Thank You From Gov. Gary Johnson

Gary Johnson 2012

Friends,

The first words I must say to you are THANK YOU.

We made history Tuesday. Thanks to you and thousands of other supporters of real liberty, my running mate, Judge Jim Gray, and I received more votes than any other Libertarian candidates for President and Vice-President in history. Even with the closeness of the contest between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama, when all the votes are counted, we will most likely have received 1.2 million votes!

That’s 1.2 million Americans who heard us and voted on the basis of principle over politics. And they did so despite the fact that Romney and Obama spent at least a thousand times more on TV and radio advertising than we did.

Given the outcome Tuesday, which returned the status quo to not only the White House, but also the Congress, we even have supporters already talking proudly of being part of the new “1%” who refused to accept that status quo.

Even more important than Tuesday’s results, with your support, we have built a grassroots organization nationwide that is truly the foundation for carrying our message of individual freedom, small government and non-intervention forward in a big way. Tuesday was not the end. It is the beginning.

We have identified hundreds of thousands of liberty–minded Americans. We have connected with more than a million people on Google+, 300,000 fans on Facebook, and more than 100,000 followers on Twitter. And over the past few days–before and after Tuesday, “Who is Gary Johnson?” was one of the most “searched” phrases on the Internet.

NONE of that has happened without your help. Your time, your energy, and your contributions have placed Liberty squarely on the national stage, and with all signs pointing to a continuation of big government, small liberty policies in Washington DC, the NEED for Liberty to be on that stage will never be greater than in the months ahead.

I am taking a couple of days to recharge my batteries in New Mexico and, frankly, attend to some chores at home — and then I will be picking up the bullhorn again. We already have major national interviews scheduled for next week, and fully intend to use the foundation we have built to make sure we are heard in the critical policy debates that are already raging in the wake of Tuesday’s election.

The “fiscal cliff”, Internet regulation, and of course, events in the Middle East are all going to be dealt with in the weeks ahead – by the status quo government that was reelected Tuesday. It is critical that we not sit on the sidelines.

To make sure we ARE heard going forward, there is much we need to do. We have to pay the final bills for all the work we did leading up to the election. We have a tremendous amount of data collection and list organization to do. We need to update our website and social media pages. And of course, I will be traveling the country to give voice to Liberty. All those tasks, and many more, require funding.

I really want you to be a part of what we will be doing over the next few weeks, and I hope you will go to GaryJohnson2012.com and help make sure we have the funding we need. What we have accomplished with the amount of money we have spent – compared to the so-called “major” party candidates – is nothing short of remarkable. And we are committed to carrying this work forward until the status quo strangle-hold is broken.

Tuesday’s election created a great opportunity for us. Being part of the “1%” that didn’t settle for the lesser of evils or the renewal of the status quo is soon to be a badge we can wear with pride, and more importantly, the foundation for a movement that America desperately needs.

You’ve been with me this far, and I sincerely hope I have earned your support as we look ahead. We have a lot of work to do, and I need your help.

Please go to GaryJohnson2012.com today and make the contribution that will let us take advantage of the amazing opportunities we have created!

Words cannot capture my gratitude for all you have done, for your friendship, and for your dedication to a cause that is REALLY important. We have an exciting future – so let’s get to it!

Sincerely,

Gov. Gary Johnson

Gary Johnson Breaks The 1 Million Vote Mark And The Future Looks Bright For Libertarianism

With the final totals still undecided, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has so far tallied 1,139,562 votes, good for nearly 1% of the national tally and breaking the previous high of 1980 candidate Ed Clark who received 921,128 or 1.06% of that elections votes.

Now, I was hoping for better as I predicted he would finish with 4%, but given that he was outspent 667-1 by his opponents, who also received 1000 times more media coverage, 1% is not a bad result.

What's even more encouraging is that this election defeat should be the death knell for the neocon/socon wing of the GOP and usher in a new movement toward the libertarian ideals of social tolerance in conjunction with fiscal conservatism.

The movement toward sane fiscal and foreign policy was started by the Ron Paul r3VOLution and turned into the Tea Party but was quickly co-opted by the GOP establishment and soon turned into nothing more than extension of the old guard GOP.

