Gary Johnson ruling out 2020 bid: ‘It does boil down to two political parties’

Former Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson says he isn’t planning on running for president again in 2020.

“I am not, no,” Johnson said on FOX Business Network’s “Cavuto: Coast to Coast.” 

{mosads}Johnson expressed disappointment that his campaign did not perform better during last year’s election, saying he already had his “shot.”

“I thought we would have done a lot better but it does boil down to two political parties,” he told host Neil Cavuto. 

Johnson won headlines during the race when he responded “what is Aleppo” to a question on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” about the Syrian city at the center of that country’s civil war.

On Wednesday, Johnson spoke of the difficulty of breaking through an election structure that favors the two party system. Candidates who run for president on a third party ticket face a series of obstacles that Republican and Democratic party nominees do not, he said. 

Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein faced an uphill battle last August as they strove to reach the 15 percent national polling threshold needed to be included in the first presidential debate.

Johnson came close to achieving the necessary percentage, but ultimately fell short and was not included in the event that could’ve largely exposed him to potential voters.

Johnson is fighting against the rule, set by the Presidential Debate Commission, in order to “level” out the playing field.

“I’m in Washington right now to petition the Supreme Court to ask the Appeals Court to hear our case against the Presidential Debate Commission, which I think has the opportunity to really level a playing field when it comes to politics, allowing for Independents, third parties, Libertarians, to actually have a chance,” he said.

“Majority or biggest group of voters are Independents. Well, where are they being represented in all this?” Johnson added.