Gary Johnson: New Hampshire Do-or-Die for Campaign
Riding a surge of interest in his campaign after making it on stage at the last GOP debate, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is putting his focus squarely on the New Hampshire primaries, with a bicycle ride across the state on tap.
“I’m putting my chips on the table in New Hampshire,” Johnson told us on ABC’s “Top Line” today. “That’s my strategy, given my limited resources. And hey, I either get my pink slip coming out of New Hampshire, or I get an advance to go.”
Johnson said he’s glad his quip at the most recent debate – that his neighbor’s dogs produce more shovel-ready jobs than President Obama has – drew him a wave of publicity.
“Only in America can you make — I’ll say a witty comment about dog poop and be the most Googled name on the planet for 24 hours,” he said. “I’ll take it, because what it does is it just directs attention to Gary Johnson 2012 and what it is I’ve been saying, and really America is looking for a fix here.”
Johnson said he thinks there’s still time for another candidate, like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, to jump in the race.
“I don’t think the gun has even gone off yet. So you know, anybody who wants to join in, join in, that’s what this should be about,” he said. “I believe I have the prescription for what needs to take place in this country, and I think I’m the one with the resume.”
And Johnson said he didn’t know anything about the story – as published in The Washington Post yesterday – about the hunting land rented by Rick Perry’s family that included a prominent racial epithet on display.
“I missed it, so I would not be the person to comment on it, but if it is posted at a hunting lodge and it is the N-word, it doesn’t sound like the N-word should be posted anywhere,” he said.