Well now we get to begin again and and get back to the roots of the movement. This time though we need to work the outside the two party paradigm to exert the pressure needed to move our nation in the right direction.

With our friends in the Ron Paul camp who want to work within the GOP to affect change, we libertarians need to also affect change within the Libertarian Party to have it more focused and less fractured by Left and Right Libertarians.

Gary Johnson's positive message of fiscal conservatism and social tolerance needs to be the guiding principle of this new LP. With Governor Johnson as our standard bearer, we can grow the seeds he planted in this election into a new tree of liberty.

United with a common goal we can be that irate, tireless minority that Samuel Adams spoke about and bring an end to the two party stranglehold on our Republic.

The days of the sunshine patriots has passed and we need to work towards rebuilding our fractured nation. The time for division and rhetoric is gone; time and again we have seen that path is a dead end. We need to educate our fellow Americans that there is a better path and that is through smaller government, personal responsibility and acceptance of our differences.

We also need to stand united against Leviathan and it's minions; taking the fight to them and never backing down. We need to, once and for all, shake the mindset that our only choice is the lesser of two evils. Evil is evil and in the end, it is the duty of the patriot to protect his country from it's government regardless of what the snake oil salesmen want us to believe.

The time has come for the next American Revolution and we are the new American Patriots. Let us build together for 2016 and beyond.

Libertas inaestimabilis res est

Via Memeorandum

Gary Johnson At 3% In Final CNN/ORC National Poll

Hot off the interwebz, the latest CNN/ORC Poll has Gary Johnson at 3% among registered voters and 2% among likely voters.

Now while this would fall short of the 5% that the former New Mexico Governor is hoping for, if it holds it would mean somewhere north of 2.5 million votes for the Libertarian Party candidate.

Sadly, because of the media blackout on the Johnson campaign, most Americans will probably hear Gary Johnson's name for the first time on election night when the results are tallied. Little did they know that there was an actual fiscally conservative, socially tolerant candidate on the ballot that will turn out to be the X Factor in the election.

Q Suppose that the Presidential candidates on the ballot in your state included Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's candidate, Mitt Romney as the Republican candidate, Gary Johnson as the Libertarian party candidate, and Jill Stein as the Green party candidate, who would you be more likely to vote for? (IF UNSURE) As of today, who do you lean more toward? (RANDOM ORDER)

Likely Voters Obama Romney Johnson Stein None No Opinion Nov 2-4, 2012 48% 48% 2% 1% * 1% Sept 28-30, 2012 47% 44% 4% 3% 1% 1% Sept 7-9, 2012 51% 43% 3% 1% 1% 1%
Registered Voters Obama Romney Johnson Stein None No Opinion Nov 2-4, 2012 48% 46% 3% 1% 1% 1% Sept 28-30, 2012 47% 43% 4% 3% 2% * Sept 7-9, 2012 50% 41% 4% 2% 1% *

Via Memeorandum

Gary Johnson At 2% In NewsmaxZogby US Nationwide Tracking Poll

JZ Analytics 11/1-11/3

Mitt Romney......... 47%
Barack Obama.... 45%
Gary Johnson....... 2%
Jill Stein............. 1%
Virgil Goode...... <1%

If this is any barometer of how well Gary Johnson finishes, 2% based on 2008 turnout equates to roughly 2,626,000 votes.

Not bad for a candidate running on a shoestring with scant coverage from the lamestream mediots.

Gary Johnson At 5% In CNN/ORC Ohio Poll

With only four days to go before the election, Gary Johnson is still polling well, at 5%, in the Buckeye State according to the latest CNN/ORC Poll.

Barack Obama..... 47%
Mitt Romney...... 44%
Gary Johnson...... 5%
Jill Stein........ 1%
Virgil Goode..... <1%

With over 5.7 million votes cast in the 2008 election, if this trend continues Governor Johnson has a a chance to win 286,000 votes if he stays at this level of support. Also, given his polling numbers across the nation, he should shatter the highest vote total received in a Presidential election by a Libertarian Party candidate which was 921,128 in 1980 by then candidate Ed Clark.

