Gary Johnson presidential campaign, 2016
2016 Presidential Election Gary Johnson 2016 Libertarian presidential nominee Running mate: Bill Weld |
Libertarian National Convention • Polls • Debates • Presidential election by state |
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This page was current as of the 2016 election.
- See also: Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson was the 2016 Libertarian Party nominee for president of the United States. He declared his candidacy on January 6, 2016, and formally received the party’s nomination on May 29, 2016, at the Libertarian National Convention.
Johnson, a business owner who advocated a “fiscally-conservative, socially-liberal” approach to government, served two terms as the Republican governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003.[2] In his first campaign for governor, he defeated Democratic incumbent Bruce King by 10 points. As governor, Johnson focused on cutting taxes and spending and reducing the size of government in the state. He vetoed more than 700 bills throughout his two terms. In his 2012 book, Seven Principles of Good Government, Johnson wrote, “Although I do not believe that government is ill-intentioned, I strongly believe in less government. I vetoed 750 bills as governor because I abhor the government spending money on programs that show no improvement in our lives and criminalize actions that do not warrant criminalization.”[3]
After a short-lived run for the Republican nomination for president in 2011, Johnson switched his party affiliation to Libertarian and went on to win the Libertarian Party’s nomination for president in 2012. In a statement describing his decision to leave the Republican Party, he said, “It was difficult because I have a lot of Republican history, and a lot of Republican supporters. But in the final analysis, as many, many commentators have said since watching how I governed New Mexico, I am a Libertarian.”[4] In the 2012 general election, Johnson received almost 1 percent of the vote—a total of about 1.2 million votes.
Johnson’s 2016 bid for the presidency attracted more attention than his 2012 run. In the first two weeks of August 2016, he raised more money ($2.9 million) than in the entirety of his 2012 campaign ($2.3 million).[5] In addition, as the Democratic and Republican nominees both experienced historically low favorability ratings, Johnson managed to reach as high as 13 percent in national polls. Much of his campaign centered on raising that number to 15 percent, which would have allowed him to participate in the general election debates in September and October.
Johnson on domestic affairs
Johnson’s approach to domestic affairs focused on shrinking the size of the federal government. He opposed “government-mandated health insurance” and the Affordable Care Act. He supported cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and proposed giving “block grants” to states for entitlement programs. Johnson also called for state and local governments to have more control over education and promised to eliminate the federal Department of Education. Johnson voiced support for environmental regulations and said “climate change is occurring” and “it is man-caused.” He advocated for “free market” solutions to environmental problems. Johnson supported same-sex marriage, abortion rights, the legalization of marijuana, term limits for elected officials, gun rights, and the separation of church and state. On immigration, he supported DACA and DAPA and pushed for reforming immigration laws in order to make it “as easy as possible” for immigrants to enter the country legally and obtain work visas.
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Johnson on economic affairs and government regulations
Johnson called for eliminating the income and corporate taxes and abolishing the IRS. He proposed imposing a federal consumption tax, which, Johnson wrote on his 2016 campaign website, “determines your tax burden by how much you spend, not how much you earn.” Johnson supported right-to-work legislation and a balanced budget amendment and proposed a 20 percent reduction to federal spending. He also supported free trade and said he would sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership but cautioned against what he called "crony capitalism" in international trade agreements. Johnson said he would repeal the Dodd-Frank Act.
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Johnson on foreign affairs and national security
On foreign policy, Johnson described himself as a noninterventionist and rejected the notion that Libertarians are isolationist. He argued that U.S. involvement in the affairs of other countries has had "the unintended consequence of making things worse, not better." He opposed the Iraq War and what he called nation-building in Afghanistan, but he supported the war against Al Qaeda. Johnson said that he would withdraw troops from Afghanistan if elected. He called ISIS "today's Nazi fascism" and called for more congressional involvement in the fight against ISIS. Johnson spoke critically of the Iran Nuclear Deal, saying that it funds terrorism. He also criticized mass-data collection and government surveillance programs.
Click the tiles below to learn more about Johnson's stances on foreign affairs and national security.
