Libertarian presidential candidate and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson declared that the fact “seventy percent of Americans still don’t know who I am… bodes well for actually winning the race at some point.”
Johnson, who is trying to reach the 15 percent threshold in five national polls to qualify for the three primetime presidential debates, told CNN this morning that “we’re raising money in a way that, by comparison to Trump and Clinton, it’s not their numbers but it’s enough money, perhaps, to launch into a name recognition campaign.”
“…We still hold to the belief — me and [vice president nominee] Bill Weld hold to the belief — that we might be the next president-vice president.”
Johnson insisted that he’s not a spoiler candidate or a wasted vote because “a wasted vote is voting for somebody that you don’t believe in.”
“And I’m halfway believing that as this gets really close to the election, are you going to waste your vote on Trump or Clinton when Johnson’s out there as a pick — as a viable pick?” he added.
As Donald Trump’s campaign works on the candidate’s immigration speech, Johnson said illegal immigrants can stay undocumented if you “just set up a system whereby you can come into the visa office and as long as you’ve been law-abiding you’ll get a work visa and you’ll be allowed to stay… they’re contributing mightily to the economy by paying taxes.”
“[Trump] still says that he wants to build a wall across the border. And really, he’s not going to deport all 11 million, he’s going to keep some,” the two-term border-state governor said. “Look, we should embrace immigration. These are really hardworking people that are taking jobs that U.S. citizens don’t want. So make a system — get a system in place. Work visas that just make it easy to cross over the border.”
“And with regards to the 11 million that are here, he’s also talking about deporting them but bringing them back. Look, they’re here because they couldn’t get across legally and you or I would be doing the same thing if it were our families. And the fact that jobs exist, I can’t get across the border, so the only way I can get those jobs is if I cross illegally, that’s the reason for 11 million undocumented workers.”
Johnson said it’s not a matter of rewarding illegal immigration, “but just recognize the reality of why it has happened and continues to happen.”
“You can’t get across the border legally, you and your family have needs, you can’t get across legally, the jobs exist, so you cross illegally. You make it easy with a work visa program,” he continued.
“And don’t put government in charge of quotas. That’s another broken-down system. There’ll either be jobs or there won’t be jobs. And right now there’s a reverse migration taking place because there are more jobs in Mexico than there is in the United States. And illegal crossings — crossings of the border right now are at a decade low right now.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member