Gary Johnson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gary Johnson
Johnson in 2018
29th Governor of New Mexico
In office January 1, 1995 – January 1, 2003
Lieutenant	Walter Bradley
Preceded by	Bruce King
Succeeded by	Bill Richardson
Personal details
Born	Gary Earl Johnson (1953-01-01) January 1, 1953 (age 72) Minot, North Dakota, U.S.
Political party	Libertarian (2011–present)
Other political affiliations	Republican (before 2011)
Spouse	Denise Simms ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 2005)​
Domestic partner	Kate Prusack (engaged 2009)
Children	2
Education	University of New Mexico (BS)
Signature

Gary Earl Johnson (born January 1, 1953) is an American businessman and politician. He was the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003. He was a member of the Republican Party then.

Since 2011, he has been part of the Libertarian Party. He was their choice for President of the United States in the 2012 and 2016 elections. He also ran for the U.S. Senate in New Mexico in 2018.

Johnson first entered politics by running for governor of New Mexico in 1994. He promised lower taxes and a focus on fighting crime. He won against the current Democratic governor, Bruce King. As governor, he cut the state budget's growth. He used his power to reject bills (called a veto) many times.

He was re-elected in 1998. In his second term, he focused on changing schools, especially with school vouchers. He was known for using his veto power more than any other governor at the time. After two terms, he could not run again due to term limits.

In 2012, Johnson ran for president. He first tried as a Republican, focusing on reducing government debt and protecting personal freedoms. Later, he became the Libertarian Party's candidate. He received 1.3 million votes, which was 1% of the total.

He ran for president again in 2016 as the Libertarian candidate. He chose former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld as his running mate. Johnson received almost 4.5 million votes (3.3%). This was the most votes for a third-party candidate since 1996. After this, he said he would not run for president again. He then ran for the U.S. Senate in 2018, finishing third.

Growing Up and Early Career

Gary Johnson was born on January 1, 1953, in Minot, North Dakota. His mother, Lorraine, worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. His father, Earl, was a public school teacher.

In 1971, Gary graduated from Sandia High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was on the track team there. He then went to the University of New Mexico from 1971 to 1975. He earned a degree in political science. While at college, he met his future wife, Denise Simms.

During college, Johnson worked as a handyman. This led him to start his own business, Big J Enterprises, in 1976. At first, he was the only employee. His company grew a lot after getting a big contract from Intel in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Big J's income grew to $38 million.

To manage his growing company, Johnson took a time management class. He built Big J into a large company with over 1,000 employees. By the time he sold it in 1999, it was a top construction company in New Mexico.

Serving as Governor of New Mexico

First Term as Governor

Johnson decided to run for governor in 1994. He wanted to bring a "common sense business approach" to the job. His campaign slogan was "People before Politics." He promised to cut taxes, create jobs, and control government spending. He also focused on law and order.

He won the Republican nomination. Then, he won the general election with almost 50% of the votes. He defeated the current governor, Bruce King. This was a big win because most voters in New Mexico were Democrats at the time.

As governor, Johnson believed in a small government. He often asked if the government should be involved in new laws at all. In his first six months, he rejected 200 out of 424 bills. This was a national record. He also used his line-item veto power on many other bills.

Johnson kept his promise to slow down the state budget's growth. He suggested many tax cuts, but only a gasoline tax cut passed. Even though he wanted to cut overall spending, he increased education spending by almost a third. When school results didn't improve, he started supporting school vouchers.

Second Term as Governor

In 1998, Johnson ran for re-election. He promised to keep his policies from his first term. These included improving schools, cutting spending and taxes, and using his veto power often. Many expected him to lose to his Democratic opponent, Martin Chávez. However, Johnson won with 55% of the votes.

This made him the first New Mexico governor to serve two full four-year terms. A key issue in his second term was promoting a school voucher system. In 1999, he suggested the first statewide voucher system in America. It would have helped 100,000 students attend private schools.

He rejected two budgets that did not include his voucher plan. This almost caused a government shutdown. But he eventually signed the budget, cutting an extra $21 million from it.

In 2000, Johnson proposed an even bigger voucher program. Parents would get $3,500 per child for private school. The Democrats wanted more school funding without vouchers. They also questioned his request for more money for state prisons. These talks were difficult and almost led to another government shutdown.

In 2000, the Cerro Grande Fire caused a lot of damage in New Mexico. Johnson's actions during the fire were praised. He helped reporters understand the fire's path. He also helped state and federal agencies work together. He even helped put out small flames himself. Democratic Congressman Tom Udall praised his leadership during this tough time.