Polls
| Polls including third party candidates - (September-October 2016) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Unsure or Other | Margin of Error | Sample Size | ||||||||||||||||
| ABC News/Washington Post October 10-13, 2016 | 47% | 43% | 5% | 2% | 3% | +/-4 | 740 | ||||||||||||
| NBC News/Wall St. Journal October 10-13, 2016 | 48% | 37% | 7% | 2% | 6% | +/-3.3 | 905 | ||||||||||||
| GWU/Battleground October 8-13, 2016 | 47% | 39% | 8% | 2% | 4% | +/-3.1 | 1,000 | ||||||||||||
| Fox News October 10-12, 2016 | 45% | 38% | 7% | 3% | 7% | +/-3 | 917 | ||||||||||||
| NBC News/Wall Street Journal October 8-10, 2016 | 46% | 37% | 8% | 2% | 7% | +/-3.5 | 806 | ||||||||||||
| Reuters/Ipsos October 6-10, 2016 | 44% | 37% | 6% | 2% | 11% | +/-2.2 | 2,363 | ||||||||||||
| Rasmussen October 5-9, 2016 | 45% | 38% | 7% | 2% | 8% | +/-2.5 | 1,500 | ||||||||||||
| NBC News/SurveyMonkey October 3-9, 2016 | 46% | 41% | 8% | 3% | 2% | +/-1 | 23,329 | ||||||||||||
| Economist/YouGov October 7-8, 2016 | 44% | 38% | 5% | 1% | 12% | +/-4.2 | 971 | ||||||||||||
| Quinnipiac October 5-6, 2016 | 45% | 40% | 6% | 3% | 6% | +/-3 | 1,064 | ||||||||||||
| Fox News October 3-6, 2016 | 44% | 42% | 6% | 2% | 6% | +/-3 | 896 | ||||||||||||
| Rasmussen Reports October 3-5, 2016 | 41% | 43% | 8% | 3% | 5% | +/-2.5 | 1,500 | ||||||||||||
| Economist/YouGov October 1-October 3, 2016 | 43% | 40% | 5% | 3% | 9% | +/-3.9 | 911 | ||||||||||||
| Reuters/Ipsos September 29-October 3, 2016 | 42% | 36% | 8% | 2% | 12% | +/-3.2 | 1,239 | ||||||||||||
| CBS News September 28-October 2, 2016 | 45% | 41% | 8% | 3% | 3% | +/-4 | 1,217 | ||||||||||||
| CNN/ORC September 28-October 2, 2016 | 47% | 42% | 7% | 2% | 2% | +/-3 | 1,213 | ||||||||||||
| NBC News/SurveyMonkey September 26-October 2, 2016 | 46% | 40% | 9% | 3% | 2% | +/-1 | 26,925 | ||||||||||||
| Fox News September 27-29, 2016 | 43% | 40% | 8% | 4% | 5% | +/-3 | 911 | ||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling September 27-28, 2016 | 44% | 40% | 6% | 1% | 9% | +/-3.2 | 933 | ||||||||||||
| Reuters/Ipsos September 22-26, 2016 | 42% | 38% | 7% | 2% | 9% | +/-3.5 | 1,041 | ||||||||||||
| Quinnipiac September 22-25, 2016 | 44% | 43% | 8% | 2% | 3% | +/-3.1 | 1,115 | ||||||||||||
| Monmouth September 22-25, 2016 | 46% | 42% | 8% | 2% | 2% | +/-3.6 | 729 | ||||||||||||
| Economist/YouGov September 22-24, 2016 | 44% | 41% | 5% | 2% | 8% | +/-3.8 | 948 | ||||||||||||
| Bloomberg September 21-24, 2016 | 41% | 43% | 8% | 4% | 4% | +/-3.1 | 1,002 | ||||||||||||
| ABC News/Washington Post September 19-22, 2016 | 46% | 44% | 5% | 1% | 4% | +/-4.5 | 651 | ||||||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
For more polls, see Presidential election, 2016/Polls
Ballot access
Some states have special provisions permitting parties to place presidential candidates on the ballot without attaining full ballot status. Ballot access for the presidential candidates of select minor parties in previous election cycles is detailed below.
Presidential ballot access, 2024
- See also: Presidential candidates, 2024.
The United States will hold a presidential election on November 5, 2024. This will be the 60th presidential election in United States history, and the first to be held after the reallocation of electoral college votes following the 2020 redistricting cycle.[6]
Joe Biden (D) and Donald Trump (R) became the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees on March 12, 2024. The Democratic Party will make an official presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in August 2024, and the Republican Party will make an official presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in July 2024.
