Mary Ruwart: Gary Johnson IS a Libertarian

Libertarian icon Mary Ruwart (who lost the first-round Presidential nomination in 2008 by only 46 votes) took a moment outside the convention to given Reason this snippet of an interview.

Dr. Mary Ruwart

It is critical, because various groups and individuals have been questioning Governor Gary Johnson's status as a libertarian, and trying to compare him to Bob Barr (or even Wayne Root) to paint him as a pure carpetbagger with no serious commitment to the LP.

If Mary Ruwart says Gary Johnson is a Libertarian, the discussion should be pretty much over:

During a sit-down interview with Reason outside the convention halls Ruwart expressed concern over the similarities she sees between Gary Johnson and Barr. Even though she is worried about the state of the Libertarian Party, she said sounded an optimistic tone on the future of the greater libertarian movement.

“We aren’t gaining anything by having a famous person at the top of our ticket, in terms of votes. We may be losing a lot if that person does not give a strong libertarian message,” said Ruwart.

In the off-camera portion of the interview Ruwart declined to say if she voted for Barr in 2008.

“My initial impressions of Gary Johnson are much more favorable than they were of Bob Barr, whoendorsed Newt Gingrich for president,” she said.

When asked if Johnson is a libertarian, Ruwart said she believed he is.

“I would definitely say he is in the libertarian quadrant,” she answered.