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) <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
The erstwhile Republican served two terms as governor of New Mexico, a state where he's polling at 12 percent. <\/p>\n
He's a strong advocate of state's rights. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
Which party would likely benefit from a Johnson surge? <\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
\"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. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Link: <\/p>\n
Presidential hopeful Gary Johnson, Libertarian from New Mexico, attempts to woo voters<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 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 Continue reading