Libertarian VP candidate says don’t throw away your vote

When Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson came storming out of the gates with the highest third-party polling numbers since Ross Perot, the assumption was the former New Mexico governor was serving as a palatable alternative for those Republicans who couldn’t stomach the vulgarity and crassness of Donald Trump.

Yet, even as Trump has closed the gap considerably on Hillary Clinton, Johnson’s numbers have hardly waned at all. And though he hasn’t reached the 15 percent threshold needed to be part of the first of the three presidential debates, Johnson and his running mate, former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld, are confident their numbers will only go up as election day approaches.

I managed to get 20 minutes on the phone with Weld between his campaign stops in Boston on Friday.

“Gary’s at 13 percent nationally, and he’s above 15 percent in 15 states, which includes a lot of swing states, including Alaska,” Weld said, opting to cite the rosiest of polls. “The northwest and Alaska are friendly territory for us. Among independents he runs second, so we’ve got our spots, we just need to keep plugging to get more name recognition.”

Weld said they’re hoping to crack 15 percent in time for the second and third debates, which, he believes, is the only thing keeping the ticket — the first to feature two governors since 1948 — from making a serious run for the White House.

“Only 35 percent know who Johnson and Weld are,” Weld said. “Gary doesn’t have the negatives the other candidates do.”

Libertarianism has, in some ways gone the way of the dinosaur, what with our phones telling where we’re at all times and isolationism virtually impossible in a globalized world. But the movement does have some feathers in its cap, chief of which has to be the wave of marijuana legalization sweeping the country. Alaska is one of the early states lurching forward in that experiment, passing a statewide initiative legalizing cannabis two years ago, and a proposition on the ballot Oct. 4 to prevent its distribution in the Mat-Su Borough. The scheduled opening of pot shops in Anchorage and elsewhere has also been hampered by banking regulations, problems which Weld said would evaporate immediately in a Johnson-Weld administration.

“If we win, Gary will deschedule marijuana as a Class 1 narcotic,” he said. “As soon as we get there, that will immediately solve the banking issues. That would be a big help. They’ve had a little struggle with that in Washington State, too.”

Weld also credits libertarianism with paving the way for gay and lesbian rights, and though he’s no fan of Clinton, it’s clear that making sure Trump doesn’t end up in the White House, defining Republican values, is a priority.

“I think the future of Libertarianism is bright. I think the Republican party will split in two with Trump leading the ‘Know-Nothing Party’ on a path where they hate immigrants and gays and lesbians, have a closed economy, high tarrifs, don’t want to compete globally—all wishful thinking,” Weld said. “It’s happened before. The Whig Party broke in half, the Know-Nothings disappeared and the other half elected Lincoln. We’re trying to spread the message that we don’t know why a Republican would want to vote for Trump because he doesn’t put forth Republican ideals at all.”

For Libertarian-minded Republicans displeased with Trump, but certainly don’t want to see Clinton elected, Weld says there’s an easy solution.

“It’s unlikely you’ll ever see a stronger ticket on a Libertarian banner than Johnson-Weld,” Weld said. “A wasted vote is a vote for someone you don’t believe in. If you agree with us on fiscal conservatism and social inclusion, stick with us and don’t worry if other people don’t like it… The theme of Democracy is that the individual shall not be thrust into a corner, and that’s pretty much the essence of Libertarianism itself.”

Weld said he and Johnson plan to make it to Alaska before election day. If for no other reason, they could visit one of Johnson’s conquests now that Denali’s got a new name.

“Gary’s a real westerner and we’re both big outdoors guys,” Weld said. “Gary’s climbed the highest mountain on all seven continents, and climbed Everest on a broken leg… Gary gets his strength from the sky.”