I will not vote for Donald Trump and I will not vote for Hillary Clinton. I’m going to vote for the Libertarian candidate,” Rigell told the New York Times.

“When their own conscience is seared by some statement that Trump has made, I have encouraged them to be direct and also, in a timely manner, repudiate what he said. People will respect it if you have a reason and you put it out there,” Rigell added, speaking about other republicans who have come to him for advice about the upcoming election.

Rigell also said that if Donald Trump becomes president, he will officially leave the Republican Party and register as an independent. He may not be alone.

Gary Johnson needs more than polls to pull off something historical this year, however. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming are some of the states that could give Johnson enough electoral votes to really compete with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

All of that said, it’s not going to be an easy road for Gary Johnson — and it’s possible that he’s already missed the opportunity to get his name out there by using the recent media attention to his advantage. According to the Washington Post, Gary Johnson’s name was everywhere for a few weeks but there seems to be a decline now. The site wonders if Johnson may have “missed his moment.” However, those who support him and want to see him do well think that he’s going to continue surging in the polls.

“He’s trying. I don’t claim to have the answer to what will attract the media. After we do our town hall at the end of August, he’ll suddenly get to 40 percent in the polling, he’ll get into the debates, and people will see that they are so much better than Donald and Hillary, and the Libertarians will finally get to show how limited government works better. That’s obviously wishful thinking, but that’s my scenario,” said Libertarian journalist John Stossel.

If Gary Johnson polls are correct and people are starting to lean toward voting for him, he could throw a monkey wrench into the plans of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. For many, Gary Johnson is the best option. To some, he’s the only option.

Do you think Gary Johnson has a real shot at winning the 2016 presidential election?

[Photo by George Frey/Getty Images]

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