How presidential candidate Gary Johnson could ignite a constitutional crisis in November
![How presidential candidate Gary Johnson could ignite a constitutional crisis in November Default](https://2img.net/h/2d0yaz2jiom3c6vy7e7e5svk.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/editors/default.gif)
History News Network
31 Jul 2016 at 14:52 ET
![How presidential candidate Gary Johnson could ignite a constitutional crisis in November Gary-Johnson-800x430](https://2img.net/h/2d0yaz2jiom3c6vy7e7e5svk.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Gary-Johnson-800x430.jpg)
Former Governor Gary Johnson speaking at CPAC FL in Orlando, Florida (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
Don't miss stories. Follow Raw Story!
Former New Mexico Republican Governor Gary Johnson is running as the Libertarian candidate for President, and in some polls, is running as high as 9-12 percent in a four way race, with Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, gaining about 3 percent in most polls.
This is due to the disillusionment of many Americans with the choices for President of the two major political parties—Donald Trump for the Republicans and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats. But the question is whether Gary Johnson, and his running mate for Vice President, former Massachusetts Republican Governor William Weld, could actually do as well as the polls indicate, and whether that would end up causing a constitutional crisis in November, when the election results are in.
The various polls which decide who should compete in the upcoming three Presidential debates and one Vice Presidential debate could allow Johnson and Weld to participate, with the threshold being 15 percent in a group of polls by a certain date in September, as was allowed for John Anderson in 1980 and H. Ross Perot in 1992. If that occurred, that could have a major impact on the race. And the news from Johnson that Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican Presidential nominee, is considering an endorsement of him, opens up the possibility that other recalcitrant Republicans who refuse to endorse Donald Trump, might just endorse the Johnson-Weld team and give them more legitimacy, and the potential to do better than anyone would imagine at the present.
The question arises which states might Gary Johnson have the potential to carry in a splintered race. It would seem to this author that the following states could give Johnson a plurality, and therefore, their electoral votes:
Alaska—(3 electoral votes)—This state has long had a libertarian streak and would find Johnson’s unwillingness to promote any serious gun control very appealing.
Idaho—(4 electoral votes)—Idaho is suspicious of the federal government as well, and would find Johnson someone they could very well support.
Maine—(4 electoral votes)—Maine is a very independent oriented state, which has elected independents as Governor and Senator, so could be fertile ground for Johnson.
Montana—(3 electoral votes)—Montana is similar in its views on the federal government and on guns, so could join Idaho in supporting Johnson.
New Hampshire—(4 electoral votes)—New Hampshire has a very prominent libertarian streak, going back a long time historically, and has the motto: “Live Free Or Die,” adopted by the state in 1945, so definitely could go for Johnson.
New Mexico—(5 electoral votes)—This home state of Johnson, who was Governor for two terms from 1995-2003, could support its former Chief Executive, and in fact, this is the one state most likely to support the Libertarian nominee.
Utah—(6 electoral votes)—The Mormon state has never trusted the federal government, and polls indicate that the 60 percent Mormon population hates Donald Trump, but is not anxious to support a Democrat such as Hillary Clinton, with Utah last voting Democratic in 1964 to reject Barry Goldwater.
Wyoming—(3 electoral votes)—Wyoming, like its neighbors Idaho and Montana, is skeptical about the federal government, and is against gun regulations, so could back Johnson in November.
Note that the above listing adds up to 8 potential states that could support Johnson by plurality, with six being Mountain West states (including Alaska) and two being New England states. Their electoral vote adds up to 32, enough to decide which of the other candidates win the election, or enough to prevent either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton from winning an outright victory on November 8. They are all small populated rural states, but they could be the balancing act, and decide who will be President.
And in theory, if neither major party candidate wins 270 electoral votes, the election would be thrown to the House of Representatives for the first time since 1824. In a Republican controlled House, Gary Johnson, in theory, could be elected President with the lowest percentage of popular votes in American history, far less than John Quincy Adams’ 30.9 percent in 1824 or Abraham Lincoln’s 39.8 percent of the vote in 1860.
