As of now, we know that the two major party candidates are most likely Donald Trump for the Republican Party, and Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party. Rumors have begun swirling that Bernie Sanders will be endorsing Clinton shortly, ending his long campaign.
Now, I'm not here to talk about the fiasco that is Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump, I'm here to talk about the underdog. Many Democrats, Republicans and Independents are unsatisfied with their options for President, and both Clinton and Trump have very low approval ratings for two major party candidates. The question many Americans have begun asking is this: who are America's third party candidates?
1. Gov. Gary Johnson
Gary Johnson is the former Republican Governor of New Mexico who is currently running as a Libertarian candidate alongside his running mate, former governor of Massachusetts, Bill Weld. They are offering a second choice to many Republicans who disagree with Trump's controversial social stances and many Sanders' supporters who refuse to vote for Clinton.
Libertarians in practice are fiscally conservative, but socially liberal. This means they support things like marriage equality, women's rights and several other major social stances most people on the left-wing of the spectrum support.
They also believe in small government, as the campaign themselves say they want to stay out of your bedroom and your paycheck. They both pride themselves on cutting taxes in their states numerous times while they were the governors. They do have some controversial economical ideas that include getting rid of corporate income taxes and replacing it with a national sales tax, which causes a bit of a stir.
Either way, they have come in hot into this election for a third party campaign. They have already hit double digits in many polls and it is believed that Johnson will have a strong chance of being able to debate alongside Clinton and Trump. Their strong entrance into this race proves that Gary Johnson and Bill Weld will matter this year and their campaign is one to keep an eye on and seriously consider.
2. Dr. Jill Stein
Jill Stein is the presidential candidate for the Green Party. As of now, her running mate is unknown, but she is there to remind us that Clinton isn't the only women running for president in 2016. Stein has a long history of activism and standing up for progressive ideals and she has been reaching out to many Independents and recently has reached out to many of Sanders' supporters to boost her campaign.
The Green Party is a global political party with very strong roots in countries like Germany and the UK. Here in America, the Green Party is still working hard to make itself a major player in the political world.
Stein believes in a Green New Deal, and her plan states that it will convert the US to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030. Stein is considers herself a candidate of the people, backed by the people, not corporate interests and donors.
She is socially and economically far on the left side of the spectrum and her campaign revolves around a lot of the same progressive issues Sanders brought to light during his campaign in the primaries.
As of now, Stein is the underdog, even next to Johnson, but she is making her voice heard. She is taking it step-by-step and her most recent victory in the race resulted with her name being added to the ballot in Illinois. Even though she is the underdog, she is campaigning hard to make certain America knows they have another option.
So America, you have two other amazing candidates running for president. Will you be siding with the underdogs this election season?
