5 Presidential Candidates Not Named Trump or Clinton
Many Americans do not want to vote for either Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton or Republican presidential hopeful Donald J. Trump.
According to a CBS News/New York Times poll from March, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have the highest unfavorability ratings of any major party nominee since 1984.
However, there are other individuals running for president this year. These third party candidates are hoping that the high rates of disapproval for Clinton and Trump will benefit their campaigns greatly.
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1. Gary Johnson – Libertarian Party
Former two-term governor of New Mexico, businessman, and accomplished fitness guru Gary Johnson is running on the Libertarian Party ticket.
A fiscal conservative and social liberal, Johnson has occasionally worn the Republican Party label and in 2012 ran an unsuccessful primary campaign, blaming social conservatives for his defeat.
Johnson may actually have a chance at the big time stage, as his poll numbers have been surprisingly impressive in some states and at least one Republican congressman, Scott Rigell of Virginia, endorsed him.
However, Johnson has also garnered controversy in his much publicized attacks on religious freedom for opponents of same-sex marriage, claiming among other things that religious freedom is "a black hole."
2. Jill Stein – Green Party
A physician by profession, Dr. Jill Stein was previously nominated to represent the Green Party in 2012, making her one of a handful of American women to run a presidential campaign before Hillary Clinton.
Stein is progressive on most every issue, denouncing the power of big corporations and advocating for a higher minimum wage, renewable energy, and ending drone strikes.
With the defeat of the Bernie Sanders campaign, Stein has made many overtures to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party in the hopes that they will come to her side.
A recent RealClearPolitics poll placed overall voter support for Stein at four percent, which was smaller than Gary Johnson's nine percent.
Both her and Johnson may have a chance to be at the primetime debates, as Politico noted earlier this week that the Commission on Presidential Debates expect more than two podiums for the stage.
3. Darrell Castle – Constitution Party
A native of Tennessee, Darrell Castle served as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War and oversees a Memphis-based law firm.
Castle is socially conservative. He supports limited government and foreign policy ideas like eliminating the Federal Reserve and withdrawing from the United Nations.
For the 2008 presidential election, Castle ran on the Constitution Party ticket as the vice presidential running mate of Chuck Baldwin.
4. Evan McMullin – Independent
A former CIA agent and ex-chief policy director for the House Republican conference, David Evan McMullin garnered big headlines when he announced his intention to run for president.
A devout Mormon, McMullin leans conservative on foreign policy and social issues and has a business education as well as experience on national security issues.
He has gotten much support from the super-PAC Better For America, an entity created by #NeverTrump movement Republicans.
His late hour entry into the race, however, has caused some complications for getting his name on the ballot in all fifty states.
5. Write-in
Never forget that you, the voter, can write-in a person when you cast a ballot in November. It is an option usually used as a means of electoral protest.
So technically, the options for voters wishing to protest the two major party candidates are vast, since one can write in Bernie Sanders, Mitt Romney, Elizabeth Warren, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Deez Nuts, or even Sweet Meteor O'Death.
