{"id":27754,"date":"2011-03-28T10:59:40","date_gmt":"2011-03-28T16:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=27754"},"modified":"2011-03-29T12:58:47","modified_gmt":"2011-03-29T18:58:47","slug":"johnson-to-launch-presidential-campaign-in-april","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2011\/03\/johnson-to-launch-presidential-campaign-in-april\/","title":{"rendered":"Johnson to launch presidential campaign in April"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Gary Johnson<\/p><\/div>\n

Former N.M. Gov. Gary Johnson<\/a> will formally launch his presidential campaign next month in New Hampshire, Fox News<\/a> and Politico<\/a> are reporting.<\/p>\n

Johnson, a libertarian-leaning Republican, plans to skip the step of creating an exploratory committee, Politico reported. Fox News reported that Johnson\u2019s announcement will come sometime after April 15 \u2013 tax day.<\/p>\n

The announcement isn\u2019t a surprise. Talk of the tea party favorite running for president in 2012 really started ramping up in early 2009<\/a>. And though he\u2019s skipping the exploratory committee, Johnson formed a nonprofit \u2013 Our America Initiative<\/a> \u2013 in 2009, and through that organization he\u2019s been traveling around the nation to talk about issues and increase his profile.<\/p>\n

As Fox News reported, \u201cJohnson has traveled to more than 30 states and spoken to 500 groups in the last 15 months, and plans to visit Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, and South Carolina in coming weeks, all states crucial to anyone eyeing a\u00a0White House run.\u201d<\/p>\n

A wide-open race<\/h3>\n

Many consider Johnson\u2019s bid for the presidency a long shot. However, pundits have also been frequently talking about how there isn\u2019t yet a clear frontrunner in the GOP race for the right to take on President Barack Obama<\/a> next year.<\/p>\n

Johnson\u2019s candidacy needs strong tea party support, so his chances may have taken a hit last week when U.S. Sen. Rand Paul<\/a> said it\u2019s likely that either he or his father, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul<\/a>, will run for president next year<\/a>. Both are tea party favorites.<\/p>\n

Johnson will be the second New Mexico governor to run for president in as many election cycles, but Bill Richardson<\/a> was a sitting governor when he ran, and at the time he enjoyed a huge amount of popularity in his home state.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s also different for Johnson. A recent poll<\/a> had Johnson tied for fourth out of five potential 2012 GOP presidential candidates among New Mexico Republicans. Still, it\u2019s worth noting that only a few percentage points separated the potential candidates.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a sign that the race is wide open.<\/p>\n

The difference between \u2018Gov. No\u2019 and \u2018Dr. No\u2019<\/h3>\n

Johnson, who served as governor from 1995 to 2003, was best known for vetoing hundreds of bills. He told NMPolitics.net<\/a> in late 2009 that he would have reduced government further if faced with today\u2019s budget crunch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had been a benevolent dictator, instead of governor, I would have cut back government even further, and no one would have noticed the loss in goods or services,\u201d he said. \u201cWith that said, I would argue that you haven\u2019t noticed an increase in government goods and services with spending increases.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s more on Johnson and the dynamics his candidacy creates, from Politico:<\/p>\n

\u201c…Johnson occupies\u00a0much of the same political space as Ron Paul, the Texas congressman who ran in 2008 and is considering another bid. Starting a campaign in April could provide such backdrops as the April 15 Tax Day and the annual April 20 push for legalizing marijuana.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How will he separate himself from Ron Paul? Politico has some analysis of that as well:<\/p>\n

\u201cThough frequently compared with Paul, the libertarian movement\u2019s closest thing to a standard-bearer, Johnson has been distancing himself from the comparison. While they\u2019re both libertarians, Johnson said, his reputation as \u2018Gov. No\u2019 is different from Paul\u2019s moniker \u2018Dr. No.\u2019 He has emphasized his record as a governor who was prolific in using his veto pen.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018There was a big difference between Ron Paul and me when it came to the \u2018no,\u2019\u2019 Johnson recently told Politico. \u2018His \u2018no\u2019 was philosophical. It was reasoned. It was right. My \u2018no\u2019 actually put a stop to legislation. It cut spending. Mine carried further than just \u2018no.\u2019 I had to follow through with the debate, discussion and dialogue on why my \u2018no\u2019 wouldn\u2019t result in people starving, schools being shut down and the delivery of services to the poor wasn\u2019t going to be curtailed.\u2019\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u2018We are on the verge of an imminent financial collapse\u2019<\/h3>\n

As Fox News pointed out, the nation\u2019s spending is Johnson\u2019s primary focus:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen asked in a wide ranging interview with Fox News what he thinks is the most important issue facing America today, the answer is immediate, \u2018I think it\u2019s the fact that we\u2019re bankrupt, that we\u2019re borrowing 43 cents out of every dollar that we\u2019re spending.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018When asked what other issues he thinks are most important, the answer is pretty much the same. \u2018I am in the camp that believes that we are on the verge of an imminent financial collapse. The only thing that government could do and should do in my opinion would be to balance the budget. That would really send an unbelievable message that we as Americans understand that you can\u2019t continue to spend more money than what you take in.\u2019\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Update, 12:10 p.m.<\/h3>\n

Johnson recently talked with Veritas New Mexico<\/a> about federal issues and answered the question about whether he was close to announcing a presidential bid. Read the full post here<\/a>, or watch the video:<\/p>\n