Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate for president, is up against some tough competition in the 2016 race.
And, for the former New Mexico governor, the struggle comes not necessarily from the major party’s candidates, but from the tough job of getting some airtime on TV.
With the daily – seemingly hourly – stories from the Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton camps, Johnson is finding it tough to get a word, let alone a position, in edgewise in the 2016 campaign.
Johnson, along with his running mate, Bill Weld, did have some national exposure this week when they participated in a CNN “Town Hall.” Johnson stressed during the event that he has a chance to win the presidency, but he has to able to compete on the presidential debate stage to do so.
"There’s no chance of winning without being in the presidential debates, and I base that too on last week a projection that the first presidential debate is going to garner more audience than the Super Bowl," Johnson said Wednesday. "So our really our strategy is to win this thing outright, and some extraordinary things have to happen, but has there ever been a more extraordinary political year in our lives?”
Unless Johnson can get to 15 percent in the polls, however, he’ll find himself like most of the rest of us when the first debate airs – watching it on TV.
Here are a few things you may not have known about Gary Johnson as he makes (another) run for president.
5 things to know about Gary Johnson
1. This isn't his first time: Four years ago, he appeared as a presidential candidate on the ballot in 48 states.
2. He's a fan of legalized marijuana. Johnson was injured in a paragliding accident, breaking his back and some of his ribs. He used marijuana to help with the pain. He served as CEO of a company called Cannabis Sativa, Inc., prior to this run for president.
3. Johnson was a Republican, once. He served as governor of New Mexico for two terms. While he is considered a fiscal conservative, he is more socially liberal, in favor of legalizing marijuana, a woman's right to choose and supporting LGBT rights.
4. He's for internet freedom: He wants the government's hands off the internet. "There is nothing wrong with the internet that I want the government to fix," Johnson said on his website. Johnson says he is against the cybersecurity legislation that allowed the federal government to access information about U.S. citizens.
5. He likes the outdoors: He is an athlete who competes in triathlons and marathons. He has climbed the Seven Summits – the tallest peaks in Asia, Europe, North America, Africa, South America, Antarctica, and Oceania. One of those peaks is Mt. Everest.
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