We must do our best in these last few days to get the word out about Gary Johnson and push him over the 5% mark nationally.

Via Memeorandum

Washington Times Opinion - A Suggestion For Republicans: Consider Gary Johnson

Washington Times

This is not an election of Romney vs. Obama. This is anti-Obama vs. anti-Romney. No one really likes either candidate. No one is inspired by either of them. As a Republican, clearly Obama is not on your team, but neither is Romney. Certainly not our team leader.

Both Romney and Obama will drive full speed towards the cliff. The only difference is Obama will drive a little faster, but it's a negligible difference, and certainly not one worth spending energy on.

Our only hope to prevent a bleak dystopian scenario from unfolding is to send a powerful NO!! in the face of the forces that are pushing us there.

Fortunately, we do have a Presidential Candidate running that actually stands for limited government principles: Gary Johnson. And he's got a track record to back it up.

As a two term Governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson vetoed 750 bills, which was about 1/3rd of all bills requiring his signature. He held the line on preventing his legislature's intentions for government's size, reach, and cost to grow, and that's how he was able to cut taxes 14 times while leaving New Mexico with a balanced budget and a healthy growing economy.

Most importantly, Gary Johnson is ideologically principled to protecting your life and liberty. Gary Johnson stands for everything the Tea Party represents. He is the ideal Tea Party candidate. His slogan is Live Free. He doesn't just speak it, he's backs it up, and he's taken some very bold stands that has caused him to be pushed out of the Republican Party by the mainstream establishment that has been running things.

It is that same mainstream establishment that led the Republican Party to its death in 2008. It was the Republican fight AGAINST the mainstream establishment that brought the wave of excitement to sweep up in 2010. It is that entrenched mainstream establishment that has to go if our country has any chance. Gary Johnson is the vehicle to help you accomplish that.

Read the rest here.

Gary Johnson At 5% In New CNN/ORC Colorado Poll

With less than a week before the election, Gary Johnson is still holding his own in Colorado in the latest CNN/ORC Poll.

Think about this for a moment, in 2008 almost 2.3 million people went to the polls in The Centennial State and if Governor Johnson pulls 4% he will come close to the 92,000 vote mark, having received nearly 53,000 more votes there than all of the 2008 3rd party candidates combined.

Not too shabby.

Q Suppose that the Presidential candidates on the ballot in your state included Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's candidate, Mitt Romney as the Republican candidate, Gary Johnson as the Libertarian party candidate, Jill Stein as the Green party candidate and Virgil Goode as the Constitution Party candidate who would you be more likely to vote for? - (IF UNSURE) As of today, who do you lean more toward? (RANDOM ORDER)

October 26-31 Obama Romney Johnson Stein Goode None No Opinion Likely Voters 48% 47% 4% 1% * * * Registered Voters 51% 41% 5% 1% 1% 1% 1%
* less than 1%

Gary Johnson At 5% In Latest Albuquerque Journal New Mexico Poll

Albuquerque Journal

President Barack Obama has held on to his lead over Republican Mitt Romney in the presidential contest in New Mexico, running 9 points ahead of the former Massachusetts governor in a Journal Poll concluded 12 days before the Nov. 6 election.

The Democratic president had 50 percent support in the statewide survey of likely voters and those who had already voted, compared with 41 percent backing Romney.

Obama picked up 1 percentage point and Romney gained 2 points in the Oct. 23-25 Journal Poll, compared with the Journal Poll conducted Oct. 9-11.

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson had support of 5 percent of likely New Mexico voters in the latest Journal Poll, compared with 6 percent in the previous survey.

Johnson factor

Johnson, who was a Republican during his two terms as governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, took slightly more support from Republicans – 5 percent of whom said they would vote for him – than from Democrats, 2 percent of whom expressed support for him in the Journal Poll.

Independent voters were Johnson’s largest bloc of support, with 12 percent of these voters saying they preferred him over Romney or Obama.

Chattanooga Times Free Press Endorses Gary Johnson For President

Chattanooga Times Free Press

For more than 80 years, the Free Press editorial page has been a voice for free market economic philosophies, personal responsibility and limited, responsible government. Endorsing the presidential candidate who most thoroughly represents those values has been an important function of the Free Press editorial page for nearly as long.

