Last Monday, Sen. Bernie Sanders urged his supporters to vote for Hillary Clinton in a prime-time speech from the Democratic National Convention stage in Philadelphia. That same day, socialist Seattle City Council Member Kshama Sawant told a crowd to continue Sanders' "political revolution" by voting for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
Stein has been courting Sanders' supporters in Philadelphia while Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson crashed both conventions. In this season of two-party discontent, both Stein and Johnson believe they have a chance to peel off voters.
Johnson believes he will be on all 50 states' ballots. Stein expects to make most.
Garnering support from 15 percent of voters in national polls qualifies a candidate for the presidential debates.
Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, is known for his support (and use) of marijuana, favors small government, a single consumption tax and more protection for civil liberties.
Stein, a physician who became a liberal activist, offers a platform that prioritizes action on climate change and eradicates student debt.
She wants the nation's energy to be 100 percent clean and renewable by 2030, would like GMOs banned until they're proven safe and would set a $15-per-hour federal minimum wage.
Here's what Stein and Johnson believe on three key issues:
CLIMATE
• Stein's platform prioritizes climate change. It calls for a ban on pesticides that she says threaten bees, and would transition the country entirely to renewable energy and end the use of nuclear energy.
• Johnson believes the climate is probably changing and humans are probably contributing. He supports the federal government's interest in protecting the environment but believes that should happen by punishing polluters, not intervening in energy markets or subsidizing certain energy sources.
HEALTH CARE
• Stein favors a single-payer health care system that would essentially give everyone a form of Medicare.
• Johnson favors fully privatized health care.
GUNS
• Stein supports gun control measures, and believes the issue ought to be treated as a national public-health emergency.
• Johnson's support for gun ownership rights aligns with the Libertarian Party platform, which opposes gun restrictions of all kinds.