Also, even if Johnson did not win the Presidency, or even prevent either Trump or Clinton from taking the White House, if he won eight states, that would be an all time record for a third party nominee, as Theodore Roosevelt won 6 states in 1912 and George Wallace won 5 states in 1968. Johnson also would have more electoral votes (32) than all but three third party candidates—TR with 88 electoral votes in 1912, Wallace with 46 electoral votes in 1968, and J. Strom Thurmond with 39 electoral votes (and 4 states) in 1948.
So at least, there is a long range possibility that on January 20, 2017, we could have our third President Johnson, after Andrew Johnson in 1865 and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1963. And we would have a Libertarian President, the first third party candidate in history to be elected President, albeit by the House of Representatives.
But at the same time, under the 12th Amendment to the Constitution, either Mike Pence or Tim Kaine would become Vice President, as only the top two candidates for the Vice Presidency can be considered by the Senate, although the top three candidates can be considered by the House of Representatives for President. Since the Senate is majority Republican, that would likely make Mike Pence Vice President to serve with Libertarian Gary Johnson as President, which would make for a very interesting and weird situation, never having occurred before in American history.
Such an eventuality would also mean that, based on the 2015 Census population estimate, 8 states that together had about 11.5 million population, out of a total population of 321 million, or about 3.64 percent of the total national population, would have given us our 45th President of the United States. Additionally, in those 8 states in the 2012 Presidential election, about 3.75 percent of the total popular vote or 4.9 million popular votes was recorded, out of a total national popular vote of about 129 million.
Would we want such a small percentage of the population deciding our next President? Hopefully, this scenario will not happen.
http://world.einnews.com/article/337811634/Ez5mv6Lg8FGiYs_Z
![How presidential candidate Gary Johnson could ignite a constitutional crisis in November Default](https://2img.net/h/2d0yaz2jiom3c6vy7e7e5svk.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/editors/default.gif)
History News Network
31 Jul 2016 at 14:52 ET
![How presidential candidate Gary Johnson could ignite a constitutional crisis in November Gary-Johnson-800x430](https://2img.net/h/2d0yaz2jiom3c6vy7e7e5svk.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Gary-Johnson-800x430.jpg)
Former Governor Gary Johnson speaking at CPAC FL in Orlando, Florida (Gage Skidmore/Flickr)
Don't miss stories. Follow Raw Story!
Former New Mexico Republican Governor Gary Johnson is running as the Libertarian candidate for President, and in some polls, is running as high as 9-12 percent in a four way race, with Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, gaining about 3 percent in most polls.
This is due to the disillusionment of many Americans with the choices for President of the two major political parties—Donald Trump for the Republicans and Hillary Clinton for the Democrats. But the question is whether Gary Johnson, and his running mate for Vice President, former Massachusetts Republican Governor William Weld, could actually do as well as the polls indicate, and whether that would end up causing a constitutional crisis in November, when the election results are in.
The various polls which decide who should compete in the upcoming three Presidential debates and one Vice Presidential debate could allow Johnson and Weld to participate, with the threshold being 15 percent in a group of polls by a certain date in September, as was allowed for John Anderson in 1980 and H. Ross Perot in 1992. If that occurred, that could have a major impact on the race. And the news from Johnson that Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican Presidential nominee, is considering an endorsement of him, opens up the possibility that other recalcitrant Republicans who refuse to endorse Donald Trump, might just endorse the Johnson-Weld team and give them more legitimacy, and the potential to do better than anyone would imagine at the present.
The question arises which states might Gary Johnson have the potential to carry in a splintered race. It would seem to this author that the following states could give Johnson a plurality, and therefore, their electoral votes:
Alaska—(3 electoral votes)—This state has long had a libertarian streak and would find Johnson’s unwillingness to promote any serious gun control very appealing.