For most of those election cycles, we have endorsed Republican candidates for president. The GOP candidate, even when flawed, generally provided the best platform for ensuring that the United States remained on a path of limited, constitutional government and free market economic policies.

This election, however, the Republican Party nominee has failed to demonstrate a consistent commitment to conservative principles. As a result of his failure to provide clear methods for reducing the size and scope of the federal government, unwillingness to address structural flaws with entitlement programs, reliance on government to intervene in issues best left to families and individuals, and sporadic support of the Constitution and America's founding principles, Mitt Romney is too flawed to earn the Free Press' endorsement.

Romney may be less eager to tax, spend, attack personal freedoms and disregard the constitutional limits on government than his Democratic opponent, President Barack Obama, but only slightly.

To the extent that Romney offers an alternative to Obama, the difference is in degree, not in kind.

As a result, the Free Press editorial page endorses Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson for President of the United States.

Johnson, a former two-term governor of New Mexico, has more administrative experience than Romney, who served just a single term as Massachusetts governor.

While serving as governor, Johnson slashed New Mexico's gas tax, fought to reduce the state's income tax and championed school choice. Romney, on the other hand, implemented a myriad of new fees on Massachusetts taxpayers and famously enacted a compulsory health insurance scheme which became the framework for Obamacare.

Unlike Obama, Johnson understands that government spending, unsustainable bailouts and stimulus schemes only lead to more unemployment, a higher national debt, a weakened dollar and a less stable economy.

Johnson's platform includes presenting a balanced budget to Congress every year he's in office, completely overhauling America's ridiculous federal tax structure, and fundamentally restructuring entitlement programs to allow Americans more choice in health care and a greater opportunity to retire with dignity.

The former small business owner pledges to work to overturn Obamacare and encourage health care coverage through the free market by removing the arbitrary limits that inhibit competition among health insurers and prevent customers from receiving the best available health insurance plans and rates.

Johnson also seeks to limit military intervention abroad and overturn the restrictions on liberties at home that were created as a result of the overreaction to 9/11 and America's bungled War on Terror.

The threads that bind Johnson's policy platform are the beliefs that markets work better than governments and that people are more suitable and equipped than elected officials and bureaucrats to make the decisions that impact their lives and the lives of their family. As a result, Johnson promotes entrepreneurship and privatization, allowing parents the opportunity to choose which school their children attend and minimizing the amount of hard-earned dollars the federal government takes from taxpayers.

Some may argue that voting for a minor party candidate is a waste of a vote. While Johnson won't win on Nov. 6, the more votes Johnson receives, the more the Republican and Democratic parties are forced to consider adopting his policies. Voting for Johnson is the most effective way to inject the ideas of liberty and limited government into the political mainstream.

Others claim that it is wise to vote for the lesser of two evils. The problem with that, however, is that voting for evil only leads to more evil. A vote is an affirmation that a candidate is on the right track, but Barack Obama and Mitt Romney clearly aren't when it comes to limiting government, promoting individual liberty and protecting free market economic principles. Voting for bad policies and unprincipled people will only ensure that parties will give voters more of the same bad choices in the future.

With the founding principles and the economic future of our nation at stake, Gary Johnson offers the best plan to restore the values of limited government, personal freedom and free markets that made America the greatest country in the world.

Gary Johnson Files Another Suit Against The Commission on Presidential Debates

Gary Johnson 2012

Citing survey data showing former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson has in fact achieved the narrow criteria required for inclusion in the Monday debate, earning more than 40 percent of the vote in “head-to-head” polls against President Barack Obama, the Libertarian Party nominee’s campaign today filed a complaint in Federal Court in the District of Columbia maintaining that Johnson has, in fact, met the Commission on Presidential Debates’ criteria for inclusion. The complaint asks the Court to compel the CPD to include Johnson.

