Libertarian party hopes to capitalize on voter frustration

As the Democratic and Republican parties near closer to their respective conventions, people who don’t like the presumptive nominees, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, are becoming frustrated with the choices.

That’s why third parties like the Libertarian Party hope to capitalize and possibly gain major momentum in 2016.

“This year we have candidates who are arguably very very bad candidates. Both of them in different ways, but their very poor candidates for president,” said Rob Oates, the Idaho Libertarian Party chair. The Libertarian ticket has the answer, he concluded.

At the party convention in Orlando, the Libertarian Party chose former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson as its presidential candidate, and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld as its vice presidential candidate. Both men ran as Republicans while in their respective state offices.

“The libertarian ticket. (We have) two former governors who each were elected to two terms in their home states,” said Oates. “Each of them both have more executive experience than either of the two major party candidates.”

Oates said he thinks the Libertarian Party will appeal to a lot of people who dislike the current establishment in Washington and want smaller government. “The Libertarian Party is really about individual liberty,” said Oates. “We believe the government should, in a very broad brush, should stay out of your pocketbook and stay out of your bedroom.”

Oates said the next step for the party is to gain enough support for them to be included in the presidential debates.