Other noteworthy candidates include Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (I) and Marianne Williamson (D).
For information from previously presidential election years, click "[Show more]" below.
Presidential ballot access, 2020
- See also: Presidential candidates, 2020
There were 21 candidates on the ballot each in Vermont and Colorado, more than in any other state. Arkansas and Louisiana came in second, with 13 candidates each. Twelve states featured only three candidates on the ballot.
The following map shows the number of presidential candidates on the ballot in 2020 in each state.
Presidential ballot access, 2016
- See also: Presidential candidates, 2016
In 2016, the Democratic and Republican parties were fully ballot-qualified in all 50 states, granting them presidential ballot access by default. The following large minor parties achieved presidential ballot access as indicated:[7][8][9]
- Libertarian Party: 50 states
- Green Party: 44 states (write-in status in an additional three states)
- Constitution Party: 24 states (write-in status in an additional 22 states)
The maps below provide further details for each of these parties. Hover over a state to see further details.
Impact of minor party presidential candidates on party ballot status
In some states, the performance of a minor party's presidential candidate can directly help that party attain state ballot status. The table below identifies state-level affiliates of the Libertarian and Green parties that gained ballot status between 2016 and 2017.[10] The table also indicates whether the performance of a presidential candidate can figure directly in methods for attaining ballot status.
| Impact of minor party presidential candidates on parties attaining ballot status between 2016 and 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Political party | State | Methods for attaining ballot status | Impact of candidate on party status | Notes |
| Libertarian Party | Iowa | Candidate petition, then poll 2% Hold meeting of 250, then poll 2%[11] |
Party met multiple thresholds for ballot status | The Libertarian Party also ran a candidate for the United States Senate who won 2.6% of the total votes cast for that office.[12] |
| Libertarian Party | Massachusetts | Registration drive, 1% Candidate petition, then poll 3%[11] |
Direct impact | The Libertarian candidate for president, Gary Johnson, won 4.2% of the total votes cast for that office. No other statewide contests featured Libertarians.[13] |
| Libertarian Party | New Hampshire | Candidate petition, then poll 4% Petition of 3% of last gubernatorial vote[11] |
Party met multiple thresholds for ballot status | The Libertarian Party's candidate for governor, Max Abramson, won 4.3% of the total votes cast for that office.[14] |
| Libertarian Party | South Dakota | Petition of 2.5% of last gubernatorial vote[11] | No direct impact | The performance of a party's presidential candidate cannot directly help that party attain ballot status. |
| Green Party | Delaware | Registration drive, 0.1% | No direct impact[11] | The performance of a party's presidential candidate cannot directly help that party attain ballot status. |
| Green Party | Missouri | Petition of 10,000 signatures | No direct impact[11] | The performance of a party's presidential candidate cannot directly help that party attain ballot status. |
Recent news
This section links to a Google news search for the term Gary + Johnson + 2016
See also
- Presidential election, 2016
- Presidential candidates, 2016
- Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, 2016
- Jill Stein presidential campaign, 2016
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Reason.com, "Gary Johnson To Announce He's Running for President Today," January 6, 2016
- ↑ The Associated Press, "Libertarians pick ex-New Mexico Gov. Johnson for president," May 29, 2016
- ↑ Johnson, Gary. (2012). Seven Principles of Good Government. Aberdeen: Silver Lake Publishing. (pages 27-28)
- ↑ New Hampshire Union Leader, "Gary Johnson makes switch to Libertarian Party official," December 28, 2011
- ↑ The Hill, "Libertarian ticket raises almost $3 million in two weeks," August 16, 2016
- ↑ 270 to Win, "Historical Presidential Elections," accessed January 17, 2023
- ↑ Libertarian Party, "2016 Presidential Ballot Access Map," accessed November 8, 2016
- ↑ Green Party US, "Ballot Access," accessed November 8, 2016
- ↑ Constitution Party, "Ballot Access," accessed November 8, 2016
- ↑ Affiliates of the Constitution Party are not included because no state affiliates of the party attained new ballot status between 2016 and 2017.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Ballot Access News, "April 1, 2017 – Volume 32, Number 11," accessed July 28, 2017
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "2016 General Election Canvass Summary," accessed July 28, 2017
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, "Election results," accessed July 28, 2017
- ↑ New Hampshire Secretary of State, "Governor - 2016 General Election," accessed July 28, 2017
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