There are choices for the highest position of power in the country other than Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton — and Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson visited UNM to make that clear.
Johnson, also a former two-term New Mexico governor, hosted a campaign rally at the SUB Saturday afternoon, where he urged attendees and potential voters to consider his leadership when the polls open Nov. 8.
Johnson, who is polling higher in his home state than anywhere else, was accompanied by Michael Aguilar, the chairman of the New Mexico Federation of College Republicans, and his daughter, Seah Johnson, who spoke at the rally.
All speakers expressed disappointment in the major party nominees, and stressed that there are other options beyond Democrats and Republicans.
“I am extremely disappointed in our Republican nominee for president,” Aguilar said. “Donald Trump continues to disrespect women, the military, veterans, minorities across our nation and anyone else who does not agree with his authoritarian agenda.”
Aguilar reminded the crowd that Johnson is polling at an incredible 24 percent in the state.
“He is breaking down walls and he is within striking distance of the two-party machine,” he said. “Gary Johnson can win New Mexico.”
Seah Johnson then took the stage, describing how New Mexico voters have a chance to take the decision of who becomes president to the House of Representatives.
If none of the candidates are successful in reaching the necessary 270 vote threshold from the Electoral College, the vote goes to the Republican-controlled House.
“And there is no way that they are going to vote for Clinton,” Seah said. “Us New Mexicans have a rare opportunity to make a difference — we can decide the next president of the United States.”
Introduced by his daughter, Gary Johnson then took the stage, the crowd roaring and chanting his name.
With a disclaimer that silenced the crowd, Johnson made it apparent where he stood with the Republican and Democratic candidates running for presidency.
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“I agree 100 percent with Hillary Clinton’s number one issue in this campaign, and I agree 100 percent with Donald Trump’s number one issue in this campaign: don’t vote for Clinton and don’t vote for Trump,” he said. “These are not the only two choices. There is a third choice, it’s a principled choice and it will make a difference, a positive difference for America.”
Johnson indicated that his running mate, fellow libertarian Bill Weld, and himself would provide integrity and honesty, which he claimed Trump and Clinton both lacked.
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything,” he said. “The one unforgivable in life is hypocrisy, saying one thing and doing another. Myself and Bill Weld are not hypocrites.”
Citing various platform points — including wasteful spending and immigration — Johnson promised to have a solution for each.
Johnson claimed that when he was governor, he would meet with anyone after 4 p.m. on every third Thursday of the month until 10 p.m., to discuss issues and concerns that people had, a policy he called “open door after four.”
“I am pledging also an ‘open door after four’ as president of the United States,” he said.
In closing, Johnson reminded the crowd that there is still an opportunity to win the election.
“It is a matter of going out and soliciting your friends, family, coworkers and making a push over these last 30 days,” he said.
Samantha Gorley, a senior biology major, expressed the importance of participating in Johnson’s rally as a student.
“Gary Johnson is a candidate that you can place some trust in, who owns up to his own mistakes and has followed through time and time again,” Gorley said. “He has solutions where the other candidates don’t and he could actually meet the change that everyone is asking for.”
Even students from different states, like South Dakota, were present at the rally to support Johnson.
Cole Steffen and Ezra Grothe, sophomores from South Dakota’s School of Mines and Technology, explained the spontaneous decision to participate in Saturday’s rally.
Grothe said it is clear that Johnson is a candidate who sees the importance of the generation that is made up primarily of young, first-time voters.
“The views of the students today are the views of the adult voting public tomorrow, so there lies the fact that we are the future,” Steffen said.
Gorley said he felt it was important to let students know that there is a third option.
“You don’t have to vote for the lesser of two evils,” she said. “Vote for Gary Johnson, because I think here in New Mexico, we are the chance that he needs. But more importantly, go vote and educate yourself.”
Megan Nyce is a news reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @Megznham.
