Johnson ran for president in 2012 , initially as a Republican on a libertarian platform emphasizing the United States public debt and a balanced budget , protection of civil liberties , military non-interventionism , replacement of income tax with the FairTax , and opposition to the War on Drugs . In December 2011 , he withdrew his candidacy for the Republican nomination and stood for the Libertarian nomination instead , winning the nomination in May 2012 . Johnson received 1.3 million votes ( 1 % ) , more than all other minor candidates combined
winning the nomination
2012 Libertarian National Convention
Gary Johnson