Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson dominated the 2016 State Party straw poll, outperforming all other candidates combined by 4:1. The poll was conducted by Libertarian Party members at convention over the three-day period April 8th through the 10th. Delegates to the convention were asked to provide their preference for first, second, and third choice in a poll of likely delegates to the national Libertarian Party nomination convention next month. The poll was non-binding to the elected delegates.

80% of delegates pledged support for former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, 16% favored Missouri News Producer Austin Petersen and 4% of the vote went to Anti-virus tech mogul John McAfee. When asked for a 2nd choice candidate, convention goers overwhelmingly favored John McAfee with 40% of the vote, providing insight into strength of McAfee’s growing campaign.

The most recent national polls show Johnson performing at 11% when placed in a three-way contest with Clinton and Trump. Johnson, however, reported 76% ‘no opinion’ in the same poll, possibly indicating a lack of any recognition on the national level.

In addition to the straw poll, the convention saw a full endorsement of over 30 state Libertarian candidates and campaigns for the 2016 election cycle. The Libertarian Party of Washington State reported significant growth in party ranks, attributing growth to the message of the party as well as overwhelming public concern with the state of the national presidential elections.

Party Chairman Steven Nielson retired his gavel and announced his campaign for Commissioner of Public Lands. Party Secretary and former campaign manager David Traynor was appointed by acclamation to take to reigns of the Party.
David Traynor indicated that Party leaders and activists expect the national presidential election to elevate their party status from minor to major in the state. As third party ballot access remains a contentious subject in the state of Washington, party members will be seeking 1,000 validated signatures in the coming months to secure a place for the Libertarian nominee on the 2016 Presidential Ballot. The Libertarian Presidential candidate will need to receive over 5% of the state-wide vote total for the party to achieve the sought-after major party status. Gary Johnson received only 1.42% of the Washington vote in 2012 as the Libertarian candidate, however with recent national exposure of the Johnson campaign, the party fully expects to exceed the 5% goal.