For the Bernie voters still deciding who to vote for in November, an outside candidate like Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson may seem appealing. But crucially, Johnson doesn’t agree on this key tenet of Bernie political revolution. In fact, Johnson supportsCitizens United and the current big money system. He thinks corporations, billionaires, and Wall Street should be able to spend more money on politics, not less.
In 2012, Johnson said he supported Citizens United. Corporations and wealthy donors “should be able to contribute as much money as they want,” he said.
When asked this year whether corporations and unions should be allowed to donate unlimited amounts to political candidates, he responded, “yes.”
And it’s not just about Citizens United. When asked in an interview earlier this year whether he supported public financing, Johnson said, “Absolutely not.” As governor of New Mexico in 2000, Johnsonopposed a proposed ballot initiative that would’ve created such a system for state races.