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 on May 1, 1957, is an American political activist and teacher. She is known for her work with the Libertarian Party. In 2020, she ran for president of the United States. She came in third place, getting about 1.9 million votes. Before that, she ran for vice president in 1996. She teaches psychology at Clemson University.
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Jo Jorgensen's 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. In 1980, she got a master's degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University.
Her Career Before Politics
Jorgensen started her career working with computer systems at IBM. Later, she became part owner and president of a company called Digitech, Inc. In 2002, she earned her Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Clemson University. She has been a full-time teacher at Clemson since 2006.
Jo Jorgensen's Political Journey
Jo Jorgensen has been involved in politics for many years, mostly with the Libertarian Party.
Running for Congress in 1992
Jorgensen first ran for office in 1992. She wanted to represent South Carolina's 4th district in the U.S. House of Representatives. She ran as a Libertarian against two other candidates. She finished third, getting 2.2% of the votes.
Vice Presidential Campaign in 1996
In 1996, the Libertarian Party chose Jorgensen to run for vice president. She was the running mate for presidential candidate Harry Browne. She was chosen with 92% of the votes on the first try.
Jorgensen took part in a special debate for vice presidential candidates. It was shown on TV across the country. Browne and Jorgensen were on the ballot in all 50 states. They received about 485,759 votes, finishing in fifth place. This was the best result for the Libertarian Party since 1980.
Presidential Campaign in 2020
On August 13, 2019, Jorgensen officially started her campaign for president. She wanted to be the Libertarian Party's candidate in the 2020 election. She officially launched her campaign in November 2019.
In the Libertarian primary elections, Jorgensen came in second place overall. She won two of the 12 primary contests.
On May 23, 2020, Jorgensen became the Libertarian nominee for president. This made her the first woman to be the Libertarian presidential candidate. She was also the only female presidential candidate in 2020 who was on enough ballots to win the election. Spike Cohen was chosen as her running mate for vice president.
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.
Jo Jorgensen's Political Ideas
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Jorgensen has clear ideas about how the government should work. She believes in less government involvement in people's lives.
Healthcare and Social Security
Jorgensen supports a free-market healthcare system. This means she thinks people should use their own money to pay for healthcare. She believes this would make healthcare providers compete to offer lower prices. She does not support government-run healthcare.
She also wants to change Social Security. This is a government program that helps older people. Jorgensen wants to let people put their money into their own retirement accounts instead. She has called Social Security a "Ponzi scheme" because it relies on new money coming in to pay older debts. She wants people to be able to choose not to be part of the program.
Foreign Policy and Defense
Jorgensen believes the U.S. should not get involved in other countries' problems. She is against economic sanctions and giving money to other countries. She supports keeping the U.S. neutral and bringing U.S. troops home from other countries.
Immigration, Economy, and Trade
Jorgensen wants to reduce government rules, or deregulation. She thinks this would help reduce poverty. She also supports cutting government spending to lower taxes for everyone.
She believes in the freedom of Americans to travel and trade. She wants to remove trade barriers and tariffs, which are taxes on goods from other countries. Jorgensen also wants to remove limits on how many people can legally enter the U.S. to work or live. She said she would stop building the border wall right away. She believes immigration helps the economy and that different cultures mixing is a good thing.
Views on COVID-19
Jorgensen thought the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic was too strict. She called rules like stay-at-home orders and company bailouts a big attack on people's freedoms.
She is against government rules that force people to wear face masks. She thinks wearing a mask should be a personal choice. She believes businesses would offer choices, like mask-required or mask-optional places, and people would choose what they prefer.
Jo Jorgensen's Personal Life
Jo Jorgensen is married and has two adult daughters. She also has a grandson. She briefly paused her presidential campaign in 2020 when her mother passed away.
Images for kids
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Jorgensen in 2020
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Jo Jorgensen's signature
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Jorgensen speaking at a rally in Scottsdale, Arizona, October 10, 2020
See also
In Spanish: Jo Jorgensen para niños
- List of female United States presidential and vice presidential candidates
- Third party and independent candidates for the 2020 United States presidential election
