A little more than eight years ago, former New Mexico governor and Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson nearly turned the two-party system on its head, coming within a couple percentage points of achieving the 15 percent threshold needed to join the 2016 presidential debate stage with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. But as has historically been the case with third-party candidates, Johnson's support faded in the final weeks, and he and running mate Bill Weld ended with a little more than 3 percent of the national popular vote (still a Libertarian Party record). After another abortive Libertarian run for U.S. Senate in 2018, Johnson largely disappeared from politics, enjoying the good life in New Mexico at his homes in Santa Fe and Taos with longtime partner Kate Prusack and, as he related, spending 100-plus days on the ski slopes and taking part in the annual 2,800-mile Continental Divide Mountain Bike Race. But he broke his silence Monday in an interview with Reason to share his thoughts on the 2024 election.
Johnson, who says he voted for Libertarian Party nominee Chase Oliver, predicted a Trump victory—an outcome about which he confessed to having mixed feelings. "Half of what Trump does is good," he says. "The other half is crazy."
