Gary Johnson is putting some money behind ads to boost his campaign in a handful states, including his home state of New Mexico.
The Libertarian Party presidential nominee, a former two-term governor of New Mexico, is airing radio ads in seven states, according to Politico. The Washington D.C.-based news organization cited “a media buying source” who said Johnson is spending over $800,000 in Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Wisconsin.
When Johnson ran as a Libertarian Party candidate in 2012, he performed best in New Mexico, taking nearly 4 percent of the overall vote. Nationwide, Johnson received just under 1 percent of the vote.
A recent poll by Public Policy Polling for NM Political Report put Johnson at 16 percent support from registered voters in New Mexico, well behind Clinton and Trump.
Still, thanks in large part to the unpopularity of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump, Johnson is receiving much higher support in polls than he did in 2012. Johnson hopes to get to an average of 15 percent support in nationwide polls, which would grant him a place on the presidential debate stage.
One of the ads, according to Politico, features Juan Hernandez, “an expert on trade policy and economics who’s served as an adviser to Sen. John McCain, former Mexico President Vicente Fox and former President George W. Bush.”
The ad, which will air in “Hispanic markets,” quotes Hernandez saying he is a Republican who “this year … decided to support Gary Johnson for president.”
Hernandez spoke at a rally in Albuquerque earlier this month where Johnson and his running mate, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, appeared.
Nationwide, a Super PAC called Purple PAC is airing $1 million in cable ads to support Johnson, with the goal of pushing him to 15 percent.
From the Washington Post:
In one of the spots, Johnson is contrasted with Hillary Clinton (seen dissembling about her email server) and Donald Trump (seen deriding a disabled reporter) as the “honorable choice” for president.
Johnson still isn’t getting 15 percent support in national polls; according to the Real Clear Politics polling average, Johnson is currently at 8.7 percent.
