FORMER NEW MEXICO GOV. GARY E. JOHNSON TESTS FLORIDA WATERS FOR
PRESIDENTIAL BID

TALLAHASSEE - A self-made millionaire Republican is campaigning in
Florida on a platform of spending cuts and less government.

It's not Rick Scott, anymore.

This is Gary E. Johnson, a former New Mexico governor and advocate
for the legalization of marijuana, who's putting out Florida feelers
in a possible bid for the presidency in 2012.

Johnson's campaign-style stops in Tallahassee, Melbourne and Orlando
last week reveal that the presidential race is already at a low boil
in the nation's largest swing state.

Without Florida, Republicans say, they can't recapture the White House.

Johnson shrugs when told he's a long-shot candidate compared with
better-known former governors Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin and current
Govs. Haley Barbour and Tim Pawlenty. Johnson has overcome long odds
before. As a political newcomer, he shocked the political
establishment when he beat a three-term incumbent in 1992, an echo of
Scott's out-of-nowhere success in Florida.

Johnson says his legacy of record vetoes and tax cuts from 1995 to
2003 in New Mexico separate him from the crowd of likely presidential hopefuls.

So does his position on pot and the drug war.

"The issue of marijuana legalization is obviously an
attention-getter," Johnson said. "And you can't shy away from it. I
have to defend it. I have to defend the position."

Johnson's reasons: Marijuana is less harmful than alcohol and the
costs of locking up pot smokers exacts too much of a toll on civil
liberties and on taxpayers. He said marijuana would be considered
less of a gateway drug if it were sold alongside "more dangerous
drugs" like booze.

"I don't drink. I don't smoke pot. But I've drank and I've smoked
pot," said Johnson, an accomplished triathlete who once scaled Mount
Everest. "The big difference between the two is that marijuana is a
lot safer than alcohol."

Johnson said it shouldn't be legal to sell marijuana to children, or
to operate a car under the influence. He said he also opposes
legalizing cocaine, heroin or crystal methamphetamine.

Johnson said that, in two years, a majority of Americans would likely
support the legalization of marijuana, according to polling. But, he
acknowledged, it isn't easy to quickly explain his position on the
drug war in a Republican primary.

"And it's not, really, a 30-second sound-bite deal," he said. "It's
maybe about a three-minute deal."

But campaigns are driven by half-minute ads, especially in a state as
big as Florida. And the average GOP primary voter isn't likely to
support decriminalizing pot.

When told of Johnson's position on legalizing marijuana, Republican
Party of Florida chairman John Thrasher, a St. Augustine senator,
gave a skeptical "Oh, boy" as a response. Thrasher sounded more
enthusiastic about the fact that Johnson was in the state in the first place.

"The presidential campaign has already begun," Thrasher said. "There
are people running for president and they're coming here because
Florida's going to play a big role."

Thrasher said the party is "optimistic" about holding an event called
"Presidency V" next fall in which the party and a "major news
organization" would host a debate for the major Republican candidates
for president. Thrasher was less sanguine about holding an early
primary, as the party did in January 2008, or holding an early,
nonbinding straw poll, as it did in 1995.

Because of the Electoral College, Florida is a must-win for
Republicans, who need the Sunshine State and Texas to balance out
traditional Democratic wins in New York and California. In 2012,
Florida takes on added importance because its share of the Electoral
College - currently 27 - could grow by two.

Also, Tampa will host the GOP national convention, where the
Republican nominee will officially be named.

Early surveys show Johnson polls in the single digits. But supporters
and detractors alike say he could benefit from the support of tea
party conservatives and backers of Ron Paul, who has spoken favorably
of the former New Mexico governor.

Like Paul, Johnson wants major changes to Medicare, Medicaid and
Social Security. And Johnson said the United States should withdraw
from Iraq and Afghanistan and cut defense spending.

Johnson also opposes President Barack Obama's health care plan and
criticizes the Republican-passed Medicare prescription drug benefit
under President George W. Bush because it wasn't paid for.

"It's a new ball game thanks to the tea party, and Gary Johnson's
fiscal positions and record are really appealing," said Mark Cross,
an Osceola County Republican official and the executive director of
Florida Campaign for Liberty, a nonprofit affiliated with Paul.

In addition to speaking to Republicans last week, Johnson also met
with the University of Central Florida student chapter of the
National Organization for the Reformation of Marijuana Laws.

Cross, who helped set up luncheons and Republican meet-and-greets for
Paul in Orlando and Melbourne, said Johnson's record should overcome
Republican doubts about his position on the drug war.

Cross said the better-known Romney could face more trouble than
Johnson because the former Massachusetts governor instituted an
insurance mandate that was used as a model in Obama's health plan.

"Johnson's strength is his vetoes," said Cross, noting that the
former New Mexico governor vetoed nearly 750 bills from a Democratic
Legislature. Johnson also forced some tax cuts and crusaded for
school choice initiatives.

"He was an extremely conservative governor. But he had a strong
libertarian streak," said Max Coll, a Santa Fe Democrat who was the
state House budget chief in New Mexico during Johnson's term.

"He was very dogmatic," Coll said of Johnson. "He wanted to do it his
way or else."

As a result, in his final year in office, Johnson watched the New
Mexico Legislature convene in a first-ever special session and
override his veto of the state budget.

Johnson said he sees similarities with Gov.-elect Scott, who largely
financed his own campaign and came out of the private sector to win
the governor's mansion. A big difference, though: Scott spent about
$73 million out of $96 million on his own campaign. Johnson said he
spent about $510,000 of the $540,000 on his race.

"The parallels between myself and him are very similar," Johnson
said. "The idea was that you weren't buying anything. If you were
going to contribute, there was going to be no quid pro quo. There's
nothing for sale. I see that with your governor-elect."