After Being Governor

Johnson could not run for a third term as governor in 2002. In the 2008 presidential election, he supported Ron Paul. He liked Paul's ideas about less government and more freedom.

As of 2011, he was on the board of Students For Liberty. This is a group that promotes libertarian ideas. His first book, Seven Principles of Good Government, came out in 2012.

Running for President in 2012

Starting the Campaign

Logo of the Our America Initiative, which Johnson founded in 2009

Johnson after a campaign rally in a photo shoot for Reason

In 2009, Johnson started showing interest in running for president in 2012. He said he was thinking about running as a Republican. He wanted to focus on being against wars, against the Federal Reserve, and for personal freedoms.

In October 2009, Johnson announced he would form a group called the Our America Initiative. This group would help him raise money and promote small government ideas. This made many people think he was planning a presidential run. The group's goal was to talk about government efficiency, lower taxes, and protecting civil liberties.

In February 2010, Johnson spoke at a big meeting for conservatives. He tied for third place in a poll there. This gave him more attention from the media.

Republican Presidential Race

On April 21, 2011, Johnson announced on Twitter that he was running for president. He was the first person to announce his bid for the Republican nomination. He chose Ron Nielson, who had managed his governor campaigns, as his campaign manager.

Johnson took part in the first Republican presidential debate on May 5, 2011. He was later left out of the next three debates. After being excluded, he made a video answering the debate questions and posted it online. This exclusion actually helped him get more attention and donations.

He was allowed to join a debate on September 22. During this debate, he made a memorable comment. He said, "My next-door neighbor's two dogs have created more shovel ready jobs than this administration." Many news outlets said this was the best line of the night.

Libertarian Nomination and Campaign

Johnson decided to stop campaigning in the Republican primaries. On November 29, 2011, he announced he would no longer seek the Republican nomination. He then said he was thinking about running as a Libertarian.

Gary Johnson at the 2012 Libertarian National Convention

On December 28, 2011, Johnson officially left the Republican race. He announced he would seek the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination. On May 5, 2012, he won the Libertarian nomination. He then asked the delegates to choose Judge Jim Gray as his running mate. Gray also won the vice-presidential nomination.

Johnson spent the first months of his campaign appearing on TV shows. In September 2012, he toured college campuses. On October 23, 2012, he took part in a debate for third-party candidates.

Johnson said his goal was to win at least 5% of the vote. If he did, the Libertarian Party would get more support and funding in future elections. In polls, he usually got 1% to 3% of the vote.

In the end, Johnson received 1% of the popular vote. This was about 1.27 million votes. It was the most votes ever for a Libertarian Party candidate. Even though he didn't reach 5%, Johnson felt his campaign was a success. He said it was too early to talk about running in 2016.

Between Presidential Campaigns

After the 2012 election, Johnson continued to speak out. He criticized the US government's lack of openness. He also spoke against the NSA's surveillance programs. He said he might run as a Republican again in the future.

Our America Initiative PAC

In December 2013, Johnson started his own Super PAC. This group, called Our America Initiative PAC, supports libertarian causes. He said more Americans were ready to look at candidates who offer different ideas.

Running for President in 2016

Gary Johnson speaking at the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C.

In April 2014, Johnson said he hoped to run for president again in 2016. He said he would prefer to run as a Libertarian. In November 2014, he confirmed his plan to seek the Libertarian nomination.

On January 6, 2016, Johnson officially announced his run for the Libertarian nomination. On May 18, he named former Massachusetts Governor William Weld as his running mate. On May 29, 2016, Johnson won the Libertarian nomination. He was on the ballot in all 50 states.

On September 8, Johnson faced a difficult moment on a TV show. When asked about "Aleppo," he asked, "And what is Aleppo?". Aleppo is a city in Syria. He later said he "blanked" and understood the conflict. He explained that he thought "Aleppo" might be an acronym.

On September 23, in another TV interview, Johnson stuck out his tongue. He was explaining how he could win a three-way debate. His spokesperson said he was "just having fun."

On September 28, he was asked to name a world leader he respected. He tried to name Vicente Fox, a former Mexican president, but couldn't remember his name. He later tweeted that he still couldn't think of a foreign leader he admired. He explained that many politicians he once looked up to seemed only focused on getting reelected.

Johnson speaking at an October 2016 rally in Phoenix, Arizona

Johnson was not invited to the presidential debates. This was because he did not reach 15% support in polls. He and Green Party candidate Jill Stein sued the debate commission, but the lawsuit was dismissed.

Polls showed Johnson had between 7% and 9% support. In some states, he polled even higher. Many of his supporters were independent voters and younger people.

After the election, Johnson said he would not run for public office again. He said he might stay involved in politics, but not as a candidate.

2018 U.S. Senate Race

There was talk that Johnson might run for the U.S. Senate in New Mexico in 2018. This happened after the original Libertarian candidate dropped out. In August 2018, Johnson officially accepted the Libertarian Party's nomination.

In the November 2018 election, the Democratic senator, Martin Heinrich, won. Johnson came in third place with 15.4% of the votes.

Political Beliefs

Johnson's political views are often called fiscally conservative and socially liberal. He believes in limited government and avoiding military involvement in other countries. He calls himself a classical liberal.

He wants to get rid of Obamacare. Johnson supports making taxes simpler and lower. As governor, he cut taxes many times and never raised them. He has suggested replacing all federal income taxes with a 23% tax on non-essential goods. He believes this would make the tax system clearer and create many jobs.

Death Penalty

In 1994, Johnson supported the death penalty. But over time, he changed his mind. He now believes it should be ended and replaced with life sentences.

Environment

Johnson's 2016 campaign website said that the climate is "probably" changing. It also said humans are "probably" causing some of this change. However, Johnson believes that spending trillions of dollars on climate change would not make a big difference. He thinks that money could be used in better ways to help people.

He supports solutions to environmental problems that involve the free market. He has said he will not compromise on clean air, land, or water. Johnson supports nuclear energy and fossil fuels. But he also believes the government should protect people from businesses that harm health or the environment.

Government Spending

Johnson has said he would immediately balance the federal budget. He wants a law that requires a balanced budget. He supports cutting government spending, including programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. He calls Social Security a "pyramid scheme."

Federal Reserve

Johnson does not like the Federal Reserve System. He believes it makes the U.S. dollar less valuable. He would not stop a law to get rid of it. He also supports an audit of the central bank.

Foreign Policy

Johnson is against foreign wars. He promised to cut the military budget by 43% if he became president. He would reduce overseas military bases and nuclear weapons programs. He believes the U.S. should avoid getting involved in other countries' conflicts.

He does not think Iran is a military threat. He would try to stop Israel from attacking Iran. He also believes the threat from Islamic terrorism is often exaggerated. However, he does support going to war for humanitarian reasons.

Civil Liberties

Johnson strongly supports civil liberties. He is against censorship and internet regulation. He also opposes the Patriot Act and indefinite detention without trial.

He believes in the separation of church and state. Johnson supported same-sex marriage in 2011. He wants a constitutional amendment to protect equal marriage rights. He also believes businesses should not discriminate against customers based on things like race or sexual orientation. Johnson has said he would pardon Edward Snowden, who revealed secret NSA programs.

Immigration

Johnson supports changing immigration laws. He believes the current system is too complicated. He suggests making legal immigration simpler. He would offer illegal immigrants who have no criminal record a way to become legal.

He thinks walls are not effective for stopping illegal immigration. Johnson says the real problem is a flawed system. He wants to make it easier and faster for people to come to the U.S. legally. He also believes that people who get work visas should have background checks and pay taxes. He supports a "one strike, you're out" rule for immigrants who try to cheat the system.

Personal Life

Johnson running the 38th Annual Stratham Fair Road Race

Johnson was married to Dee Johnson from 1977 to 2005. She was the First Lady of New Mexico. She worked on campaigns against smoking and for breast cancer awareness. They had two children. Dee Johnson passed away in 2006.

Johnson is a very active person. He is an avid triathlete. He has competed in many triathlons, marathons, and bike races. He finished the Ironman World Championship three times. In 1999, his best time was 10 hours, 39 minutes, and 16 seconds.

He has climbed all of the Seven Summits. These are the tallest mountains on each continent. He reached the top of Mount Everest in 2003. He also completed the Bataan Memorial Death March, a tough 26.2-mile course.

Johnson is a Lutheran. He believes in the Golden Rule: "we should do unto others as we would have others do unto us." He has celiac disease and eats a gluten-free diet.

Electoral History

Books by Gary Johnson

• Seven Principles of Good Government: Gary Johnson on liberty, people and politics. 2012. ISBN: 978-1563439131.
• Common Sense for the Common Good; Libertarianism as the End of Two-Party Tyranny. 2016. This e-book looks at why the two-party system faces problems.
• How Liberty Can Change the World. 2017.

Images for kids

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  Gary Johnson's signature.

Template:Our America Initiative PAC Template:Libertarians for National Popular Vote

See also

In Spanish: Gary Johnson para niños