Gary Johnson, the Libertarian presidential candidate, is working toward getting on the stage for the presidential debates with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
He needs to have support from at least 15 percent of the electorate, which is based on the average of five national polls that were selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates.
Johnson, who served as the Republican governor of New Mexico from 1995 to 2003, is running with Bill Weld, a former governor of Massachusetts.
It won’t be clear until mid-September if Johnson has gained enough support to get on the first debate stage, but here’s a look at where he stands on some of the issues:
Immigration
Johnson said he wants to make it as easy as possible for immigrants to get into the United States to work. He does not support Trump’s plan to build a wall along the U.S-Mexico border, and he called immigrants “hardworking individuals that are taking jobs that U.S. citizens don’t want,” on Aug. 28, during an interview on Fox News.
For undocumented citizens in the country already, Johnson said he would make it possible for them to get work visas as long as they have been law-abiding. He said there also needs to be a reformed pathway to citizenship.
Taxes
Johnson is critical of the current federal tax code. He advocates replacing income and corporate taxes with a consumption tax. The amount each person is taxed would be determined by how much they spend, not how much they earn. He said the FairTax Act, a bill that has been proposed in Congress, is an example of this type of tax that he supports.
Health insurance
Johnson said he would repeal Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act, “in a nanosecond.” He advocates a free-market approach to reform health insurance, which he says would make costs lower than they currently are.
Marijuana
Johnson was formerly the CEO of Cannabis Sativa Inc., which sells legal marijuana products. The former governor supports the legalization of marijuana, but said the issue should be left up to the states. He said, as president, he would delist it as a class-one narcotic.
Foreign policy
The Libertarian said he is skeptical of America’s intervention abroad. “The fact that we involve ourselves in regime change has resulted in the unintended consequence of making things worse, not better,” he said. He added that he thinks the biggest threat to the world right now is North Korea.
The environment
Johnson recognizes that the climate is changing and humans are “probably” contributing to that change, but he doesn’t support regulations and taxes on the private sector.
Trade
Johnson supports free trade. He believes the Trans-Pacific Partnership and international free trade will create more jobs and improve the economy.
Abortion
While personally opposed to abortion, Johnson said he recognizes that the right for a woman to choose is the law of the land. In an interview with Townhall Media, Johnson sited Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld the right to choose granted by Roe v. Wade, but said states could outlaw abortions when the fetus is “viable.”
LGBT community
The former governor said he is supportive of same-sex marriage. Johnson said Utah passed model legislation that gives rights to religious organization and the LGBT community. Utah’s law makes it illegal to discriminate against sexual orientation and gender identity in housing and employment.