Idaho—(4 electoral votes)—Idaho is suspicious of the federal government as well, and would find Johnson someone they could very well support.
Maine—(4 electoral votes)—Maine is a very independent oriented state, which has elected independents as Governor and Senator, so could be fertile ground for Johnson.
Montana—(3 electoral votes)—Montana is similar in its views on the federal government and on guns, so could join Idaho in supporting Johnson.
New Hampshire—(4 electoral votes)—New Hampshire has a very prominent libertarian streak, going back a long time historically, and has the motto: “Live Free Or Die,” adopted by the state in 1945, so definitely could go for Johnson.
New Mexico—(5 electoral votes)—This home state of Johnson, who was Governor for two terms from 1995-2003, could support its former Chief Executive, and in fact, this is the one state most likely to support the Libertarian nominee.
Utah—(6 electoral votes)—The Mormon state has never trusted the federal government, and polls indicate that the 60 percent Mormon population hates Donald Trump, but is not anxious to support a Democrat such as Hillary Clinton, with Utah last voting Democratic in 1964 to reject Barry Goldwater.
Wyoming—(3 electoral votes)—Wyoming, like its neighbors Idaho and Montana, is skeptical about the federal government, and is against gun regulations, so could back Johnson in November.
Note that the above listing adds up to 8 potential states that could support Johnson by plurality, with six being Mountain West states (including Alaska) and two being New England states. Their electoral vote adds up to 32, enough to decide which of the other candidates win the election, or enough to prevent either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton from winning an outright victory on November 8. They are all small populated rural states, but they could be the balancing act, and decide who will be President.
And in theory, if neither major party candidate wins 270 electoral votes, the election would be thrown to the House of Representatives for the first time since 1824. In a Republican controlled House, Gary Johnson, in theory, could be elected President with the lowest percentage of popular votes in American history, far less than John Quincy Adams’ 30.9 percent in 1824 or Abraham Lincoln’s 39.8 percent of the vote in 1860.
Also, even if Johnson did not win the Presidency, or even prevent either Trump or Clinton from taking the White House, if he won eight states, that would be an all time record for a third party nominee, as Theodore Roosevelt won 6 states in 1912 and George Wallace won 5 states in 1968. Johnson also would have more electoral votes (32) than all but three third party candidates—TR with 88 electoral votes in 1912, Wallace with 46 electoral votes in 1968, and J. Strom Thurmond with 39 electoral votes (and 4 states) in 1948.
So at least, there is a long range possibility that on January 20, 2017, we could have our third President Johnson, after Andrew Johnson in 1865 and Lyndon B. Johnson in 1963. And we would have a Libertarian President, the first third party candidate in history to be elected President, albeit by the House of Representatives.
But at the same time, under the 12th Amendment to the Constitution, either Mike Pence or Tim Kaine would become Vice President, as only the top two candidates for the Vice Presidency can be considered by the Senate, although the top three candidates can be considered by the House of Representatives for President. Since the Senate is majority Republican, that would likely make Mike Pence Vice President to serve with Libertarian Gary Johnson as President, which would make for a very interesting and weird situation, never having occurred before in American history.
Such an eventuality would also mean that, based on the 2015 Census population estimate, 8 states that together had about 11.5 million population, out of a total population of 321 million, or about 3.64 percent of the total national population, would have given us our 45th President of the United States. Additionally, in those 8 states in the 2012 Presidential election, about 3.75 percent of the total popular vote or 4.9 million popular votes was recorded, out of a total national popular vote of about 129 million.
