Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson said in an interview on Tuesday that he was “more liberal than Obama, and more conservative than Romney.” Of course, not many people noticed, unless you were on Reddit, where the Libertarian Party presidential candidate participated in an AMA, or “ask me anything.”
During the hourlong interview, Johnson answered 54 questions on everything from gay marriage to the economy. The interview showed Johnson’s embrace of social media during his long-shot run for the White House. And although his social media stats land nowhere near the candidates of the two major parties, Johnson has done a respectable job of gathering a following online.
On Facebook, Johnson is as active as any other candidate in the race and because of that has earned 241,000 likes, including more than 10,000 in a week, according to data from Facebook. Over on Twitter, he has more than 59,000 followers, and on YouTube he has 5,500 subscribers and 850,000 video views. His videos, including his most recent, have gotten thousands of views each.
During the AMA, Johnson was surprisingly open for a presidential candidate or a politician, even going as far as to admit that he last used marijuana in 2008 because of an injury suffered during a paragliding accident. His honesty was welcomed on the site.
“I appreciate your honesty and support your usage. Honestly I would have supported it even if it was recreational and recent. Good on you! Truth in politics is rare,” wrote countdownkpl.
“Wow, someone who doesn’t beat around the bush! Thanks!” wrote Jordanhansen13.
Johnson was also open about his plans after the November election. He said he would not seek legislative office in Washington because those jobs are “judged by how much bacon you bring home, and I refuse to be a part of that.”
He also said that the biggest threats to America were other politicians:
“I put the biggest threat to America as politicians who beat their chests over the threat of drugs, the treat of the illegal immigrant, the threat of terrorism, the threat of poor healthcare, all at a cost of bankrupting America.”
Although Johnson hasn’t made a huge showing in mainstream media, his social media presence is worth keeping an eye on.
Image via Gary Johnson/Facebook