Report: Gary Johnson to Drop Out of GOP Race, Run as a Libertarian

Gary Johnson will drop out of the Republican primary race to run for president as a Libertarian, Politico reported Tuesday.

The former New Mexico governor plans to make the announcement at a Santa Fe press conference Dec. 28, according to Politico. Libertarian state leaders will be informed of his intentions during a conference call Tuesday night.

An advocate for marijuana legalization and critic of what he termed the "social conservative fringe," Johnson never gained any traction in the GOP race and was excluded from nearly all of the Republican debates. Just last month he said in an interview he felt "abandoned" by the Republican Party and thought it had left him "by the wayside."

The Dec. 28 press conference, to be held in the New Mexico State Capital, has been announced on his Facebook page, though there is no mention of what it will entail. According to Politico, his campaign spokesman only said that it would be "a significant announcement."