Bernie Sanders Slams Gary Johnson, Fellow Weed Advocate, Before Debate

Bernie Sanders took to Twitter Monday to urge his supporters not to vote for third party candidate Gary Johnson. Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate, is seeking the support of disillusioned young people who supported Sanders’ candidacy. Sanders himself has different ideas for everyone who’s still feeling the Bern.

“Gary Johnson: ‘Any restriction on campaign spending violates the First Amendment,’” the Monday tweet from Sanders’ staff read. “Translation: Billionaires will be free to buy elections.”

Sanders supports Clinton for president and formally endorsed her in June after dropping out of the race himself. He has since stated (and tweeted) his support for her economic agenda, education plan and other campaign points while frequently disavowing Donald Trump and Gary Johnson.

“On the basic economic issues – trade, minimum wage, climate change, pay equity – Gary Johnson’s positions are disastrous,” an Oct. 16 tweet from Sanders read.

In an interview with NowThis, Sanders explained his rationale for asking his supporters to unite around Clinton instead of Johnson. Around 80 percent of the Democratic National platform is in harmony with what he and his campaign stand for, Sanders argued. “So when you ask me, where do we go from here, in a sense, it means that we implement this,” he said. Sanders went on to warn against complacency, urging his supporters not to just sit back and relax “once Clinton is in office.”

Johnson hasn’t been deterred by Sanders’ support for Clinton and has continued to seek the backing of the former candidate’s supporters. In an Oct. 14 campaign video, Johnson explained all the points on which he and Sanders agree on in an attempt to show young people they should support him, not Clinton.

“If you’re still feeling the Bern – and feeling burned – because the Clinton machine rolled over your ideals, there is another option,” the text alongside the ad read. Citing polls that say millennials are supporting him in large numbers, Johnson laid out a list of the ways he and Sanders are similar.

Both reject the notion of crony capitalism, he said. “Hillary Clinton? She’s the poster child of crony capitalism,” said Johnson in the video. “Her entire life has been about government favoring the rich and picking winners and losers.” He goes on to say that both he and Sanders were against the wars that Hillary supported. He also pointed out their shared support of marijuana legalization.

“When it comes to individual freedoms and civil liberties, Bernie and I are a lot alike, a lot more than Hillary and Bernie,” said Johnson.