Libertarians will be following presidential election news closely over the coming weeks. This is in large part because the Commission on Presidential Debates (15%) is set to announce which candidates will participate in their annual forums. Though the CPD has set a 15% threshold to advance to the debates, this realistically only affects Gary Johnson. While Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will reach that mark, and Jill Stein has not come close, Johnson has been mentioned as the third-party candidate and has come within striking distance of the number. These are the five reasons why Johnson will be in the Presidential Debates.
1. Americans Want Johnson on the Stage for the Debates
As reported by The Libertarian Republic, a recent poll shows that 62% of Americans would be interested in seeing Gary Johnson in the debates. This is interesting in that it suggests even those who do not know of Johnson or his policies still wish to see him debate. With this large desire in the American populace, the CPD and networks have a clear incentive to feed this curiosity.
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2. Voters Don’t Like Clinton or Trump
It has become extremely apparent this cycle that Clinton or Trump are the most unpopular presidential nominees in their parties’ histories. As noted in the previous entry, this could drive voters to more easily consider a third-party option. More importantly, networks may face backlash if they offer only two unsavory options. Though the “lesser of two evils” problem has presented itself in the past, Americans seem finally fed up.
3. Networks Want Ratings
At the end of the day, as much as some networks have political agendas, they will ultimately bow to the “almighty dollar.” Just as the networks saw an uptick in 1992 when having Ross Perot participate in the debates, the same could be true for this year’s event. Adding together the personalities of Trump and Clinton, as well as the uncertainty of Johnson, could produce the highest debate ratings in American history. With that lineup, networks could charge Super Bowl-level prices for advertisements and cash in on the population’s intrigue.
4. Johnson and Weld Represent Unusual Amount of Viability
The Johnson-Weld ticket is the first pair of governors on any presidential ticket since 1948. It is difficult to pinpoint a more qualified third-party ticket in American history (or at least in the modern era). While third-parties often select mere “activists” or other seeimingly un-serious candidates, the Libertarians do not suffer from this defect. Additionally, the Libertarian ticket is on pace to appear on all fifty state ballots, the only “non-major” party to do so. These facts point to a campaign perhaps more serious than any other which a third-party has offered in 2016 or in any election in recent memory.
5. Johnson is Getting the Numbers
The five polls identified by the CPD have not been released in roughly a month. However, in the last few months, Johnson’s poll numbers have gone up both nationally and in each state. While he has not yet hit 15% in a national poll, Johnson has reached that mark in several state polls. With rumors that the CPD may “give an inch” to a third-party, Johnson will likely come extremely close to the threshold in September, if he does not surpass it. Additionally, Johnson has raised a near-unprecedented amount of money for a third-party candidate, further demonstrating viability.