A CNN/ORC poll conducted by telephone over the weekend revealed the highest support Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has ever received since the beginning of the presidential race: 13% of voting intentions (compared with 42% for Hillary Clinton, 37% for Donald Trump, and 5% for Jill Stein in a four-way race.)
As the Republican convention kicks in, this represents virtually no change for either Trump or Clinton, but a considerable 4-point bump for Johnson since last month.
These results roughly line up with two other polls released last week: an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll and an ABC News/Washington Post poll estimating support for Johnson at respectively 11% and 8%.
These numbers consolidate Johnson’s growth, only weeks after the Pew Research Center found a majority of adults aged 18-29 would favor the third-party candidate over Donald Trump, if the election were held today.
What’s more, several Republican officials have expressed reservations about the GOP nominee and publicly hinted they were considering voting for Johnson, including Ben Sasse and GOP Rep. Reid Riddle.
If Johnson keeps the momentum going, his candidacy could have a sizeable influence on the race.
He will need to secure at least 15% of the national electorate — as determined by five national polling organizations — to meet the Commission on Presidential Debate’s threshold and participate in general election debates.