Third Party Candidates for this 2016 Election

Mekayla Phan, Features Editor

Sick of hearing about Donald Trump’s “great” plans for America or the newest updates on Hilary Clinton’s email scandal? Don’t particularly want to vote for either of them in this upcoming election? Here are the third-party alternatives you might want to consider:

Gary Johnson

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Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson is the former Republican Governor of New Mexico and a very successful entrepreneur. He is the founder of Big J Enterprises- one of New Mexico’s largest construction companies, and was named CEO of Cannabis Sativa Inc. (a Nevada-based medicinal marijuana company) in 2014.

Johnson’s Views/Positions:

  • Economic– Supports free trade, a market-led recovery versus stimulus, and opposes higher taxes on the wealthy. He wants to replace the current tax code with FairTax (a national retail tax system), and believes in privatizing Social Security.
  • International– Though he supports having a strong military, he doesn’t want to expand it. In the past he has opposed the Iraq war, and ultimately believes that military intervention made the problem of terrorism worse. His foreign and military policy is simply “to protect us from harm and to allow us to exercise our freedoms.” At home, he fully supports the pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants.
  • Domestic & Social– Pro-choice, strong supporter of same-sex marriages, and agrees on vouchers for school choice. He believes in absolute right to gun ownership, privatizing prisons, and wants to end the War on Drugs (being a supporter in legalizing and regulating marijuana). Johnson opposes expansion of ObamaCare, and believes in a market-based approach towards health care. He supports internet freedom and security.

Johnson’s running mate for Vice-President is William “Bill” Weld – an attorney, businessman, and former Governor of Massachusetts.

For more on Gary Johnson and Bill Weld, visit their campaign websitehttps://www.johnsonweld.com

 

Jill Stein

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Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein is a physician, an environmental-health activist, and also the party’s past presidential nominee in 2012. She holds the record for having the “most votes ever received by a woman candidate” for U.S presidency. Stein was also the principal organizer for Global Climate Convergence.

Stein’s Views/Positions:

  • Economic– Supports higher taxes on the wealthy, stimulus and advocated for the Green New Deal (for Global Warming and financial crisis). She disagrees on privatizing Social Security, and supports a $15 minimum wage.
  • International- Stein (like Johnson) also doesn’t want to expand military, and supports pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants. Her foreign policy is based on “diplomacy, international law, and human rights”.
  • Domestic & Social– Pro-choice, strong supporter of same-sex marriage, and prioritizing green energy. Stein wants to end student debt, and make public college education free. She also supports the legalization of marijuana, believes that gun ownership should be “appropriately regulated”, and wants to establish “Medicare for all”.

Stein’s running mate for Vice-President is Ajamu Baraka. Baraka is an African-American human rights activist, was the founding executive director of the US Human Rights Network, and served on various boards of human rights organizations.

For more on Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka, visit their campaign websitehttp://www.jill2016.com

To find out more and compare about all of the candidates, visit http://presidential-candidates.insidegov.com

(Sources: Johnsonweld.com, Jill2016.com, Insidegov.com, and OntheIssues.com)