GOP presidential candidate (and two term Governor of New Mexico) Gary Johnson is leaving the GOP to run for President as a Libertarian. His frustration and being omitted from the debates and the polls finally drove him out of the Republican Party.
Frankly I doubt it will have an effect on the outcome in November 2012, as few vote for most third party candidates. Still, the LP now has a former governor running as its premier candidate. Way to go, GOP!
The LP nomination for Johnson is far from guaranteed — the governor is a “weak” Libertarian compared to the more ideological folks running within the LP. But his elected status should give him the frontrunner position at the LP national convention.
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/johnson-libertarian-gop-president/2011/12/14/id/421034?s=al&promo_code=DB78-1
December 17th, 2011 at 4:37 pm
Gary who????
December 17th, 2011 at 4:48 pm
Of course, that’s a “cart and horse” problem. If you are not in the debates, then you are not well known.
Three of the candidates in the GOP debates have polled as low or lower than Gary Johnson. Johnson is a two term governor with an excellent GOP record.
Why was he not included? No good answer to that question.
Remember that unknown hick governor from Arkansas that the Dems let into the party debates back in the early 1990’s? Agree or disagree with his policies, Bill Clinton got elected, and turned out to be a rather effective (well, clever) President. Had he not been considered by the Dems a candidate, he would have gone the way of Gary Johnson.