Libertarian nominee for president of the United States Gary Johnson continues to trail Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, according to a Reuters /Ipsos poll that was released on Friday afternoon. The poll included 1,559 likely voters and was conducted online from September 16-22. As usual with this particular poll, it had a credibility interval of three percentage points.
“These uncommitted voters appear to be leaning more toward Trump than Clinton, according to the latest poll, though they have not been convinced enough to say they will vote for him in November. It was also possible that some of these voters would pick an alternative-party candidate like Libertarian Gary Johnson or the Green Party’s Jill Stein. Clinton led a separate four-way poll that included Trump, Johnson and Stein. Among likely voters, 39 percent supported Clinton, 37 percent favored Trump, 7 percent picked Johnson and 2 percent supported Stein.”
As the Inquisitr previously reported, the inclusion of Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein is actually favorable for Trump. In a two-way poll between Trump and Clinton, 41 percent of voters supported Clinton, while only 37 percent supported Trump. With Johnson and Stein in the mix, Trump’s support remains at 37 percent, but Clinton’s falls to 39 percent.
Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson’s solution to the world’s environmental crises: Inhabit other planets https://t.co/KENhh3Uopm
— CNN (@CNN) September 25, 2016
In order for Johnson to be eligible to participate in tomorrow’s debate, he would need an average of 15 percent support across various polls, according to the New York Times . While Johnson’s average support has been as high as 10 percentage points, it is still well below the minimum threshold of 15 points.
Clinton and Trump are both very flawed candidates, and the American public’s opinion is not exactly high on either of them. Clinton is often thought of as incompetent and untrustworthy. The recent email scandal is just one example of why voters are weary about giving her their support. The fact that the FBI referred to her as “extremely careless” is not exactly a ringing endorsement either.
While Trump has experience as a successful businessman, he has none when it comes to politics. In addition to his lack of experience, he has made numerous controversial statements regarding minorities and illegal immigrants. He has attempted to soften some of his stances, but it is going to be an uphill battle to change public perception of him in certain areas.
Gary Johnson: I can still get into the second and third debate https://t.co/6OZtrfIwim https://t.co/iSLlYIDouq
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 18, 2016
Since the two main candidates have their question marks, Johnson feels as though he should be included in the debates. In an article written by Johnson in the New York Daily News , he makes his case that voters should not have to settle for a candidate that they do not particularly believe in.
“As the Libertarian candidate for President, my message to voters is simple: You have another credible alternative, on the ballot in all 50 states. You can support fiscal responsibility and social inclusion. You don’t need to vote for a candidate you don’t like in order to stop one that you like even less.”
While some of Johnson’s policies, notably open borders, is concerning and potentially dangerous, his stances on other issues give the American public an alternative to Clinton and Trump. Johnson will not be at tomorrow’s debate, but there is a chance that he could be included in the second debate, which is scheduled for Sunday, October 9.
Whether or not he is included in the second debate remains to be seen, but tomorrow’s debate could have a big impact on voters. If Trump and Clinton are both perceived negatively by the public, then upcoming polls could show more support for Johnson. Regardless of the opportunity, Johnson is still going to have to increase his average support by five points to the 15 percent threshold, and he only has a few weeks to do it.
[Featured Image by George Frey/Getty Images]