Johnson/Weld Roundup: The Two Former Governors Make the Rounds and Try to Distinguish Themselves Before Tonight's CNN Town Hall
As Libertarian Party candidates Gary Johnson (for president) and William Weld (for vice president), both former Republican governors (of New Mexico and Massachusetts, respectively) gear up for a CNN-aired Town Hall tonight at 9 pm eastern, their unprecedented media wave continues.
• The Hill has a decently detailed account of the campaign's current position, with experts' opinion both that what's at stake for the team tonight is not seeming too extreme or anarchistic, and that they need to make sure their positions on pot and non-intervention are clear and strong. L.P. National Committee chair Nicholas Sarwark is quoted:
"As long as Johnson and Weld keep going to tout they're the sensible, sane candidates, I think the poll numbers will follow," he said, adding that the exposure [on CNN] could help voters leap "the psychological hurdle" of "voting for a party they haven't voted for in the past."
• CNN analyzes what its viewers should look for tonight, including feuds with Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and the old pointlessly subjective "commander in chief" test.
• Johnson will be speaking to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) tomorrow.
• And he'll be in Los Angeles Saturday for PolitiCon.
• Former Washington Republican Sen. Slade Gorton in Seattle Times kinda-sorta says you should vote Johnson/Weld this year in the face of the horrors of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
• Newsday columnist interviews Weld and finds a candidate focused on debt, beating the bush for campaign cash, and who, in a paraphrase that will alarm many Libertarians, "made it clear that the United States needs a strong international military presence to safeguard its interests."
• Fortune identifies "big business' four big ticket priorities: an overhaul of the tax code, new foreign-trade agreements, a long-term plan for federal debt reduction and the budget, and comprehensive immigration reform" and decides Johnson is the candidate most likely to deliver.
Johnson's Fortune interview:
