Libertarian ticket poaches Republican to lead Hispanic outreach

The Libertarian ticket’s new head of Hispanic outreach, a staunch Republican, says he’s helping the party because GOP nominee Donald Trump is “the worst of the worst.”

Juan Hernández, who was appointed to his new post on Thursday, told The Hill he won’t leave the Republican party, but is supporting Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson.

{mosads}Hernandez said Johnson “comes with a message that brings both of my worlds together.”

He added that the message of small government and leaving social issues to the states resonated with him because it “fits Hispanics so well.” 

“We came here, we’re religious, we don’t want to get into the debate over gay marriage,” said Hernández of Hispanic attitudes on social issues. “Let states decide.”

Hernández pointed to Trump to explain his decision to back another party’s ticket.

“There are just so many reasons why I cannot support Trump,” Hernández said.

Trump has proposed the mass deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants and building a wall on the border with Mexico. Trump’s rhetoric on immigration is an “insult” to Hispanics, according to Hernández, but his opposition goes beyond that issue.

Trump would “not only be a disaster for Hispanics, for Republicans, for Americans, for the world. I really fear a Trump president. The way he speaks of bombing other nations, the Muslims?”

But support for the other major party candidate, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, is also off the table for Hernández.

“It’s not a matter of I’ll go with the lesser of two evils, I think we have to vote on principle,” said Hernández.

“Since she was first lady of Arkansas, she and her husband were always en la orillita of what’s appropriate,” said Hernández, using a Mexican expression that roughly translates as being in a gray area.

Hernández also focused on free trade deals, which Trump has vowed to renegotiate.

“Trump says Clinton passed NAFTA [the North American Free Trade Agreement]; it was George H.W. Bush that passed it. It is true that Bill Clinton ratified it, but we Republicans I thought were the ones who promoted trade around the world, and now Democrats have taken up the flag. Very strange,” said Hernández.

Trade and immigration, said Hernández, “are our flags, and suddenly we’ve been losing them to someone who wants to close us out to the world.”

Hernández and Johnson met for the first time at the Republican National Convention in July, and then a week later again at the Democratic convention. 

“I liked very much what I heard,” said Hernández. “I’m a believer.”

While Johnson is very much a longshot, Hernández sees a path forward for the Libertarian nominee. 

“As with all campaigns, first you have to make sure people consider you as a possible candidate, then that you’re the best, then that you’re the only candidate,” Hernández said.

As an adviser, Hernández has worked for presidential candidates in the United States, Mexico and Guatemala, including Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2008 and former Mexican Presidents Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderón.