Jo Jorgensen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jo Jorgensen
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Jorgensen in 2020
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| Born | May 1, 1957 Libertyville, Illinois, U.S.
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| Education | Baylor University (BS) Southern Methodist University (MBA) Clemson University (PhD) |
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| Employer | Clemson University |
| Political party | Libertarian |
| Children | 2 |
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Jo Jorgensen (born May 1, 1957) is an American political activist and a professor. She is known for her work with the Libertarian Party. In the 2020 election, she was the Libertarian Party's choice for president of the United States. She finished third in that election. She received about 1.9 million votes, which was 1.2% of all votes across the country. Before that, she was the party's choice for vice president in the 1996 election. She ran alongside Harry Browne. Today, she teaches psychology at Clemson University.
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Early Life and Education
Jo Jorgensen was born on May 1, 1957, in Libertyville, Illinois. She grew up nearby in Grayslake. Her grandparents came from Denmark.
She went to Baylor University and earned a degree in psychology in 1979. Then, she got a master's degree in business from Southern Methodist University in 1980. She started her career at IBM, working with computer systems. Later, she became a part-owner and president of a company called Digitech, Inc. In 2002, she earned her Ph.D. from Clemson University. She has been teaching full-time at Clemson since 2006.
Political Journey
First Election Campaigns
Jorgensen first ran for a political job in 1992. She wanted to be a member of the United States House of Representatives. She ran as a Libertarian in South Carolina. She finished third in that race.
In 1996, the Libertarian Party chose Jorgensen to run for vice president. She was the running mate for Harry Browne. A running mate is the person who runs for vice president with the presidential candidate. She took part in a debate for vice-presidential candidates that was shown on TV. Browne and Jorgensen were on the ballot in all 50 states. They received 485,759 votes. This was the best result for the Libertarian Party since 1980.
Running for President in 2020
On August 13, 2019, Jorgensen announced she wanted to be the Libertarian candidate for president in 2020. She officially started her campaign in November 2019.
On May 23, 2020, Jo Jorgensen became the Libertarian Party's official presidential candidate. This made her the first woman to be the Libertarian nominee for president. She was also the only female presidential candidate in 2020 who could be voted for in enough states to win the election. Spike Cohen was chosen as her running mate for vice president.
Jorgensen received over 1.8 million votes in the 2020 election. This was about 1.2% of all the votes in the country. After the election, some news groups wondered if Jorgensen's votes affected the outcome. They thought her votes might have helped Democrat Joe Biden win against Republican Donald Trump in some states. However, others believed that many people who voted for Jorgensen would not have voted at all if she hadn't been an option.
What Jo Jorgensen Believes In
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Healthcare and Retirement
Jorgensen believes in a healthcare system where people choose their own doctors and services. She thinks this would make healthcare more affordable. She does not support government-run healthcare.
She also wants to change how Social Security works. Social Security is a government program that helps people when they retire. Jorgensen wants people to be able to put their retirement money into their own accounts. She believes people should have the choice to opt out of the program.
Justice and Drug Laws
Jorgensen is against the government taking people's property without a conviction. She also opposes laws that protect police officers from lawsuits in some cases. She does not support the "war on drugs" and wants to end drug laws. ..... She also believes police forces should be less like military groups. Jorgensen supports the Second Amendment, which is about the right to own guns.
Foreign Policy and Trade
Jorgensen believes the U.S. should not get involved in other countries' problems. She wants to stop trade bans and financial penalties against other nations. She also wants to end foreign aid. She supports bringing U.S. troops home from other countries.
Jorgensen also believes in free trade. She wants to remove barriers that make it hard for people to trade goods between countries. She also supports allowing more people to legally enter the United States for work, visits, or to live. She has said she would stop building the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.
Views on COVID-19
Jorgensen thought the U.S. government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic was too strict. She felt that rules like stay-at-home orders limited people's freedom too much. She also opposed government rules about wearing masks. She believes that wearing a mask should be a personal choice. She thinks businesses would decide their own mask rules based on what customers want.
Personal Life
Jo Jorgensen is married. She has two adult daughters and a grandson. She briefly paused her presidential campaign in 2020 when her mother passed away.
Election Results
Here are some of the election results for Jo Jorgensen:
- In the 1992 election for the U.S. House of Representatives in South Carolina, Jo Jorgensen received 4,286 votes, which was 2.2% of the total.
- In the 1996 U.S. Presidential Election, Harry Browne and Jo Jorgensen received 485,798 votes, which was 0.5% of the total.
- In the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election, Jo Jorgensen and Spike Cohen received 1,865,724 votes, which was 1.2% of the total.
See also
In Spanish: Jo Jorgensen para niños
- List of female United States presidential and vice presidential candidates
