Gary Johnson Thinks He's Natural Fit for Third-Party Seekers

As the GOP field narrowed to three and the possibility of a contested convention looms, a former New Mexico governor is hoping voters will see the third-party option under their noses and on their ballots.

There will even be a debate of Libertarian presidential candidates on TV this year, moderated by John Stossel, filmed on March 29 and aired April 1 on Fox Business Network.

The party’s executive director, Wes Benedict, told supporters earlier this month that they’re suing the Commission on Presidential Debates for equal access, but are excited about the Fox Business opportunity because “such a lawsuit takes time.”

“The Commission is biased because it is controlled by the Republican and Democratic parties. They are clearly scared to have our nominee on the stage debating theirs! We will update you as this lawsuit progresses,” Benedict said.

That nominee is likely to be, once again, former Gov. Gary Johnson, who converted from GOP to Libertarian in 2011.

In 2012, Johnson got the largest number of votes ever recorded for a Libertarian candidate: 1.27 million. That was almost 1 percent of the popular vote.

Last night, Johnson trolled the primary field with his own play on Donald Trump’s #MakeAmericaGreatAgain hashtag: #MakeAmericaSaneAgain.

Responding to an ABC News poll that 37 percent of GOP voters would consider a third party if Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were the nominees, Johnson tweeted: “Well…I have some thoughts on this.”

Given that the largest party affiliation is “independent”, who decided the POTUS has to be a Republican or a Democrat? #PrimaryDay #tlot

— Gov. Gary Johnson (@GovGaryJohnson) March 15, 2016

Strange. @FoxNews keeps saying too late for 3rd Party run. #Libertarian nominee will be on all 50 state ballots. #MakeAmericaSaneAgain #tcot — Gov. Gary Johnson (@GovGaryJohnson) March 16, 2016

In a statement posted on his Tumblr account, Johnson declared “2016 could be the year when the two-party hold on American elections falls apart – and it’s about time.”

“I would submit that the true ‘mainstream’ in American politics today, especially among the critical 80 million millennials who comprise the largest voter segment in U.S. history, adheres to the simple idea that government is too big, costs too much, and has in fact become a corrupt threat to individual freedom,” Johnson said.

“Both the Republican and Democratic parties have fumbled around and constructed nomination processes that make it virtually impossible for a candidate reflecting that ‘mainstream’ to emerge,” he continued. “The American people see that, and it’s time for the real majority to stand up and try something different, such as electing a candidate who believes we have too much government and not enough freedom and opportunity.”