By Joe Trippi This two person race has been a dead heat for months, and most people expect this to be one of the closest presidential races ever. (The latest Real Clear Politics poll average has Obama at 45.9% compared to Romney at 44.8%.) But hereâs the thing -- the 2012 election isnât really a two person race. Thereâs a third party candidate out there -- and he could derail either one of the two major party candidates' shot at the White House. His name is Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico and the Libertarian Party candidate. If that seems doubtful, remember that Ralph Nader didnât crack 3% of the popular vote in 2000 -- yet he completely changed the outcome of that race. Gary Johnson, meanwhile, is currently polling at 5.3% in the latest Zogby national poll. [snip] Itâs true that Johnson barely made a dent when he ran in the Republican primary in 2011. He only appeared in a single televised debate, never broke 2% in any of the major polls, and dropped out before the first votes were cast in New Hampshire. But Johnson could make a major dent in the general election -- because he is currently doing better than most people realize in several key swing states. Most pollsters donât even include Gary Johnson in their polling. But recent polling that included him showed Johnson drawing 9% of the vote in Arizona, 7% in Colorado and New Hampshire -- and 13% in his home state of New Mexico. All of these are key swing states. And such numbers give Johnson the chance to be a giant killer in the 2012 race. But the question is, which giant? http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/07/24/why-gary-johnson-could-cost-obama-or-romney-win-in-2012/