Presidential candidate and would-be participant in tonight’s CNN Republican primary debate Gary Johnson, appeared on MSNBC Monday afternoon and looked visibly upset at the network’s not including him in what many are calling the first real debate of the 2012 cycle.
The former governor of New Mexico was among the first to officially announce his candidacy, yet CNN did not invite him to the debate at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire.
The reason for excluding Johnson is that he has not achieved two percent in any national poll in the month of April, May, or in a poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire in May.
Though some Johnson supporters argue their candidate has reached the threshold in some recent polls, CNN has remained adamant in its decision.
But Johnson shot back Monday afternoon saying, “polling at this point is irrelevant … I feel like I’ve earned a slot there.”
He went on to imply that he was excluded because of his more unorthodox views. “If I was saying the same things as everyone else, it would be another story,” he told MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan.
(‘REALLY DISHEARTENING:’ Presidential candidate Gary Johnson reacts to CNN’s silence)
Johnson, who participated in the Fox News debate in Greenville, S.C., last month, takes a Libertarian stance on many issues, including drug legalization and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.