Gary Johnson

I mentioned the other week there are indications Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, is going to run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Here is a closer look at Johnson from wikipedia:

While in college, Johnson earned money as a door-to-door handyman. His success in that arena encouraged him to start his own business, Big J Enterprises, which was founded in 1976. He eventually grew Big J into a multi-million dollar corporation. By the time he sold the company, in 1999, it was one of New Mexico's leading construction companies.

...In 1994, Johnson received the Republican nomination for governor after a long primary campaign and close primary election. Despite having little experience in politics and despite the usual Democratic-leaning politics of New Mexico, Johnson was able to sway both Republicans and Democrats towards his libertarian beliefs. In the state general election, he defeated the incumbent Democratic Governor Bruce King by 50% to 40%. Johnson was elected in a nationally Republican year, though party registration in the state of New Mexico at the time was 2-to-1 Democratic. Johnson's campaigns were notable for being "100% positive," never once attacking an opponent in print, radio, or television.

In 1995, Johnson was criticized when he met with representatives of the New Mexico militia movement, soon after the Oklahoma City bombing. Johnson responded that he was meeting with the militia movement members to ensure that they remained non-violent.

In 1998, Johnson was re-elected as governor, defeating Democratic Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez by a 55% to 45% margin.

In 1999, Johnson became the highest-ranking elected official in the United States to advocate the repeal of drug prohibition. Saying the War on Drugs was "an expensive bust," he advocated the decriminalization of both drug use and possession in order to save money and potentially regulate currently illegal drugs. His position was similar to that of the Libertarian Party in many ways, and led many political observers to believe he would run for political office as a Libertarian in the future.

Under Johnson's administration, New Mexico experienced the longest period without a tax increase in the state's history, the rate of growth in the state government was cut in half, half of the state's prisons were privatized, state Medicaid was shifted to managed care, and the state was left with approximately 1,000 fewer employees (with no firings) and a budget surplus. Johnson vetoed 750 bills (which was more than all the vetoes of the other 49 Governors in the country at that time, combined), which earned him the nickname Gary "Veto" Johnson.

Sounds good to me.