In a recent interview for IVN, Gary Johnson consultant Ron Nielson said Johnson “would be a fantastic senator” if he chose to run in 2018 against New Mexico’s Democratic junior senator, Martin Heinrich.
When pressed on whether Johnson would consider making a bid for the U.S. Senate next year, Nielson had no comment, saying:
“Well you’d have to ask Gary. I have no idea. No doubt that Gary would be a fantastic senator. He would do an amazing job and be great at that task. I have no idea if that would be of interest to him.” – Ron Nielson
Ron Nielson, a public opinion research consultant from Salt Lake City, Utah, was Gary Johnson’s campaign manager, and the chief architect of his two successful bids for governor in New Mexico in 1994 and 1998. He also helped Johnson garner a historic, record-high voter turnout for a Libertarian Party presidential candidate in the party’s 45-year history...
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The Independent Voter Network.
Bonus Interview Content for THL Readers
Here's one part of my interview with Ron Nielseon that I cut out of the piece for IVN to keep it from running too long:
When I recently had a chance to speak with Ron and ask him about Gary Johnson's political future and the future of his non-profit organization, Our America Initiative, I had to ask about the 1,400 mile Tour Divide Bike Race through the Rocky Mountains that Johnson recently competed in.
A presidential bid- especially by a serious third party contender fighting an uphill battle against the road blockades set up by the entrenched two party system- is an incredibly exhausting and draining campaign. Most people would take some time to rest after months of such a vigorous and demanding schedule, but Gary Johnson, at the age of 64, recharged his batteries with a 1,400 mile bike ride through the Rocky Mountains.
I just had to ask Mr. Nielson, "Interacting with Gary Johnson on a daily basis, can you tell me what the man is eating? Because I'd like to have about half the energy he has. I'd be happy with that."
Laughing, Nielson answered, "Gary is very driven. He commits to things and follows through. He commits to a bike ride across the country and that’s a done deal. He’s going to finish it. That bike ride was on dirt the entire way. And he had to carry all his own stuff, and fix his bike when things broke."
