Libertarian Gary Johnson throws race in chaos

Former Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson said in seeking tomake history and capture a U.S. Senate seat in New Mexico he’ll have to give up a few of his favorite activities: Marathon bike rides, hanging out in his northern NewMexico “dream” home and tuning out news about President Donald Trump.

But he can’t promise he won’t smoke an occasional joint.

Johnson, who served two terms as New Mexico governor in the 1990s and gained national attention as one of the first mainstream politicians to call for the legalization of mar- ijuana, announced Thursday that he’s seeking to unseat Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich after the previous Libertarian nominee dropped out the race.

Johnson told reporters at his newly minted and empty Albuquerque headquarters that his candidacy was a longshot, but he felt he had no choice given Trump’s unacceptable actions on immigration and free trade.

“What’s at stake here is arguably one of the most powerful seats in the U.S. Senate,” said Johnson, who amonthagowas telling supporters he’d never run for office again. “If I were elected to U. S. Senate, I’d be the swing vote. That is a gigantic position that excites me to no end.”

Johnson’s entrance into a race that Democrats had previously seen as a safe seat has generated excitement in a statethat leansDemocratic but has electedmoderateRepublicans to statewide office in recent years. But to win, Johnson would have to convince some supporters of Republican challenger Mick Rich and Heinrich that he’d be a better senator for a state that relies on federal government spending forMedicare, three military bases and two national labs.

In his passionate announcement, Johnson criticized both main political parties. Johnson said hewas “angry” at the two-party systemthat continuously avoids tackling wasteful spending and coming up with solutions on immigration.