Gary Johnson Launches Libertarian Presidential Bid

Gary Johnson has ditched the Republican party and is launching a bid at the presidency as a third party candidate. Johnson announced today that he would be seeking the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination.

Johnson said that he made the decision to run as an independent after his Republican candidacy was largely ignored. Johnson was excluded from all but two of the GOP debates and he has barely registered in the polls.

Johnson said:

“We are just fed up with the two-party system. The Democratic Party, I think, has turned their backs on gay rights, marriage equality, their anti-war base, their anti-drug war sentiment… Republicans are no longer the stewards of the pocketbook. Republicans are no longer good stewards of tax dollars…. I have been a Republican my entire life,” he said. “I don’t view this as leaving the Republican Party as much as the Republican Party has left me.”

Johnson said that if he earns the Libertarian nomination, he will work to make sure that his name appears on the ballots in all 50 states.

Johnson said:

“(I will not be) held hostage to a system rigged for the wealthiest and best-known candidates in a handful of states who happen to have early primaries.”

With citizens unhappy with both Democrats and Republicans, Johnson believes that he could have a shot by running on the Libertarian ticket. Johnson urged the audience at his press conference not to “waste their vote” on a bad Republican candidate when the could vote for a good libertarian.

Johnson told Politico:

“I really believe that the fastest-growing segment of the Republican Party are those that have a libertarian bent.”

Johnson’s biggest competitor for the Libertarian ticket could be Ron Paul if he decides to make the switch. But with Paul leading the polls in Iowa, he’ll likely fight for the Republican nomination.

Will you vote for a third party candidate?