Should Hillary Clinton be worried about Gary Johnson?

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published 16 September 2016

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson just might spell trouble for Hillary Clinton in Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona. Politico reported Friday that Democrats are becoming concerned about how Johnson might be digging into Clinton's support, as the race tightens between Clinton and Donald Trump in a growing number of polls. While Johnson, who Politico reported boasts an "appeal with young and libertarian-leaning liberals," is siphoning off support from Trump, he is "drawing evenly" from Clinton's support:

She leads by five points among likely voters in a two-way national race, 48 percent to 43 percent. But when Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are included, Clinton's lead shrinks to two: she's at 41 points, with Trump at 39, Johnson at 13, and Stein at 4. Democrats assume that all of Stein's support comes from the Clinton column, meaning Johnson's is split roughly evenly between Clinton and Trump.That's a break from the earlier Washington wisdom that Johnson's inclusion on ballots was a clear benefit to Clinton as a go-to for conservatives uncomfortable with Trump. Instead, he has turned into a "None of These Candidates" option much like the one by that name that will also be printed on Nevada's ballot. [Politico]