Voters are often hesitant to vote third party for fear of a wasted vote, but Gary Johnson doesn’t believe in falling prey to the two-party system. “I think a wasted vote is a vote for Trump or Clinton,” Libertarian nominee Johnson said. “The future is small government, the future is no one dying in foreign interventions.”
Johnson appeared at a restaurant close to the DNC on Thursday night, and although he was hours late, he still spoke to a crowd of about 100, USA Today reported.
He also didn’t appear worried about alienating voters with his fiscally conservative and socially liberal policies. “It’s not something I lose sleep over,” he said. Johnson has concerned some for his views, or lack thereof, when it comes to religious liberty.
When it came to the crowd, supporters were interested in his commitment to a balanced budget and personal freedoms. There were also some Bernie Sanders supporters looking for options other than Hillary.
Alisah Holland, 33, a self-described progressive from Portland, Oregon came to the DNC to protest the nomination but also felt it important to hear Johnson. Like many other Sanders supporters, she isn’t yet sure who she’ll vote for. “I don’t agree with him on every issue,” Holland said. “But I want him on the debate stage.”
Johnson has tried to directly appeal to Sanders supporters and released a campaign ad immediately following Sanders endorsement of Hillary. Polls show that many Sanders supporters are voting third-party.
Johnson needs 15 percent to get onto the stage. A CBS/New York Times poll had him at 12 percent.
