Vanessa Lynn Williams, March 18, 1963 (New York, NY) -
VP candidate for Citizens Running for Election as President Party (aka Move the U.S. Capital to Davenport, Ia. Party aka Grinning Idiot Party) (1984)
Running mate with nominee: Richard Arnold Grayson (b. 1951)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Richard Grayson was back as a political satire performance artist in 1984. His campaign for President mirrored that of Dizzy Gillespie two decades earlier in that both gentlemen named two female running mates in their faux-campaigns without settling on a single name. In 1964 Gillespie had named Ramona Crowell and Phyllis Diller, in 1984 Grayson named Meryl Streep and Jane Wyman.
Wyman, Ronald Reagan's former wife, was considered because "She dumped Ronnie once-- and she can do it again!," and Streep due to his liking of the slogan "Streep for Veep." On Streep, "She's intelligent and beautiful. She has a way of making her co-star look good. Besides, we need a actress to balance the race. And she's a much better actress than Reagan ever was. If I can't get Streep, I want Jane Wyman. She has experience dumping him."
The fact he was a couple years shy of the Constitutionally mandated age of 35 didn't bother him, "We'll just go without a president for two years and defer all our problems. It's the New Deferralism ... That's the best reason to vote for me. I can't hold office. For two years there will be no president. Things will run smoother. Reagan had his new federalism. I'll institute a new 'deferralism.' Everything will be deferred until I take office."
Late in the campaign Grayson told the press: "I asked Jane Wyman because she's had experience dumping Reagan, but that didn't work out. Then I asked Meryl Streep because I thought 'Streep for Veep' made a good slogan. Her lawyer sent me a discouraging letter. Now I've just asked Vanessa Williams, figuring she's got nothing to hide." He also had some R-rated comments but I'm aware this blog is read by school-age children so we'll just skip over that. At the time Williams was in the news as she handed in her Miss America 1984 crown after Penthouse published unauthorized photographs of her. Fortunately, her career later recovered and enjoyed tremendous success.
In addition to having multiple VPs Grayson appeared to be running under a variety of party names including Citizens Running for Election as President Party, also known by the acronym CREAP.
On his motives: "I urge all unemployed people to run for the presidency. I figured the presidency pays pretty well, $200,000 a year, and you get to live rent-free ... You don't have to do that much. You get your own plane and bowling alley. You can get on TV whenever you want. And you can sleep late." "My goal is to be a celebrity. After eight years, I don't want to teach anymore. There's a shortage of celebrities. I mean how many times can they put Linda Evans on the cover of People magazine? They need some new faces, like me."
On moving the US capital to Davenport, Iowa: "I think it would be a good place because it's centrally located and it has the famous Quad-Cities-- Davenport, Rock Island, Moline and whatever the other one is."
On building support: "I spend a lot of my time trying to get support. For instance, I just finished a letter to Mayor Daley asking if he'll chair my campaign in Chicago." When it was pointed out the Mayor had been dead for a number of years, Grayson replied, "a lot of dead people vote in Chicago."
On military conscription: "Draft senior citizens; they have nothing to do anyway."
On his cabinet: Mr. T as Sec. of Defense ("he'd really stand up to the Russians"), Gloria Vanderbilt as Sec. of Treasury ("so the nation can have designer dollars"), John DeLorean as Sec. of Commerce ("he seems to know a good deal when he sees one"), Michael Jackson as Sec. of State ("he dances better than George Schultz").
Williams was even younger than Grayson, so both nominees were ineligible to serve if elected. If Williams had a response to being the VP on this ticket, I have not seen it. Needless to say, there is no complete record of their popular vote results.
Election history: none
Other occupations: Miss America, singer, actress, fashion designer, author
Notes:
First African American to be crowned Miss America.
Great-great granddaughter of Republican Tennessee State Representative William A. Feilds.
