After Ted Cruz’s precipitous campaign collapse and sudden drop out last night, many depressed Republicans — especially young Republicans — are trying to figure out who to vote for in November.
Despite the RNC’s efforts, #NeverTrump still has a following; they just don’t have a candidate. Many of their activists have been strategizing how to draft a write-in or stage some other protest vote.
The only lane open for a third-party challenge is a libertarian-leaning candidate who will paint both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton as corporatist, authoritarian statists. A libertarian makes sense because they already have a built-in base. Gov. Gary Johnson earned more than a million votes last election, and the Paul’s have earned millions more votes nationwide. If you add those voters to the #NeverTrump conservatives, it could be a substantial base.
Google searches for the Libertarian Party spiked after Cruz dropped out, but here’s the issue: Both of their major candidates, to put it politely, have flaws. Gov. Gary Johnson comes off a bit unhinged and recently called Trump a “pussy.” Austin Peterson is challenging Johnson, but is more qualified to write part-time for Reason Magazine than to be President of the United States.
If the Libertarian Party is to have their moment, they need to draft a candidate with mass appeal and credibility.
Sen. Rand Paul would make the most sense, if he didn’t have to run for reelection as a Republican.
But, why not Ron Paul? Yes, he’s 80 years old, but Bernie Sanders is 74. He could pledge to serve one term and pick someone young — like either Reps. Justin Amash or Thomas Massie — to be his running mate.
Now that we have your attention, libertarians, is it possible?
We’ve asked the Libertarian Party and haven’t heard a reply yet, but logistically, it should be absolutely possible. Delegates choose the nominee, and they can nominate someone who hasn’t filed — as long as their rules committee doesn’t have a rule against it. The same goes for the Constitution Party.
Ron Paul 2016 was a dream for many libertarians, and that dream is not yet dead — especially if Trump doesn’t consolidate the Republican base quickly.
