Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson, left, is given a T-shirt by Groundswell Cannabis Boutique co-owner Don Novak on Monday. (Stephen Mitchell, The Denver Post)

Presidential hopeful Gary Johnson's message to voters is that he's better on civil-libertarian issues than Democrat Barack Obama and better on dollars-and-cents issues than Republican Mitt Romney.

In the West, where several states will be crucial in determining who wins in November, Johnson, running on the Libertarian ticket, is an attractive conveyer of that message.

The erstwhile Republican served two terms as governor of New Mexico, a state where he's polling at 12 percent.

He's a strong advocate of state's rights.

And as an added edge in Colorado, he has raced eight times in the Leadville Trail 100 mountain-bike race and has a long string of extreme-athlete bona fides.

Johnson's strengths introduce an interesting dynamic: If the presidential race in Colorado is as close as some pundits predict, Johnson could end up being compared with third-party candidates Ralph Nader in 2000 and Ross Perot in 1992, viewed as spoilers in those presidential races.

Which party would likely benefit from a Johnson surge?

During a campaign swing through Colorado where he marched in the gay-rights PrideFest on Sunday and spoke in favor of a ballot measure to regulate marijuana like alcohol Monday Johnson downplayed such speculation.

"I've never viewed myself as a spoiler because I believe I'm going to take equally from both sides," Johnson said just before a news conference at a Denver medical-marijuana business.

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Presidential hopeful Gary Johnson, Libertarian from New Mexico, attempts to woo voters