Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson made his pitch for president to a thinly filled Union Theater on Friday, asking the crowd to “waste their vote” on a third-party candidate.
Johnson secured the Libertarian Party nomination after briefly running as a Republican. He served as the governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003. The pit stop is a part of Johnson’s 40-campus tour.
“I think the country is in deep, deep doo-doo,” Johnson said, opening his address to the crowd.
He promised voters that his résumé makes him the right man for the job.
“Waste your vote, and vote for me,” Johnson said. “I think I have a résumé that would suggest that not only can I do this job, but I can do a really good job at it.”
Johnson said he entered the race for governor of New Mexico in 1994 as an outsider but was eventually re-elected in 1998 by a state of Democrats, stressing his underdog status.
“There is only one presidential candidate viewed favorably in his own state,” he said. “They wave at me with all five fingers, not just one.”
Dressed casually in blue jeans, a peace sign T-shirt and a grey blazer, Johnson delved further into his platform, beginning with foreign policy.
“I’m the only candidate that does not want to bomb Iran,” he said, receiving raucous applause.
He criticized the country’s involvement in the Middle East when he described the United States’ “interventionist policy.”
“Our military interventions have resulted in hundreds of millions of enemies,” Johnson said. “It’s our soldiers that are coming back in body bags.”
Johnson’s voice grew louder as he discussed the more controversial issues on his platform. He mentioned his support of marriage equality as a “constitutionally guaranteed right,” before moving on to his most notable issue — drug policy reform.
Although Johnson said he doesn’t use drugs, alcohol or caffeine, he repeatedly criticized President Barack Obama for an increase in drug raids. Johnson likened legalizing marijuana to prohibition. He said the government stands to make a substantial amount of money from several illegal activities, including marijuana and prostitution.
“End the drug war now, legalize marijuana,” Johnson said. “Ninety percent of the drug problem is prohibition-related, not use-related.”
The current economic system is a product of “crony capitalism,” according to Johnson. He said many lobbyists exploit tax loopholes for richer Americans. As an alternative to the current system, he endorsed the Fair Tax Bill, which was introduced in a presentation earlier in the rally.
The Fair Tax Bill advocates for states’ rights, giving the ability to collect taxes back to the states.
“This bill is the greatest shift of power to the people since the Declaration of Independence,” said Lauren O’Halloran of Americans for Fair Taxation earlier in the evening.
Johnson also addressed the cost of college tuition. He recommended that students choose not to go to school if they want the cost of college to decrease.
The night drew to a close as Johnson addressed his media coverage, stressing that he is not reported proportionally in comparison to his opponents.
“If my name just were heard five times for every 100 times that Obama was mentioned, the 5 percent becomes 11 becomes 18, then I’m the next president of the United States,” he said.
Johnson walked off stage to a standing ovation, briefly pausing to wave to the crowd.
His running mate is Jim Gray, a former California Superior Court judge. The ticket is on the ballot in 47 states, but Johnson estimates he will be listed in all 50 states by the Nov. 6 election.
Even though Johnson didn’t draw a large crowd, his audience was energetic. Microbiology freshman Evan Rivere said he jumped at the chance to see Johnson speak.
“I’m a Libertarian, so it’s great that Gary Johnson is coming to speak,” Rivere said. “It is an interesting thing to do on a Friday night.”
But Rivere wasn’t optimistic about Johnson’s chances.
“Gary Johnson is absolutely not going to win,” he said. “I would rather vote for Romney and have Obama lose or vote for Johnson on principle.”