“The CPD requirements say Johnson ‘must register support of at least 15 percent of the vote in five recent polls,’” Johnson campaign counsel Alicia Dearn said in a statement. “Nowhere does it say those polls must include three candidates. Indeed, the polls used by the CPD to exclude Johnson test only two candidates even though Gov. Johnson is on the ballot in 48 states. We argue that Gov. Johnson has met the specific and narrow criteria laid out by the CPD.

“Included in the two-party ‘deal’ struck by the Republicans and Democrats are the criteria by which candidates are invited to participate. As a two-term governor who is on more than enough states’ ballots to be elected in the Electoral College, the decision to exclude Gov. Johnson can only be based upon the CPD’s self-determined polling criterion — using polls that are ‘head-to-head’ surveys between Romney and Obama. Who decided that? The CPD rules do not specify the number of candidates to be tested in the poll. Using their own methodology, polls that ask voters’ preferences between the President and Gov. Johnson are equally valid, and as we have demonstrated, will show more than enough support for Gov. Johnson to meet the CPD’s arbitrary 15 percent requirement. The same would clearly be the result when Gov. Johnson is surveyed against only Gov. Romney. Nowhere does it say that only the Republican and the Democrat should be pitted against one another,” Dearn said.

“It must be repeated that the official-sounding Commission on Presidential Debates is not official at all. It is a private organization created by the Republican and Democratic Parties for the clear and admitted purpose of controlling the presidential debate process. Everything from the schedule to the participants to the water glasses on stage are determined by way of an MOU between the two parties, to the exclusion of everyone else.

Two debates have already happened, and have excluded Gov. Johnson. We can’t change that — no matter how unfair. However, the CPD has one last opportunity to do the right thing for Monday night’s debate, which we have asked them to do via a letter transmitted Thursday. However, we are not holding our breath for an answer, and have asked the Federal Court to help them do the right thing. Also, we make it clear in our complaint that this issue does not end Monday night, and that it is not just about Gov. Johnson. We are also asking for a permanent injunction to require that the CPD’s criteria be changed for future elections to correct the organization’s fundamental unfairness.

“The American people need to understand that the presidential debates are televised productions of the Republican and Democratic Parties. Nothing more. And those productions are designed to exclude alternative voices and ignore the simple fact that one-third of the electorate does not belong to their exclusive clubs.”

A copy of the Johnson campaign’s complaint and letter to the CPD are available here.

Gary Johnson At 3% In Latest CNN/ORC Florida Poll

CNN/ORC Poll

Q Suppose that the Presidential candidates on the ballot in your state included Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's candidate, Mitt Romney as the Republican candidate, Gary Johnson as the Libertarian party candidate, Jill Stein as the Green party candidate and Virgil Goode as the Constitution Party candidate who would you be more likely to vote for? - (IF UNSURE) As of today, who do you lean more toward? (RANDOM ORDER)

October 17-18 Obama Romney Johnson Stein Goode None No Opinion Likely Voters 47% 48% 2% * 1% * * Registered Voters 49% 42% 3% 1% 1% 1% 2%
* less than 1%

Gary Johnson At 3% In Arizona In New Behavior Research Center/Rocky Mountain Poll

In yet another state, Gary Johnson is playing a major role in the outcome in the Presidential race. With their respective bases all but sewn up, Obama and Romney are needing the independent vote but in this current Arizona poll, Governor Johnson is polling at 7%, with 18% still undecided.

This poll shows that there is even more room for Gary Johnson to grow his vote total in the Grand Canyon State as a demographic groups show at least 10% are still undecided.

Given the amount of media that both Obama and Romney receive, for this many people to have not made up there minds with less than 30 days until the election, Gov Johnson could win some of these votes.

Behavior Research Center/Rocky Mountain Poll

Q If the election for President of the United States were being held today and the candidates were (ROTATE SEQUENCE) Democrat Barack Obama, Republican Mitt Romney, Green Party Jill Stein and Libertarian Gary Johnson which one would you vote for?

October 4-10, 2012 Obama Romney Johnson Stein Not Sure Likely Voters 42% 40% 3% 2% 13% Registered Voters 44% 42% 3% 1% 10%

Video - Gary Johnson Interview With Chuck Todd On The Daily Rundown

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Video - Gary Johnson Sits Down With The Washington Post

Latest PPP Virginia Poll Has Gary Johnson At 4%

Well the Johnson campaign has to be happy about this, a 2% jump in the latest PPP Virginia poll from just two weeks ago.

