Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson frequently boasts about being socially liberal and fiscally conservative — a combination that he says represents the majority of American voters, and that he calls the best of both worlds.
In an effort to pitch himself as an alternative to Bernie Sanders, Johnson has spent much of his campaign showcasing his socially liberal side, drawing parallels between himself and the Vermont senator on issues such as immigration, gay marriage, abortion, and marijuana. In using this tactic, it’s clear that Johnson is hoping to draw some of Sanders’ supporters, a huge portion of whom are millennials, away from voting for Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee.
Recently, however, Johnson has focused on playing up his fiscally conservative side and his views on personal freedoms, two areas in which he greatly differs from democratic socialist Sanders, as a means to attract not only #NeverTrump Republicans, but also young voters.
“Millennials — who will soon be a full one-third of American adults — may be especially ready to become engaged in politics with a candidate who wants to give them a government that will leave them alone and get its finances in order so that they don’t inherit an economic collapse,” said Gary Johnson in an op-ed for CNN on Friday.
Despite the fact that millennials seem to favor socialism and big government, studies have shown that Generation Y is being faced with high unemployment, low earnings, and large college debt — economically crippling factors that will only grow larger along with the size of our national government.
“By the time Barack Obama leaves office, the national debt will be $20 TRILLION,” reads Johnson’s website. “That is not just obscene, it is unsustainable — and arguably the single greatest threat to our national security.”
He stresses that he can turn this around and save America’s youth from inheriting immense sums of debt, pointing to his successes as governor of New Mexico, a time during which he stood up to excess spending, vetoed 750 bills, and balanced the state’s budget.
In addition to getting our country’s finances back on track, Johnson also wants voting-age millennials to know that they’re “responsible adults [who] should be free to marry whom they want, arm themselves if they want, make their own decisions about their bodies, and lead their personal lives as they see fit,” a notion that could be appealing to young voters as it combines socially modern values with increased personal liberty.
“He’s always been an advocate for more freedom,” said David Boaz of the Cato Institute in an interview with GVH Live. “He’s gotten a lot of attention for arguing against the drug war. That ought to be something that will appeal to millennials. But they also should be interested in his appeal that you should be able to do anything you want to.”
