Gary Johnson Will Join GOP 8 at Fox Debate; Won't be on P5 Straw Ballot

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson will be on the Fox debate stage Thursday in Orlando, but he won't be on the Presidency 5 straw ballot Saturday.

A disagreement over the interpretation of the debate-qualification rules ended up with Fox inviting Johnson to join the eight other candidates for the televised debate while the Republican Party of Florida keeps Johnson out of the straw poll.

"It's not about a candidate," said RPOF spokesman Brian Hughes. "Our read [of the rules] continues to have just the original eight candidates. There will be no additional candidates on ballot."

The dispute stems from the interpretation of the "five most recent national polls." To qualify for the Fox debate, candidates must register at least 1 percent -- and Fox says Johnson did that.

But Fox threw out polls that did not include Johnson's name (that is, polls that effectively prevented him from achieving the 1 percent minimum).

Under the RPOF's interpretation, Johnson's omission from those polls gave him "zeros," thereby disqualifying him.

Johnson, whose libertarian philosophy has some branding him "a young Ron Paul," was included in a South Carolina debate but was excluded from the Iowa straw poll debate that followed.