Libertarian Presidential Candidate and former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson returned on Saturday afternoon to host a campaign rally, where he preached a message of optimism for the future of a country he could potentially be the president of.
Speakers at the event – which was attended by several hundred supporters at the Albuquerque Convention Center – included Sen. Lisa Torraco, R-N.M., who said that Johnson is what she wants in a president, someone who embodies the “six pillars of character that counts.”
“The thought that character somehow doesn’t count in the office of the president of the United States is absolutely absurd,” she said, proceeding to list the ways in which Johnson has proven his level of character in the public eye.
Being involved in a presidential campaign in which good manners are even an issue is surprising, Torraco said, expressing her appreciation for the respect demonstrated by the Johnson campaign in the midst of a controversial 2016 election cycle.
Torraco said her support for the Libertarian nominee stems not only from his well-mannered tendencies, but also from his fiscally conservative political inclinations.
“I know how to spend my money better than the government knows how to spend my money,” the state senator said. “I want complete tax reform.”
Friends on either side of the aisle shy away from suggestions that they vote for Johnson out of fear that it’s a “wasted vote”, or, worse, a vote for the opposition, she said.
“60 percent of the people that are going to vote for Trump don’t like him, 60 percent of people that are going to vote for Clinton don’t like her,” Torraco said. “Vote for a candidate because they are smart, because they are committed, because they have a vision.”
Tylor Vandal, a sophomore business administration major at CNM, said these were concerns that he took into consideration when exploring the viability of the two major party nominees.
“People have this sense that ‘if I’m voting for him, I’m voting for the other side’ which isn’t true at all,” he said, stating his belief that Johnson appeals to voters of all stripes. “With him I don’t feel like I’m voting for a lesser evil. I’m voting for a candidate who would actually serve the people in a positive way.”
The Johnson campaign has provided an opportunity for people to get involved with a small, grassroots campaign, and distance themselves from a divisive two-party system, Jeremy Nickell, a junior political science major attending UNM, said.
“He gives all of the dissatisfied voters a place to go,” he said, suggesting that about 50 percent of voters aren’t registered as a Democrat or Republican.
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A family affair
The Libertarian presidential nominee was joined by his family, with both of his parents in the audience and each of his two children speaking before he took the stage.
“My brother and I had a front seat to the American dream,” said Gary Johnson’s daughter, Seah, as she recalled their family’s humble beginnings.
Seah said watching her father, a long time triathlete, compete in races is an all too familiar experience.
“We are at another race, an important race,” she said.
Only this race will be run in the political arena, one in which Seah said her father faces a steep climb, but “Americans love an underdog.”
“(My dad) is going to race harder, and faster, and longer than he thinks is possible,” Seah said, “because, what’s really important for us to remember is in this race the goal isn’t a gold medal. It’s a brilliant future for our country.”
Bill Weld, Johnson’s running mate and former Republican governor of Massachusetts, said the first step towards the White House is stepping onto the prime time debate stage in upcoming months.
The pair can get to that point by reaching at least 15 percent in the polls. At the start of June, Johnson was polling around four percent, but has since climbed as the summer months wore on. The most recent polls have him closing in on double digits.
“Momentum is the most important thing in politics,” Weld said to the crowd, adding that the Johnson/Weld ticket leaves little to speculation.
“You don’t have to guess whether we are going to be fiscally responsible and socially inclusive and tolerant because that record is right there for two terms in each case,” he said.
Weld said the modern, Trump-led Republican party is a far cry from the enabling, respectful party of the past.
Foreign policy proposals put forth by Donald Trump are ludicrous and thoughtless, he said, calling his positions “un-American.”
A ‘crazy’ election that could have a groundbreaking result
When Johnson took the stage to raucous applause, he summed up the 2016’s election’s “crazy” nature with an bold statement: “I’m going to be the next president of the United States.”
Having Weld as a running mate is a dream come true, he said, expressing his admiration for “the smartest governor in the room,” and emphasizing the unique presidential partnership the two plan to implement.
A non-interventionist stance on military activity, advocating for the legalization of marijuana, a pro-immigration stance, free-market entrepreneurship and tax reform are among Johnson’s policy highlights.
“When government takes a stake in what’s happening in business, that’s been bought and paid for,” Johnson said, expressing his regret that most Americans seem to conflate free-market economics with capitalism.
Reducing taxes increases job creation, he said, while the current tax system is “a system that’s for sale, and it is being sold.”
In industry, especially healthcare, competition fosters affordability, Johnson said. “There is a beginning assault on what is truly the free frontier for all of us - the internet, the ability of every single one of us to compete equally with everybody else in the world.”
Johnson also appealed to the Black Lives Matter movement, and noted his desire to continually foster a discussion on responsible gun laws.
At a time in which current New Mexico Gov. Susanna Martinez is considering reinstating the death penalty, Johnson reaffirmed his stance on what he called “flawed public policy,” given the staggering cost of litigation and unsettling rate of error in death sentences.
A 1974 graduate of UNM, he said he worked his way through college and paid for everything he’s had since he was 17, starting what would eventually become his million dollar construction business during his junior year.
He ended his case for the presidency to New Mexicans by encouraging them to reach for a comparatively smaller dream that he first achieved success in.
“Do it now,” Johnson said to those considering an entrepreneurial endeavor. “There’s an opportunity here, a big opportunity, to make the world a much safer place.”
