http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/gary-johnson-to-run-for-president-again-as-a-libertarian/article/2579746Gary Johnson to run for president again as a Libertarian
By Curt Mills (@CurtMills) • 1/6/16 2:50 PM
Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is back for more, announcing Wednesday his intention to repeat his 2012 run for president as the Libertarian Party nominee.
"I am announcing my candidacy right now for the Libertarian nomination," Johnson told Fox host Neil Cavuto Wednesday.
On the two-party system, Johnson said: "On my deathbed, I'm hoping that I look back and believe that I was the voice of reason in all this, regardless of how many votes I end up garnering."
Johnson will have to compete for the 2016 nomination at the Libertarian Party's national convention, which will be held May 27-30 in Orlando.
Johnson was previously the governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, and received the most votes of any Libertarian nominee in history in 2012, with 1.27 million votes nationally, nearly 1 percent of the popular vote.
It was a third party or independent candidate's best showing since Ralph Nader's bid in 2000.
Johnson until this week was the CEO of a marijuana marketing and packaging company. He stepped down as CEO of Cannabis Sativa in order to run again.
Johnson supports cannabis legalization, and has the described the market for the federal Schedule I drug as "the next gold rush." This was not Johnson's first foray into business. Before entering politics, he became a self-made millionaire.
Johnson ran for the Republican nomination in 2011 and 2012, but lost to Mitt Romney before declaring as a Libertarian. Johnson complaiend about not being allowed in enough Republican debates.
Johnson has been critical of Rand Paul, the 2016 Republican presidential candidate with libertarian leanings who has been accused by some — including Johnson — of selling out his base.
"Rand, in his quest to have one foot in the libertarian camp and the other in the establishment Republican museum, has emerged with a vague mix of positions that is clearly not compelling. There is a price to be paid for selling out — and he is paying it," Johnson wrote in a blog post in October.
Paul's father, Ron Paul, who waged popular insurgent campaigns for the Republican nomination in 2008 and 2012, refused to endorse Johnson in 2012, but hinted that he might have voted for him.
