A Shocker: Johnson’s Got the Military Vote

Photo by Gage Skidmore

The Cato Institute’s Doug Bandow rolls out this shocker for Americans:

The Libertarian Party is a perennial and distant third-place contender, but this election might be different. Johnson (Gary) has been polling in double digits and could sway the balance of power, especially with the help of military personnel.

A July poll found Johnson well ahead of the two major-party candidates among military voters, with almost 39 percent of active duty members backing him. Just 31 percent supported Donald Trump, and only 14 percent were for Hillary Clinton. Johnson carried every service except the Navy.

While service personnel are willing to serve in combat, most do not want to do so absent compelling justifications. And few of the interests involved in Washington’s recent conflicts can be considered serious, let alone vital. A Marine Corps veteran told Egan that service members “realize they’re being utilized for other purposes — nation building and being world’s policeman — and it’s not what they signed up for.”

Who can keep Americans safe? That obviously is one of the most important questions of this election, and uniformed military personnel are giving a clear, but surprising, answer.

He enjoyed the biggest margin in the Marine Corps, 44 percent to 27 percent for Trump. Second was the Air Force, which supported him 39 percent to 30 percent. Johnson also carried former members of the military and came close among retirees.

Clinton typically lagged behind Johnson and Trump, sometimes receiving barely a third of Johnson’s share.