Gary Johnson
Former New Mexico Governor and businessman Gary Johnson is a Libertarian candidate for President. Initially running as a Republican candidate, Johnson recently abandoned his GOP bid to run as a Libertarian.
Gary Johnson is a fiscal conservative who breaks with many Tea Party Republicans in his opposition to big government interfering in the private lives of its citizens. He has been a proponent of tax cuts, decriminalizing marijuana, and school voucher reform.
His stance on marriage equality is in line with his conservative views to decrease government intrusion into personal liberties. He has been a vocal opponent of the controversial Family Leader and NOM marriage vows and has criticized Republican candidates for touting morality--pointing to inconsistencies in behavior and their moral viewpoints. He also chides Republican candidates for not being more tolerant and supportive of small government and individual freedoms.
In December 2011, Johnson officially supported marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples. (Read his statement on equality below.) Johnson is the second presidential candidate to embrace marriage equality, behind Fred Karger.
It's important to remember that many Republicans share Johnson’s values and support individual liberties for all Iowans. Check out Iowa Republicans for Freedom, a group that supports individual liberty and the freedom to marry for gay and lesbian couples. For more information, visit www.iowarepublicansforfreedom.com.
Gary Johnson has not received many votes in the latest polls and has been lumped in with the “Other” category of candidates who typically receive less than 2% of votes.
One Iowa is committed to holding our political leaders accountable for their words and actions while on the campaign trail. We support fair minded politicians who value all families, and over the next few months One Iowa will be working to make sure you have the information you need to make an informed choice.
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Keep checking back with us for the latest information on Gary Johnson and marriage equality.
Johnson on why he supports marriage equality:
“I don’t think I’m different than a lot of Americans, in that when you grow up, there’s a negative prejudice built against gays. You’re just bombarded by it... And then, in my life, I’ve come to find out that I have friends who are gay. And it makes me feel horrible that I would in any way potentially add to discrimination against them. Every single candidate talks about equality, freedom, liberty: Doesn’t that all start with a person’s right to conduct their own lives as they see fit?”
12/14/11, The Advocate
On marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples:
"As a believer in individual freedom and keeping government out of personal lives, I simply cannot find a legitimate justification for federal laws, such as the Defense of Marriage Act, which ‘define’ marriage. That definition should be left to religions and individuals – not government. Government’s role when it comes to marriage is one of granting benefits and rights to couples who choose to enter into a marriage ‘contract’. As I have examined this issue, consulted with folks on all sides, and viewed it through the lens of individual freedom and equal rights, it has become clear to me that denying those rights and benefits to gay couples is discrimination, plain and simple. [...]
Today, I believe we have arrived at a point in history where more and more Americans are viewing it as a question of liberty and freedom. That evolution is important, and the time has come for us to align our marriage laws with the notion that every individual should be treated equally.”
12/1/11, Think Progress
On the NOM marriage vow:
"There is no majority in America that can be built on hypocrisy and inconsistency." "Social issues are not going to win the White House in 2012. When I see Republican presidential candidates discussing morality as if the government were some type of watchdog and moral compass for America — then I see the American electorate being turned away."
"...The voters see a party that says it wants government out of our daily lives, except when it comes to gay rights, a woman’s right to choose, what we do on the internet, or what our families look like."
"Historically and philosophically, the Republican Party is the party which should be offering a notion of tolerance, truly small government and freedom — and that is why I’m a Republican. But watching the presidential race today, that is not what voters are hearing. Rather, in too many cases, they are seeing unadulterated pandering to so-called social conservatives. Some candidates who used to be pretty receptive to the notion of gay rights are now signing pledges against gay marriage and otherwise equivocating. Family values have become a mandatory code phrase in every Iowa speech."
8/19/11, The Iowa Independent
On the Family Leader's marriage vow:
"Government should not be involved in the bedrooms of consenting adults. I have always been a strong advocate of liberty and freedom from unnecessary government intervention into our lives. The freedoms that our forefathers fought for in this country are sacred and must be preserved. The Republican Party cannot be sidetracked into discussing these morally judgmental issues — such a discussion is simply wrongheaded. We need to maintain our position as the party of efficient government management and the watchdogs of the “public’s pocket book”.
“This ‘pledge’ is nothing short of a promise to discriminate against everyone who makes a personal choice that doesn’t fit into a particular definition of ‘virtue’. "While the Family Leader pledge covers just about every other so-called virtue they can think of, the one that is conspicuously missing is tolerance. In one concise document, they manage to condemn gays, single parents, single individuals, divorcees, Muslims, gays in the military, unmarried couples, women who choose to have abortions, and everyone else who doesn’t fit in a Norman Rockwell painting.
"The Republican Party cannot afford to have a Presidential candidate who condones intolerance, bigotry and the denial of liberty to the citizens of this country. If we nominate such a candidate, we will never capture the White House in 2012. ..."
7/9/11, Gary Johnson press release
On marriage equality:
"How many times have you heard Republicans say: 'I believe in freedom, I believe in liberty, and I believe in the personal responsibility that goes along with that.' In my estimation, that is what we should be believing in, espousing."
2/10/11, CBS News
"I’ve taken the position that I support gay unions. ...Right or wrong, that’s what I’m advocating. ...It’s the notion that government probably shouldn’t be involved in marriage in the first place."
8/9/10, Washington Wire