Would we want such a small percentage of the population deciding our next President? Hopefully, this scenario will not happen.
http://world.einnews.com/article/337811634/Ez5mv6Lg8FGiYs_Z
» utube 7/6/24 MM&C Iraq Dinar-IQD-AI-Economic & Digital Impact Critical-JPMorgan-100% Completion Po
» MM&C 7/7/24 INVESTMENT AUTHORITY : SINGAPORE AGREEMENT WILL ACCELERATE IRAQ'S INTERNATIONAL RATING"*
» utube 7/8/24 MM&C Iraq Dinar-IQD Solid Credit-Strong & Stable Investment Environment-Oil Agree
» Bitcoin Drops Again on Mt. Gox Debt Repayment Concerns
» Parliamentary Legal: Political differences have delayed the passage of many laws
» Financial Advisor: Iraq's internal debts are greater than its external debts
» US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense arrives in Iraq
» Parliamentary Finance Committee reveals thefts of travelers' dollars
» The Central Bank announces the submission of the “E-Commerce System Project” paper to the Council of
» Security expert warns of US threats to violate Iraqi sovereignty
» Basra Council threatens to blacklist defaulting companies
» Al-Maliki Coalition: Parliament presidency crisis will continue during upcoming sessions
» Denunciation was of no use.. Statistics on the number of Turkish violations in northern Iraq
» Parliamentary Economy Committee warns government against extending Basra-Aqaba pipeline
» Foreign remittance sales rise at Central Bank of Iraq auction
» "Huge amounts" .. Iran calculates the value of its exports to Iraq during 2024
» A parliamentarian is surprised by the complete lifting of restrictions on Nour Zuhair.. How much mon
» 4 billion dinars wasted in constructing two service projects in Kirkuk
» Reconstruction: The ring road will be implemented in 4 phases.. These are the details
» Parliamentary Finance clarifies.. Will selling dollars at the airport limit its smuggling?
» "Its amendment is not impossible" .. Parliamentary law responds to Al-Sudani regarding the salary sc
» Al-Sudani's advisor: The Central Bank of Iraq will address the rise in the dollar... What about the
» Under Barzani's patronage, the National Bank of Iraq signs an agreement to finance the construction
» Iraq is the fifth largest economy in the Arab world and the 52nd largest economy in the world
» Baghdad.. Arrest of a number of private generator owners who violate the official pricing
» Outside the Ministry and Parliament.. A call to form a specialized committee to develop a new strate
» The Iraqi Academy for Combating Corruption announces the results of the competitive examination for
» Minister of Labor: We will continue to support outstanding students from families covered by social
» Labor releases accumulated amounts for full-time appointee salaries for the years 2019-2020
» Salaries and oil are "less important" than the real issue.. What are the secrets of Barzani's visit
» Victory Coalition raises three points in the recent Turkish incursion into the Kurdistan Region
» Revealing the number of employees in the region whose salaries are domiciled so far - Urgent
» Latest developments regarding the position of Parliament Speaker.. Threatening a third round for pre
» Officers are the reason for the Americans' stay... and free trips to Las Vegas
» He stressed that the plans to develop the service reality are not limited to city centers... Al-Suda
» The Central Bank submits the “Draft E-Commerce System” to the Council of Ministers for approval
» “Towards reviving the aviation sector”.. Iraq awaits the lifting of the European ban
» Al-Shammari in Kuwait on an official visit
» Head of the Judicial Council and a UN official discuss issues related to the work of (UNITAD)
» Integrity: Stopping the waste of nearly 3.5 billion dinars in the Nasiriyah Municipality
» Most importantly, water.. Al-Sudani and the new Turkish ambassador discuss several issues
» The Central Bank submits the system paper on e-commerce to the Sudanese
» Central Bank sales exceed $275 million in today's auction
» Legal Committee "Blows Up" Major Government Obstacles to Salary Scale, Offers Quick Solution
» Warnings of Turkish military operations shifting from fighting the PKK to oil exploration
» Parliamentary Finance Committee talks about a decision that "created a crisis" for corrupt and thiev
» After despairing of the government.. intentions of a parliamentary move against the Turkish economy
