Johnson running as Libertarian

 SANTA FE, N.M. – Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a longshot candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, said Wednesday he is leaving the GOP in favor of running as a Libertarian.

 Johnson told reporters he was “deeply disappointed” by the treatment he received in the Republican nomination process. Johnson has been excluded from all but two GOP presidential debates. He has barely registered in the polls.

 The former two-term governor said that if he earns the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination, he will appear on the ballots in all 50 states.

 Johnson is fiscally conservative but supports legalizing marijuana and abortion rights. He laid out an agenda that also includes ending deficit spending and cutting federal spending by 43 percent. He called for ending gun control, ending expensive foreign wars, cutting over-regulation and legalizing gay marriage.

Associated Press