Johnson pot position could burn potential presidential bid

By Milan Simonich Santa Fe Bureau
Posted: 03/30/2011 02:55:25 AM MDT

SANTA FE - Will former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson's stand for legalizing marijuana drown out his other messages if he runs for president?

Most certainly, especially in a field of fellow Republicans, said Arthur Sanders, a political science professor at Drake University in Iowa, an early caucus state.

"It's a really hard sell politically," Sanders said of advocating marijuana legalization. "You can make a good policy argument, but the evidence is that it's not a good political case because politicians almost never do it. He'll hear 'soft on drugs, soft on crime' and get bashed over the head with it."

Johnson, 58, is on the ballot for Thursday's presidential straw poll at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire, the first primary state for the 2012 election.
Brock Weber, chairman of the college Republicans, said Johnson has been on campus numerous times to test the waters for a presidential run.

"I was very impressed with him. He's a fiscal hawk, and we appreciate that," Weber said.

But Johnson's position for marijuana legalization does not appeal to Weber, a junior at Saint Anselm. Weber said other young people, though, see some wisdom in Johnson's theory that the government's energy and resources are wasted in fighting marijuana use.

Johnson did not reveal his position for marijuana legalization until he had won his second term as governor. He was schooled in the world of business, not politics, but he knew he could not campaign successfully for governor if marijuana legalization was one of his planks.
Rich because of his construction company in Albuquerque, Johnson started his political career at the top, running for governor at age 42.

He survived a close Republican primary, then upset incumbent Democrat Bruce King in the 1994 general election.

Johnson became known as "Governor No" because he vetoed 742 bills during his eight years in office. He vetoed a record 200 bills in 1995 alone.

For context, the Legislature this year approved a total of 284 bills and has sent them to Gov. Susana Martinez for her consideration.

Johnson left office at the end of 2002, saying he was done with politics. He even described himself as "kind of radioactive" because of his philosophy about legalizing drugs.

Now, given his trips to New Hampshire and other states with early presidential primaries, Johnson appears to have changed his mind.

State Sen. Stuart Ingle said Johnson is a formidable chief executive, tough-minded and honest.

"He gave his word, and he never changed it," said Ingle, a Portales Republican who has been in the Senate for 27 years. "He made a stand on issues, and he never deviated, particularly on matters of finance."

Johnson's eight years as governor saw no increases in state income taxes and legalization of casinos. Tribal compacts allow casinos on reservations, and the state takes a share of the money.

He also improved highways, though critics in the Legislature said Johnson incurred $100 million in debt for taxpayers in the process. Twenty-year bonds sold for road improvements brought money on the front end, and federal highway grants help pay off the projects. But interest payments fell to taxpayers.

Ingle said Johnson was refreshing in that he never sought publicity for himself.

"He governed in a very businesslike way," Ingle said. "Oh, he got headlines sometimes, but he never cared about them, good or bad."

Johnson, in calling for marijuana legalization in 1999, said he wanted to start a national conversation on drug policies.

Democrats, especially those with political aspirations, resisted him. Republicans were even more critical of his concept of legalizing, regulating and taxing drugs.

Sanders, the Drake professor, said politicians may find medicinal marijuana a program for which they can generate support.

It is not difficult to talk sympathetically about a middle-age woman, living in chronic pain, getting some relief from prescribed marijuana, he said. But a general legalization program is another matter, as parents look at their children and fear their coming of age when they can buy marijuana from the state, Sanders said.

If Johnson runs for president, he will likely face former governors who are better known, such as Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.

A fiscal conservative, Johnson would be a liberal compared to them and other potential candidates, such as former U.S. senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

Weber, the Saint Anselm Republican, said Johnson has miles to go to be competitive.

"I wouldn't call him a first-tier candidate," Weber said.

Santa Fe Bureau Chief Milan Simonich can be reached at msimonich@tnmnp.com or (505) 820-6898. His blog is at nmcapitolreport.com.

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