» Again.. Exchange rates exceed the threshold of 150 thousand for every hundred dollars
» Salah El-Din.. Severe imprisonment for employees in the Real Estate Registration Department
» US Increases Scrutiny Over Chinese Land Purchases Near Military Bases
» MM&C 7/4/24 Tabaqchali: An Unfolding Structural Economic Transformation in Iraq
» utube 7/4/24 MM&C IQD Updates - Iraqi Dinar - Relations w / Baghdad & Kurdistan - Good - Financial
» Economist: Employee salaries are not affected by any liquidity crisis, but their disbursement is del
» Half of Iraq's population is covered by... Al-Sudani's advisor announces important statistics on gov
» Four billion dollars in a month.. The Central Bank reveals the volume of its hard currency sales
» Sudden outage in the most important electricity lines imported from Iran to the eastern regions of I
» Parliament indicates "single way" to eliminate 95 percent of corruption in state institutions - Urge
» Al-Sudani's advisor comments on the fluctuation of the dollar price: It does not suit the strength o
» Baghdad Council reveals the reason for generator owners’ failure to adhere to pricing: Collusion and
» Political analyst on the appointment of a “reformist president” for Iran: His goal is to please Kham
» Sudden blackout of Iranian power lines to Iraq
» Integrity Commission calls for removing encroachment on 26 properties belonging to a company affilia
» Iran, Iraq agree to open border markets between the two countries
» Food prices rise with the advent of Muharram... and popular anger against traders and the closure of
» Legislative session begins on Tuesday.. Date of first session revealed, 5 laws on agenda
» The government program on the parliament table and the entry of the Muharram insurance plan in the a
» Parliamentary Finance to NINA: Oil companies’ dues added to budget tables, government coordination t
» PM's adviser unveils AI budget
» Openness to 6 countries to create an "Iraqi experience" in modern irrigation and 10 sites nominated
» We build: Stopping dealing in the Chinese yuan is a limitation for the Iraqi economy
» State of Law: Restoring oil pipelines is more important than establishing Aqaba
» Economist explains the results of stopping dealing in the Chinese Yuan
» Turkish exploration in Iraq: a violation of sovereignty and regional complicity
» Will the development road turn into the Silk Road in the future?
» Among them are the Baath leaders in Jordan.. Politician: 3 reasons that push us to reject the Aqaba
» Currency war rages on, Iraq's economy the biggest loser
» Suleiman: Türkiye violates Iraq's sovereignty because of its failure to solve its internal problems
» Al-Fatlawi: Sunnis linked the position of the Parliament Speaker to the crisis of forming the Diyala
» Al-Ghanimi: Political aspects stand behind not withdrawing US forces
» Economist: Electricity crisis can be overcome by providing renewable energy
» MP criticizes government for not addressing dollar exchange rate
» Al-Salihi calls for an extraordinary parliamentary session to discuss the Turkish incursion
» MP threatens to open 6 files in the Ministry of Transport .. suspicions of corruption
» Parliamentary Planning Committee reveals latest details of government program evaluation
» Parliamentary demand to abolish the Ministry of Immigration after closing the camps for the displace
» Dhi Qar coordinates with the government to resolve the issue of the Popular Mobilization Forces’ lan
» Iraq's oil exports to America decline during the week
» Iraq is the largest importer of Jordanian goods for the third year
» Kurdistan Youth Participate in Iraqi Government Projects
» Clarification from the Housing Fund regarding life insurance for borrowers
» $1.4 billion.. The value of cryptocurrencies stolen in the first half of 2024
» Parliamentary Committee on Agricultural Land Ownership Law: Under Study and Preparation
» Health: Adding more than 4,000 beds within the government program projects
» Social Care Leave Includes.. Labor Announces New Plans This Year
» Includes a new strategy.. Karbala Municipality announces its service plan for the month of Muharram
» The dollar stabilizes in local markets in Baghdad
» Kurdistan's losses approach $13 billion due to halt in oil exports
» Government warns of “serious threat” to Iraqis