Track Record

Gary Johnson has been an outspoken advocate for efficient government, balanced budgets, rational drug policy reform, protection of civil liberties, comprehensive tax reform, and personal freedom.


  • 1994

    Gary Johnson announced his gubernatorial run under a "common sense business approach"

    1994
  • 1994

    Gary Johnson elected governor of New Mexico, beating incumbent 50% to 40%

  • 1995

    Governor Johnson set state and national records by vetoing 200 bills out of the 424 that were passed by the Legislature

    1995
  • 1998

    Ran for re-election against Democratic Albuquerque Mayor Martin Chavez

    1998
  • 1998

    Won reelection by a 45% to 55% margin despite a 2-1 Democrat majority

  • 2002

    Term-Limited, Governor Johnson finished his second term as a Governor

    2002

Overall Accomplishments

  • Left office with New Mexico as one of the only four states in the country with a balanced budget
  • Left New Mexico with a budget surplus
  • Used Line Item Veto thousands of times to trim the budget
  • Vetoed 750 bills during his time in office; more than all other governors combined
  • Cut over 1,200 government jobs without firing anyone
  • Created more than 20,000 new jobs
  • First New Mexico Governor to challenge education status quo and propose statewide voucher program
  • Restored State General Fund reserves to more than $222 million from a low of $28.1 million
  • Limited annual state budget growth to 5.0% during eight years in office
  • Cut taxes 14 times while never raising them—a first for New Mexico
  • Vetoed 32% of the total number of bills submitted for his signature

Gary's Principles of Good Government

1

Become reality driven.
Don't kid yourself or others. Find out what's what and base your decisions and actions on that.

2

Always be honest and tell the truth.
It's extremely difficult to do any damage to anybody when you are willing to tell the truth—regardless of the consequences.

3

Always do what's right and fair.
Remember, the more you actually accomplish, the louder your critics become. You've got to learn to ignore your critics. You've got to continue to do what you think is right. You've got to maintain your integrity.

4

Determine your goal, develop a plan to reach that goal, and then act.
Don't procrastinate.

5

Communicate.
Make sure everybody who ought to know what you're doing knows what you're doing.

6

Don't hesitate to deliver bad news.
There is always time to salvage things. There is always time to fix things. Henry Kissinger said that anything that can be revealed eventually should be revealed immediately.

7

Be willing to do whatever it takes to get your job done.
If you've got a job that you don't love enough to do what it takes to get your job done, then quit and get one that you do love, and then make a difference.