Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson
2028 Libertarian Presidential nominee
$3.8K
NOV 7, 2028Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleFormer Governor
PartyIndependent
Political ideologyLibertarian
Age73 years old (Jan 1, 1953)
GenderMale
Show moreShow less
LocationNew Mexico
BackgroundBusinessman
EducationUniversity of New Mexico — B.A., Political Science (1975)
Notable personal detailsGary Earl Johnson is an American businessman and politician who served as the 29th governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003. He founded a construction company in New Mexico and later became the Libertarian Party nominee for president in 2012 and 2016. He earned a B.A. in political science from the University of New Mexico in 1975.
SourcesShowHide
Positions
Economy & Taxes
Supports eliminating federal income, corporate, payroll and estate taxes and replacing them with a single national consumption (sales) tax; favors deep tax cuts, reduced government spending, and privatization/market-based approaches to government services. Positions emphasize shrinking the tax code and government role in the economy.
Healthcare
Supports repeal of the Affordable Care Act and reducing federal involvement in Medicare and Medicaid, including turning programs into state block grants and cutting federal spending; favors market-based alternatives and limiting government role in health care.
Show moreShow less
Immigration & Border
Supports expanding legal pathways and streamlining work visas, opposes building a border wall, and favors humane immigration reforms that include temporary legal status for unauthorized immigrants rather than mass deportation. Endorses limiting enforcement expansion while improving the visa system and asylum access.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Supports legal access to abortion while personally opposing it; has said the decision should be left to women and families and that government should not second-guess those decisions, but has expressed support for limits such as banning late-term abortions and favoring parental notification and counseling.
Climate & Energy
The candidate accepts that climate change is real and that human activity contributes to it, but opposes cap-and-trade and other carbon taxation schemes and favors market-driven, limited-government approaches to energy policy. He supports fossil fuel development and energy deregulation while expressing conditional support for renewables and nuclear power without special federal subsidies. His position emphasizes voluntary partnerships, research, and minimizing regulatory intervention rather than aggressive emissions mandates or phasedown of fossil fuels.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports strong Second Amendment protections, favors concealed-carry and fewer new federal restrictions on firearms while opposing measures like blocking sales based on the no‑fly list; accepts limiting extraordinarily dangerous weapons (e.g., rocket launchers).
News
Gary Johnson is being mentioned in connection with a new California ballot initiative that would try to repeal the state’s top-two primary system and put the question before voters in 2028. The proposal is still in the filing stage and would need major funding and enough signatures to qualify. The move reflects concerns that the current system could hurt Democrats and third-party candidates in statewide races.
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Polls
- Endorsements
- Fundraising