Gary Johnson announces.

There is breaking news that former New Mexico Governor, Gary Johnson has announced he is in the race for President for 2012. Johnson is probably the most libertarian candidate in the race.

From USA Today:

Former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson said today he is running for president in 2012.

Johnson, a Republican who was governor from 1995 to 2003, made his announcement on the steps of the State House in Concord, N.H. On Twitter a short while ago, his staff tweeted for him: “First time to say it. "I am running for president."

Johnson has libertarian views and is perhaps best known for his efforts to legalize marijuana and for cutting New Mexico's budget and taxes. He's been traveling to early presidential contest states such as Iowa and New Hampshire talking about the nation's debt and U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Libya.

Johnson now runs Our American Initiative, a political organization seeks to "enlighten the population about civil liberties, free enterprise, limited government, and traditional American values." …

This could possibly result in Ron Paul deciding not to run and instead throw his weight behind him. It is difficult to predict however, how Paul will act. It is also interesting to speculate on how the Libertarian Party will respond to this, as there was a possibility for some time that Johnson was a suitable candidate for them.

His biggest hurdle is the fact that he is not well known outside NM. Another huge one is that the media are obsessed with his willingness to legalize marijuana, (which is unlikely to endear him to the SoCons), generally to the point of ignoring his record of cutting expenditure, keeping taxes down, and vetoing more bills than any other Governor in history.

I hope he can get the traction he needs.