The last time we saw Gary Johnson, he was gamely trying to woo disaffected liberals and conservatives to get behind his Libertarian Party bid for the presidency in 2016.
He came up a wee bit short, though he pulled a respectable 9 percent in his home state of New Mexico, where he was a popular Republican governor.
His expected formal announcement was teased in advance with an 90-second video produced by Elect Liberty PAC, titled "You Know Gary Johnson."
The video frames Gary Johnson as not just a familiar face to New Mexicans, but someone who rises above partisan politics. The camera starts on Johnson's feet and slowly rises up over the course of the ad, imbuing him with stature.
The narrator walks viewers through his life story: "He paid his way through college as a handyman, growing that small business into the largest construction company in the state, with a thousand employees and a reputation for ethical behavior."
Emphasizing his non-politician persona, the narrator adds, "He's a Ironman triathlete ... an adventurer who summited Mount Everest with frostbitten toes and a leg still healing from a recent break." Images show Johnson mountain climbing and rock climbing.
The narrator sums up his gubernatorial record as one of non-ideological achievement: "He kept his word. He vetoed wasteful spending 750 times, cut taxes 14 times, reduced the size of state government through better management instead of layoffs. He left the people of his state with hundreds of miles of new highways, new schools and bridges."
The narrator concludes, "you know what Gary Johnson will do in the Senate, because you know Gary Johnson."
One thing we know, this isn't going to be the usual Senate race.
He came up a wee bit short, though he pulled a respectable 9 percent in his home state of New Mexico, where he was a popular Republican governor.
Gary Johnson Jumps Into the New Mexico Senate Race
Now, Johnson is back for another Libertarian campaign, this time for a U.S. Senate seat in the state that knows him the most.His expected formal announcement was teased in advance with an 90-second video produced by Elect Liberty PAC, titled "You Know Gary Johnson."
The video frames Gary Johnson as not just a familiar face to New Mexicans, but someone who rises above partisan politics. The camera starts on Johnson's feet and slowly rises up over the course of the ad, imbuing him with stature.
The narrator walks viewers through his life story: "He paid his way through college as a handyman, growing that small business into the largest construction company in the state, with a thousand employees and a reputation for ethical behavior."
Emphasizing his non-politician persona, the narrator adds, "He's a Ironman triathlete ... an adventurer who summited Mount Everest with frostbitten toes and a leg still healing from a recent break." Images show Johnson mountain climbing and rock climbing.
The narrator sums up his gubernatorial record as one of non-ideological achievement: "He kept his word. He vetoed wasteful spending 750 times, cut taxes 14 times, reduced the size of state government through better management instead of layoffs. He left the people of his state with hundreds of miles of new highways, new schools and bridges."
Fiscally Conservative. Socially Cool.
Shown wearing a t-shirt with a peace symbol, the narrator boasts, "He's fiscally conservative, and socially ... cool," a sly nod towards Johnson's vocal advocacy for legal marijuana.The narrator concludes, "you know what Gary Johnson will do in the Senate, because you know Gary Johnson."
One thing we know, this isn't going to be the usual Senate race.