I know I'm giddy.

Q If the candidates for President this fall were
Democrat Barack Obama, Republican Mitt
Romney, Libertarian Gary Johnson,
Constitution Party candidate Virgil Goode, and
Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who would
you vote for?

Barack Obama..... 48%
Mitt Romney...... 44%
Gary Johnson...... 4%
Virgil Goode...... 1%
Jill Stein........ 0%
Undecided......... 2%

But the news is even better when you look at the crosstabs. Governor Johnson is up in every polling subgroup with significant movement among some. And yes, +4% in only two weeks, at this late stage in the race, for a 3rd party candidate with little exposure is significant.

Very liberal +4
Somewhat liberal +3
Moderate +1
Somewhat conservative +3
Very conservative +4

Women +4
Men +1

Democrat +4
Republican +1
Independent +4

White +3
African American +1
Other +3

18-29 +4
30-45 +4
45-65 +2
Over 65 +1

I realize it is only one state but what this proves is that Gary Johnson is getting his message out there and the electorate is responding positively. Just imagine where his national poll numbers would be if the lamestream mediots gave him equal time or if he was allowed to debate against Obamney.

Those of us who support Gary Johnson have less than 30 days to get the word out. Anything can happen between now and November 6; it will only take one game changing event and Gary Johnson could shock the world.

Video - Gary Johnson: The War Stops Here

Tired of America's unconstitutional foreign wars?

Gary Johnson is the only candidate that will bring the troops home and put an end to our interventionist foreign policy.

Reince Priebus: Gary Johnson A 'Non-Factor'

10.6% Ohio, 7% New Mexico, 7% Montana, 5% Colorado, 4% Virgina, 3% Nevada and 4% - 6% nationally.

These represent the most recent poll numbers for Gary Johnson.

Gary Johnson a non-factor, I think not. Someone needs to tell Reince, denial is not just a river in Egypt.

The fact is, the GOP is doing their damnedest to marginalize Gary Johnson. If not, why did they keep him out of the debates and why did they put so much effort into unsuccessfully keeping him off the ballot in 5 states? Granted he will only be on the ballot in Michigan as a write-in but in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and Iowa, the GOP lost their challenges and Governor Johnson achieved ballot status.

It's clear that the GOP is concerned about the "Johnson factor". His fiscally conservative message and record as a two-term Governor has them worried. Even a 2% finish for Gary Johnson represents 2.5 million votes and given that he hurts Romney the most among Independents, who are grossly under sampled in most polls, this has to be cause for concern with the GOP.

The takeaway here is don't believe the spin from the RNC Chairman. Gary Johnson will be a factor in the election, much to the chagrin of the GOP.

Video - Gary Johnson’s Interview With Larry King

Gary Johnson sat down with Larry King this past week, to discuss his campaign, the Presidential debates, and other important issues impacting America.

Click to watch Part 1

Click to watch Part 2

Kansas City Kansan - Eight Reasons You Should Vote For Gary Johnson

Kansas City Kansan

1. Executive experience

For the most part in recent history, governors have made the best presidents. Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton are the two most popular presidents we've had since 1970 - and both were governors. Being a governor of a state gives you a lot more experience in running things, rather than simply voting yes or no on a piece of legislation. Johnson won two terms in a Democratic-leaning state, something that's not easy to do.

While Libertarians have a nasty stigma about how they wouldn't respond to crisis, Johnson's leadership was excellent when New Mexico was dealing with a large wildfire during his time as governor. He earned praise from both parties and local media who were reporting on the scene. In terms of running a government and being an executive of an efficient government, Johnson is the best candidate in the race.

2. Business experience

Johnson's experience in building his own business is the ideal story of the American Dream. He started his own business in 1976 by himself. By the end of the 1990s, he had grown "Big J Enterpises" to over 1,000 employees. Building a business from the ground-up is not an easy thing to do. You have to be committed, you have to know economics and you have to take risks.

