Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson: A vote for Clinton or Trump is wasted

PHILADELPHIA—Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson, hoping to capitalize on those who are disenfranchised with the major party nominees, showed up here Thursday to make his case in the shadows of the Democratic National Convention on its final day.

He gathered with nearly 100 supporters at a restaurant close to the Wells Fargo Center, where the convention was being held, to continue his pitch as a third-party alternative for dissatisfied voters on both the right and left.

Johnson, who appeared hours before Hillary Clinton took the stage, is hoping to reach the 15 percent threshold needed to participate in national general election debates. Several national polls in recent weeks have Johnson as high as 11 percent.

Johnson, the former two-term Republican governor of New Mexico, mostly stuck to typical libertarian calls for lower taxes, a non-interventionist foreign policy and fewer business regulations when he spoke Thursday. At times, Johnson seemed to struggle with questions on union jobs, minimum wage and voter fraud from left-leaning folks in attendance, revealing the difficulty in bridging the ideological divide.

“I think a wasted vote is a vote for Trump or Clinton,” Johnson said. “The future is small government, the future is no one dying in foreign interventions.”

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Johnson, whose appearance was delayed by several hours, opened by thanking attendees for sticking around and then took questions from an enthusiastic audience on healthcare, net neutrality and terrorism.

Johnson, who also ran in 2012, stressed that he would honor all international treaties, support the Trans-Pacific Partnership and sign any legislation that simplified the tax code. While admitting his platform, which fuses issues championed by the right and left, might alienate voters on both sides, Johnson remained confident.

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“It’s not something I lose sleep over,” Johnson said.

Brett Stevens, a lawyer and mother of three, came out to hear what Johnson had to say. The Philadelphia native grew up supporting Republican candidates but switched in the last election cycle after hearing Johnson’s appeals for a balanced budget and greater personal freedoms.

“I balance the budget every month,” the 34-year-old said. “I think the government should do the same.”

Johnson’s call for a balanced budget also attracted Joe Portz.

The 22-year-old electrician acknowledged Johnson's candidacy faces significant obstacles, but he remained committed.

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“I think Clinton will win,” Portz said. “[But] that doesn’t mean I have to vote for the lesser of two evils.”

Young men dominated the crowd, many holding campaign signs and homemade posters. They were joined by assorted others, including a few curious Bernie Sanders supporters who trickled in.

Alisah Holland, a self-described progressive, traveled from Portland, Oregon, to protest Clinton’s nomination. She said she felt it important to come Thursday evening to hear what Johnson had to say.

The 33-year-old, who teaches special education, has not decided who she’ll vote for this November.

“I don’t agree with him on every issue,” Holland said. "But I want him on the debate stage.”