The Third-Party Factor: Will 2012 Look Like 2000? : It’s All Politics : NPR
The Third-Party Factor: Will 2012 Look Like 2000? : It’s All Politics : NPR
As the presidential race enters its final weeks, there are many factors that could affect the outcome: a great — or terrible — debate performance by one of the candidates on Monday in Florida; the next jobs report; or the presence of third-party candidates who are on the ballot in almost every state.
Gary Johnson, the former two-term governor of New Mexico who’s running on the Libertarian ticket, is on the ballot in 48 states.
In an ad on his YouTube channel, he makes his pitch this way: “If you’d rather rebuild roads, schools, bridges and hospitals here at home instead of building them for others halfway around the world, you’re a libertarian,” he says. “If you’re the kind of person who talks about ending warfare and welfare in the same sentence, you’re a libertarian. If you think your body, your love life and your private business are no business of the federal government, you’re libertarian.”
Johnson doesn’t have much money, but he does have some experienced — unpaid — help, including Roger Stone, the colorful Republican operative who, among other things, is famous for tattooing an image of Richard Nixon on his back.