Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson
Former N.M. Gov. Gary Johnson “appears to have locked up the Libertarian Party’s nomination for president,” the Las Cruces Sun-News is reporting.
From the article:
“Johnson last year began his run for the White House as a Republican. Instead, he will carry the banner of a 41-year-old third party that has never won a state in a presidential election.
“Numerous Libertarians said in interviews that Johnson will steamroll to the nomination May 5 at the Libertarian Party convention in Las Vegas, Nev.
“‘He’s going to be nominated on the first ballot, probably with 90 percent of the vote. Then he’s going to fall flat on his face, just as Bob Barr did,’ said Bill Still of Virginia, also a Libertarian candidate for president.
“Mark Hinkle, chairman of the Libertarian Party, said he had done enough of a sampling to project Johnson as the nominee.
“‘He seems to overwhelmingly be the choice in delegate counts and straw polls,’ Hinkle said.
“Hinkle, who lives in California, said he gives Johnson a chance to be competitive in the presidential race in one state — New Mexico.”
Maybe not. A survey of New Mexico voters from the left-leaning Public Policy Polling conducted last week has Johnson at 15 percent in New Mexico to Mitt Romney’s 35 percent and Barack Obama’s 48 percent. The survey of 526 people has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percent.