The Pulse: The lesser of two evils? Not so fast

Neil Newhouse, Mitt Romney's lead pollster in 2012, just finished focus groups in three Midwestern cities: Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Rochester, Minn.; and Dayton, Ohio.

"The last question we asked was this: 'If the election were held today, for whom would you vote?' " he told me.

"It looked like we'd asked everybody to eat a sour pickle. The looks in their faces were extraordinary. It's a nose-holder election; they want to hold their noses when they vote."

He attributes that to the plurality in the nation that believe the country is on the wrong track. He says we've seen the "longest sustained period of sustained pessimism in a generation." Those in his focus group largely believe they are working harder than ever but not getting ahead. And they are not pleased with their two major-party choices. Voters are "angry" at Hillary Clinton, who they don't believe is trustworthy, and "scared" about the prospect of a Donald Trump presidency.

But maybe those voters don't have to eat the sour pickle.

The Libertarian Party will present Americans with their first legitimate third-party choice since Ross Perot's 1992 campaign. And regardless of whom Clinton and Trump select as running mates, neither the Republicans nor Democrats can match the executive experience inherent in the Gary Johnson/Bill Weld ticket. The former two-term Republican governors elected in blue states are running for president and vice president, respectively. And beyond Newhouse's anecdotal interactions with voters, there are lots of data to suggest that the time is right for Libertarianism to move from college dorm rooms into Main Street households.

Consider that while many headlines were written recently about four national polls showing Trump and Clinton in a dead heat, buried within the data was proof of the pickle analogy. An ABC News/Washington Post poll had Trump beating Clinton 46-44, but when Trump supporters were asked why they were for their candidate, 53 percent said it's because they oppose Clinton. When Clinton supporters were asked why they support their candidate, 48 percent said it was to oppose Trump. More telling, nearly six in 10 voters said they have negative impressions of both major candidates.

In a separate survey by Bloomberg, almost half of voters - 45 percent - said they'd be open to a third-party candidacy if Trump and Clinton are the nominees. The Libertarians, offering a platform premised on economic conservatism and social liberalism, might be that alternative.

"We're the only third-party candidates that will be on the ballot in all 50 states," Johnson told me recently. "Two former governors that served in heavily blue states as Republicans advocating and delivering on smaller government, advocating and delivering on personal freedom and liberty - the ability for people to make their own choices in their own lives."

Johnson knows that while the loudest voices among us tend to be those who tether themselves to ideological extremism, most Americans are much more independent in their thinking and far more nuanced in their views. Of course, whether the Libertarians can make a play for those feeling pickled is dependent upon their candidates making it to the debate stage.

The Commission on Presidential Debates requires a showing of 15 percent in the national polls for that to happen. But to document the support, Libertarians must first be included in the polls themselves. So far, that hasn't happened all that often.

"My name has appeared in three national polls: 10 percent, 10 percent, and 11 percent," said Johnson. "But during that same period when my name was in three polls, there have been 40 other polls this year where my name has not appeared. So I've got my fingers crossed, but the reality is in the past. . . . We're going to still be excluded, but there's a real case to be made."

He added, "There's all this talk about other third parties, but you can have all the money in the world and starting today you can't get on the ballot in all 50 states."

A party that has ballot access in all 50 states deserves to be included on all national polls. If the Johnson/Weld ticket meets the 15 percent mark, Libertarians could add value to the debates by forcing the left and the right to defend their views against more independent thinking.

Does Newhouse think voters are ready for that?

"Voters seem to be open to another choice, but it's difficult to say whether they would turn to Johnson," he said. "What we have started to do is note when voters say 'neither' or 'none of those candidates,' as different from 'undecided.' Past experience indicates that, when we ask specifically about third-party candidates, it tends to inflate their actual support and the vote they receive on Election Day. So, we might ask the ballot two ways, for instance: One offering the two-party candidates and noting those who say 'neither,' and a second ballot offering other candidates, including Gary Johnson."

Johnson hopes it's the latter.

"What do the two major parties have to fear including us in a debate or discussion over the future of this country?" he asked.

Michael Smerconish can be heard from 9 a.m. to noon on SiriusXM's POTUS Channel 124 and seen hosting "Smerconish" at 9 a.m. Saturdays on CNN.