A small-businessman who started a business and turned it into a big business has great qualifications for president. Small business is the backbone of this country. It always has been - and it always should be. If Johnson was the president, America's backbone would be strong for at least four years.

3. A balanced budget

Johnson's first-year budget as president would balance the budget for 2013. While $1.4 trillion in cuts is tough medicine, it has to be done for the sake of America's financial future. A $16 trillion debt and a $1 trillion deficit are not good for the value of the dollar. When the dollar's weak in value, the price of commodities increases. Among those commodities is oil. Economic confidence also increases when the budget is reasonable.

America desperately needs to get back on track with its finances. Johnson is the only candidate in the race who promises a balanced budget within his first term. And his plan is on paper. Part of that plan is cutting out wasteful defense spending and reforming entitlement programs. Defense and entitlement programs eat up 75 percent of the budget each year. Sorry, but ending earmarks or killing Big Bird won't balance the budget. Johnson is the only candidate in the race so far to have acknowledged that both areas need to be addressed.

He also successfully balanced the budget in New Mexico without increasing taxes or laying off any workers in the government.

4. Johnson's not a spoiler candidate - he's a candidate who threatens both major candidates

Based on the state polling, Johnson has taken support away from Obama in New Mexico and Colorado, while Johnson's hurt Romney in Ohio and Virginia. Assuming Johnson is only a spoiler for Romney is a myth.

There are policies Johnson has that appeals to small-government types like myself and those polices that appeal to my liberal friends who love personal freedom, privacy and support gay rights. Since most of our readers live in Kansas, Johnson will not a spoiler. Romney is 100 percent certain to win the state of Kansas.

If you are displeased Republican or a displeased Democrat, I encourage you to hop on the Johnson bandwagon. Do not let your two-party friends bully you into voting against Johnson if you believe he's the best candidate. It's not the Libertarians who let the economy crash. It's not the Libertarians who are doing their best to avoid any accountability. It's not us who accumulated a $16 trillion debt. It's the two major parties who have done those things.

5. A third-party threat is needed to shake up government

After Ross Perot won nearly 20 percent of the vote in the 1992 election, change happened believe it or not. Perot's biggest campaign issue in '92 was the debt. What happened after Perot won 20 percent in 1992? Former President Clinton and the Newt Gingrich-led Republican Congress balanced the budget for the first time in a few decades.

Clinton and Gingrich both deserve credit, but I also believe Perot raising awareness of the debt and earning a significant third-party vote forced the issue. If Johnson can win just 10 percent of the vote nation-wide, it would scare the Democrats and Republicans into straightening up a little more. And I think even a lot of Democrats and Republicans would agree that's a good thing!

6. Johnson's ran an honorable campaign

While the governor has been critical of Romney and Obama, he's ran an honest campaign that's been critical of the process. However, he's never attacked Romney or Obama personally like those two have with each other. Johnson has kept the campaign on the issues.

While I've never met Johnson, he strikes me as someone with high integrity. The fact he hasn't personally attacked the two candidates speaks volumes of his value system.

And Americans need to reward integrity any time we get the chance too.

7. Johnson would help usher out some of the nastiness in politics

To ducktail point six a bit, Johnson's also tolerant on the social issues that have ripped apart this country the past two decades. Johnson's campaign is not about the wedge issues - it's about fixing the country. While you may disagree with Johnson's opinion on the issues, the fact he doesn't preach his own values set on Americans is a breath of fresh air to me.

He's a compromise candidate for Democrats who have become disenchanted with their own party's economic policies and Republicans who want to go back to the Eisenhower/Goldwater years where believing in small government and fewer taxes were enough to be Republicans.

8. On the issue of the day, Johnson is the best

Jobs was a big issue in the first debate, or so I'm told, and rightfully so. There are millions unemployed right now and while the debate between Romney and Obama is competitive, Johnson actually has the best record out of the bunch. New Mexico's job growth was 11.6 percent during this two terms in office. I'll take 11.6 percent job growth any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Video - Ben Swann One On One With Gary Johnson

Ben Swann talks one on one with Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson about the federal deficit, legalizing marijuana and why Johnson is polling so well in Ohio.