Gary Johnson's 2012 GOP Primary Opponents

[free.alive]

If Obama wins, then Gary Johnson will run for President in the GOP in 2012, so says Tom Woods. Great! But who's the competition going to be?

The GOP, on the local, state and even national level will be a shambles after this election, unless McCain pulls something out of his ass quick. This will be our best opportunity to change this party. In the meantime, we need to be building the party, getting 2010 congressional, and state-wide candidates to win, and solidifying our position within the party.

All this leads to us giving Gary Johnson early support, money, enthusiasm and access in the 2012 primaries (actually 2011). We need to be prepared by January of that year. Therefore the reorganization meetings in December of 2010 are crucial for us. We need to take a majority of leadership by Jan 1 2011, or we're screwed.

So who will Johnson, and by proxy - we, be up against in the primaries? Here's a list of potentials I've gotten from a few other threads elsewhere on the web:

Bobby Jindal - LA
Mike Huckabee - AR
Mitt Romney - MA
Rudy Guiliani - NY
Mark Sanford - SC
Tim Pawlenty - MN
Sarah Palin - AK
Butch Otter - ID
Michael Steele - MD
John Hoeven - SD
Richard Burr - NC
Jon Huntsman - UT
Charlie Crist - FL
Jeb Bush - FL
Mike Pence - IN
John Thune - SD
Haley Barbour - MS
Newt Gingrich - GA

Yes, this is wild speculation. Wild... Nevertheless, we need to be prepared. Now's a good time to start!

 

[Jeremy]

Sarah Palin? lol... why would she run?

 

[free.alive]

Hey -

I'm just cutting and pasting and throwing names out there...

 

[free.alive]

Honestly,

I think Crist, Jindal and Palin will be somewhere in DC in the future, but I think they'll all run again for their second terms as governor, not for president in 2012

 

[Slist]

I know this would be weird.. but could we run with TWO candidates into the primaries? In the primary debates, this would double the time our message would get out.

Probably it would not be feasible since grassroots could hardly focus on two candidates... but if it was possible, it would be great...

 

[slacker921]

*shudders at the thought of most of those people*

geez.. If I have to go to a GOP convention in 2012 and hear everybody pushing for "unity" behind Jeb Bush, Huckabee, Gingrich, etc..... ugh. Where do I donate to the Gary Johnson exploratory committee? It needs to start getting him national exposure on a regular basis starting November 5th.

 

[NewEnd]

Man, Gary Johnson would be awesome... awesome awesome awesome.

 

[Kludge]

Who?

 

[Slist]

Where do I donate to the Gary Johnson exploratory committee? It needs to start getting him national exposure on a regular basis starting November 5th.

Absolutely. If obama gets elected, Johnson needs to be pushed...

 

[NewEnd]

Who?

former governor of New Mexico. I like him, from what little I have read of him (OK, its his opposition to the drug war where I first heard about him, but also, he is an athlete, and in very good shape, and a fierce competitor.)

 

[Kludge]

former governor of New Mexico. I like him, from what little I have read of him (OK, its his opposition to the drug war where I first heard about him, but also, he is an athlete, and in very good shape, and a fierce competitor.)

Cool. He and Ventura can tag team their opponent(s) if they lose.

 

[Knightskye]

Bobby Jindal - LA
Mitt Romney - MA
Mark Sanford - SC
Tim Pawlenty - MN
Charlie Crist - FL

I could see them running. And maybe Tom Coburn.

Jeb Bush - FL

Yeah, like people would support another Bush.

Mike Pence - IN
John Thune - SD
Haley Barbour - MS
Butch Otter - ID
Michael Steele - MD
John Hoeven - SD
Richard Burr - NC
Jon Huntsman - UT

Who are they?

Rudy would be too distraught after his failed bid for governor (I heard he's thinking about running).

You know who should run, though? Sarah Steelman. She ran for governor in Missouri, but lost by a couple points in the primary. She seems like a Ron Paul Republican, and she's a woman.

 

[NewEnd]

Cool. He and Ventura can tag team their opponent(s) if they lose.

LoL!!!

(O.T. Ventura better start losing weight if he is serious about running, or else he is just going to look like a bitter has-been)

 

[me3]

Gary Johnson is a good guy and all, but listening to him speak is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

I don't think this is going anywhere....

 

[Knightskye]

Gary Johnson is a good guy and all, but listening to him speak is about as exciting as watching paint dry.

Johnson/Baldwin '12?

Joe Scarborough said Baldwin makes paint melt when he speaks. Maybe they could talk at the same time on the campaign trail. In unison. :o

 

[adamni]

Mark Sanford would be a pretty good candidate, too, I think.

While in Congress, Sanford was a staunch conservative (he garnered a lifetime rating of 92 from the American Conservative Union), but displayed an occasional independent streak. He often would be one of two members of Congress, along with Ron Paul, voting against bills that otherwise got unanimous support. For example, he voted against a bill that preserved sites linked to the Underground Railroad. He opposed pork barrel projects even when they benefited his own district; in 1997 he voted against a defense appropriations bill that included funds for Charleston's harbor. Seeing himself as a "citizen-legislator," he did not run for reelection in 2000, in keeping with a promise to serve only three terms in the House.

 

[Shotdown1027]

Mark Sanford, Butch Otter, and Gary Johnson wont all run at the same time--it'd be fractisious in nature. In all liklihood, two will back the other. Otter and Sanford were allies (and allies of Paul) in Congress and both have respect for Gary Johnson (and vice versa, im told).

Jindal, Palin, and Pawlenty are the frontrunners in my opinion.

 

[slacker921]

Burr voted for the bailout. ..

 

[Shotdown1027]

BTW: The best story about Gov. Sanford is when he let live pigs onto the floor of the State Legislator in protest of the pork-laden bills they kept sending to his desk.

 

[AbolishTheGovt]

Sanford has said once he's out of the Governor's Office, he's done with electoral politics for good.