I can’t seem to look up from various news sources for more than a few moments without looking back to see that Gary Johnson has made more gains in his support pool. While it has fluctuated, the average direction with which Gary Johnson acquires support is “up.”

Between ultra-successful “money comets,”  leading in the youth vote, having over a million tune into his town halls, and snatching up a good chunk of swing state votes that would be valuable to his opponents, Johnson is becoming a force to be reckoned with.

It just recently came out that Johnson now leads Trump with young voters in Colorado, and that his money bomb is approaching $2 million.

I don’t have to tell you that Gary Johnson is something of a nightmare for the other two party candidates, but it’s nightmare they won’t admit they’re having. Neither Democrat, nor Republican candidate has given Johnson a wink, nod, or angry fist shake. For all of Gary’s successes, it would be better for the left and right to stay mum on the fact that somewhere out there is another option besides them.

But this option is slowly becoming undoable. Johnson is climbing too high, too fast, and more news outlets – including this one – are only too happy to talk about him. I can tell you personally, as a man who consistently writes on him, that news about Johnson is something people are thirsty for. They want a way out of the duopoly that has presented them with nothing short of a electoral train wreck.

At some point in time, Clinton and Trump are going to have to confront the man who has been siphoning votes and dollars from their campaigns. The question is, do they have any confidence that confronting him will help?

I don’t think they do. If either Clinton or Trump felt they could take Johnson on, they would have said something. Countered his talking points, attempted to smear him, given him a not-so-clever nickname…anything. But they haven’t. Drawing attention to Johnson means opening up a can of worms that neither party would be able to close, especially for Trump and Hillary.

Johnson is a two time successful Republican governor from a blue state, who also happened to start a construction company in New Mexico which grew into the largest in the state. The man knows how to successfully run a government, and a business. Hillary can’t seem to dip her toe into government without breaking the law, and Trump’s business acumen is, frankly, mostly branding success.

In a one on one, Johnson would have his success going for him, but also the fact that he’s just more likable. Trump is a bombastic balloon of hot air whose campaign deflates more whenever he uses air to say one insane thing after another. Hillary is often compared to a malfunctioning robot. Few consider either very trustworthy or honest, as both flip-flop depending on which way the political wind is blowing. That’s not something that can be said of Johnson, who is very upfront with his beliefs whether you like them or not.

Add all that to the fact that this election has created so many independents fleeing their respective sinking ships, and you have a recipe for the most dangerous man in politics.

The people are ready for a new option, and Republican and Democrat brass know this. It’s an issue they consistently sidestep, but they won’t be able to for much longer if Johnson keeps this growth up. They know that if he gets up on that debate stage, you may see American politics change forever.