Poll: Libertarian Johnson Favored By 10 Percent

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson scored 10 percent in a nationwide poll — but most voters don't know who he is.

The Washington Examiner reports Johnson needs to poll at least 15 percent to be included in any debates with likely Republican and Democratic nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

"The Morning Consult poll shows that when Johnson is referred to as an independent, Clinton leads Trump 37-35 percent with Johnson at 10 percent," the Examiner reported. "But when he is identified as a Libertarian, Trump leads Clinton 37-36, with Johnson at 10 percent."

Seventy percent of those supporting Johnson in the poll said they did so because they did not like Trump or Clinton, according to the Examiner.  Just over 60 percent of those polled don’t know who he is.

The Examiner says some wrongly identified the former Republican Governor of New Mexico as a comedian, cooking show host, news show host, professional athlete or CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

But the Washington Post noted Johnson could “benefit from Republicans, Democrats and independents who find they cannot vote for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump.”

The newspaper noted Johnson was also the Libertarian candidate for president in 2012, and received 1.27 million votes — almost 1 percent of the popular vote.

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