Gene Kelly, ca1952 -
VP candidate for Independent (aka American People's Grassroots Party) (2000)
Running mate with nominee: Randall Alan Venson (b. 1960)
Popular vote: 535 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Two progressive community activist gentlemen, one an African American and Muslim, the other white and Christian, ran an independent campaign for the Presidency/VP only in Tennessee. Although listed as "Independent" on the ballot, Presidential candidate Randall Venson told the press that he likes to call his effort the American People's Grassroots Party.
Venson felt that Ralph Nader's Association of State Green Parties 2000 campaign had a limited appeal in terms of building a true grassroots movement. "Nader's brand of progressivism attracts mostly white liberals [and is] not ethnically diverse enough," he said. Venson saw his own electioneering as an attempt to "to wake people up."
Gene Kelly, his running-mate, was an environmental and labor activist, involved with the Nashville Peace and Justice Center.
Venson speculated that he might be the very first Muslim Presidential candidate. He addressed a large crowd at a Muslim organization in Chicago during the campaign and expressed a desire to attend Louis Farrakhan's Million Family March, although I can't verify if he made it there. It is hard to say if Venson was indeed the first Muslim to run for US President since we have so little biographical information on hundreds of candidates, but he does seem to be the first to attain ballot access with a running-mate and attempt to cultivate voters of the same faith, getting them more involved with the electoral process.
In Tennessee the Venson/Kelly ticket finished with 0.03% of the popular vote, placing last out of nine. If they had somehow won the national election, the fact they were residents of the same state would have posed a Constitutional problem.
Al Gore also failed to carry his home state.
Election history: none
Other occupations: Greenpeace field manager, Chair of the Board - Nashville Peace & Justice Center, community and union activist, political campaign manager
Notes:
Supported Charlie Crist for Gov. of Fla., 2014
Supported Bernie Sanders as Northeast SC field director in 2016
