Gary Johnson will be crashing the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Heat Street has confirmed.
The Libertarian Party candidate will be making his case to disillusioned Democrats, particularly Sanders supporters who have vented their frustration all week. In preparation for his appearance, a small group of Johnson volunteers—between 30 and 40, by their estimates—ventured out despite suffocating heat and humidity Wednesday to court potential political converts.
They made an odd sight in Philadelphia’s streets, populated this week with older people wearing “I’m with Her” swag and youngsters with Bernie buttons.
Ryan Kelly, 19, Kyle Franceschini, 20, and Vincent LoPrest, 22, carried paper Johnson signs stapled to sticks, and were met with lots of curiosity and a little bit of heckling all day, they say.
They passed out crumpled papers pulled from their pockets advertising a meet-up with Johnson on Thursday evening. The handout bore the slogan: “The Third Choice in 2016. You in?” Johnson was also scheduled to appear on Fox.
“Bernie supporters are our target group,” says Kelly, noting that he had cordial conversations with the anti-war socialists strumming guitars on the lawn nearby. “I trust them more than Trump or Hillary,” LoPrest says.
They know the Jill Stein Greens, as well as the truly radical Marxists, aren’t going to back Johnson, says Franceschini. But among others, all three say they’ve gotten a surprisingly friendly reception, particularly from Sanders supporters disgusted with both parties’ establishments. A CNN poll last week found that Johnson was winning over 14 percent of Sanders’ supporters and 17 percent of Republicans discontent with their nominee.
“I think a lot of people are Libertarian and just don’t know it yet,” says LoPrest, echoing his candidate.
— Jillian Kay Melchior writes for Heat Street and is a fellow for the Steamboat Institute and the Independent Women’s Forum.
