The 2018 U.S. senate candidates from New Mexico debating on Albuquerque’s KOAT-TV, live. From left: Libertarian Gov. Gary Johnson, incumbent Democrat Sen. Martin Heinrich, and Republican Mark Rich. (Oct. 12, 2018)
Gov. Gary Johnson, the 2018 Libertarian candidate for the U.S. senate in New Mexico, participated in a televised debate sponsored by KOAT-TV in Albuquerque, N.M. on Oct. 12.
Johnson and his opponents, Republican Mick Rich and incumbent Senator Martin Heinrich, a Democrat, discussed such issues as education, wasteful spending, Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court, school safety, health care, military spending, immigration, the deficit, and social security.
In his opening statement, Johnson remarked, “The biggest issue facing this country right now is the deficit — the fact that we’re going to have a trillion dollars this year in added deficit, to the $21 trillion that we already have.
“My pledge is to submit a balanced budget to congress. It is incredibly unfair to young people—it’s incredibly unfair to all of us, to continue to roll up unpaid debt. $210 billion a year is what we add for interest-only expense, when interest rates go up 1 percent.
“Look: to balance the federal budget, you’ve got to take on some really big issues. Those big issues are reform of Medicaid, Medicare; Social Security has to be reformed; and we have to reduce military expenditures. Let’s get ourselves out of our military involvements that don’t involve national security.
“I promise I will uphold the United States constitution.”
Johnson was governor of New Mexico for two terms, from 1995 to 2003, and won the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination in both 2012 and 2016.
Click here to watch the debate, hosted at C-SPAN’s website.
Learn more at Johnson’s campaign website: GaryJohnsonSenate.com
Along with Gov. Johnson, eleven other New Mexico Libertarians are running for office at all levels of government. Learn more about these candidates at LPNM.us/2018-candidates.
Nationwide, more than 800 Libertarians are running for office this fall, to shrink big government and eliminate its deficits, and grow individual freedom. Learn who they are, at LP.org/2018-candidates.
