Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who dropped out of the Republican presidential race in December, is poised to claim the Libertarian Party’s nomination for president at its national convention this weekend.
“It does look good,” Johnson told the
Santa Fe New Mexican Wednesday, adding, “I wouldn’t take anything for granted yet.”
Johnson developed a reputation as a two-term Republican governor for conservative fiscal policies, low taxes, and limited government.
However, his liberal stances on gay marriage, abortion, and drug legalization set him at odds with socially conservative Republican primary voters, and his campaign never got off the ground.
When he quit the GOP race and left the party in December, Johnson said his campaign was “held hostage to a system rigged for the wealthiest and best-known candidates in a handful of states who happen to have early primaries.”
As the Libertarian candidate, he encouraged people to join his campaign, saying, “We will offer a political home for millions of Americans who are not finding one in the current political establishment or its candidates.”
If Johnson is nominated as expected at the convention in Las Vegas, his running mate will be retired California Superior Court Judge Jim Gray, an outspoken critic of the war on drugs and the chief proponent of a proposed California ballot initiative to repeal the state’s marijuana laws for adults.
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