2016 Libertarian Candidate Continues Bitcoin Support

Sunday saw Gary Johnson become the Libertarian Party candidate in the 2016 US presidential election – and Bitcoin is already on board for donations.

Also read: New Yorkers Tout Blockchain at Libertarian Party Convention

‘Wild Card’ Libertarian Candidate Accepts Bitcoin

Johnson, who also stood in the 2012 race, is increasingly viewed as a “wild card” in this year’s campaign, as voters attempt to sidestep the major party nominees.

According to a recent poll, as much as 8% of Republican voters stated their intention to vote for an alternative to Donald Trump – four times the number of Democrats.

“If nothing comes of this election with regard to the Libertarian Party, then nothing is going to ever come of it, I don’t think,” Johnson said in an interview with MSNBC in March.

This month, Johnson stated that alienated voters coming out in support of him was “all he encountered”.

The potential for the Libertarians to make gains in 2016 naturally bodes well for Bitcoin, which Johnson has long favored as a campaign funding option. Donations are currently accepted via the campaign website using BitPay as facilitator.

Like Rand Paul before him, Johnson’s increasing presence could serve to bring the topic of Bitcoin further into public awareness – first by name, latterly by policy.

As governor of New Mexico for nine years, Johnson left office in 2003 with the state one of only four at the time to have a balanced budget.

His resolve to maintain values was also evident in the 750 bills Johnson vetoed during the Clinton and Bush administrations, which earnt him the nickname “Veto Johnson.”

Party Trends

At home and abroad, Johnson is far from alone in his open support of Bitcoin. The currency has been part of seismic political shifts outside the US in recent years, notably in countries such as Iceland.

While mostly consigned to Pirate Party campaigns in Europe, the sudden upsurge in popularity of such parties ensured the currency received the kind of attention it had previously been denied in the media.

Iceland Pirate Party head Birgitta Jónsdóttir has stated she would make the country— one of a handful in the world to ban Bitcoin outright — into a “Switzerland of bits.”

Pirate Party leader Rick Falkvinge has also gone on record about the “favorable environment” Pirate movements offer cryptocurrency as part of their policy.

In the US meanwhile, doubts remain as to the likelihood of a Libertarian party able enough to back a winning candidate.

At a convention for party chairman Sunday, one candidate used the two-minute allotted time for pitching to delegates to perform a striptease.

What do you think about the chances for Bitcoin in the 2016 US presidential race, regardless of outcome? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Images courtesy of en.wikipedia.org and 7bucktees.com, falkvinge.net

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