Amanda Lepore, November 21, 1967 (Cedar Grove, N.J.) -
VP candidate for Wig Party (2012)
Running mate with nominee: Sharon Needles (b. 1981)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
In a campaign that seemed a bit like an echo of Joan Jett Blakk's 1992 run in the Queer Nation Party, drag performer and singer Sharon Needles announced her run for the Presidency in the summer of 2012 as part of the Wig Party.
2012 had been an eventful and busy year for Needles. In April she was the winner of RuPaul's Drag Race, and was crowned "America's Next Drag Superstar." Pittsburgh [one of my favorite cities, I must say] where Needles resided, had a City Council that declared June 12 to be "Sharon Needles Day." She had become a spokesperson for PETA and vegetarianism. In October Needles landed a gig as a horror host for the Logo TV network. Also in 2012 she was working on her debut album, which was released shortly after the election.
Although there were unsourced reports that Needles' running-mate was reality TV star Alana Frances "Honey Boo Boo" Thompson (born 2005), a more accurate document pointed instead to New York-based transgender celebrity and performance artist Amanda Lepore. When asked by College Magazine in late Oct. 2012 who she wanted as VP, Needles responded, "Amanda Lepore. Dedicated, seasoned, and age appropriate." Ouch.
Here is a sample from that interview--
What in your opinion is the single greatest threat to the global environment and how can you help solve it?
Though I love the environment and have such a big heart for animals, I have to admit drag queens are one of the worst things for the environment. We are slathered in nothing but Chinese-made plastics adhered by toxic adhesives. But when the major oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico occurred, it was the drag community that showed up in with stockings and panty hoses to sift the oil from the gulf. It’s ups and downs, it’s gives and takes.
If the Needles/Lepore ticket had won on Election Day, the "inappropriate" under-35 age of the standard bearer would have made her ineligible to attain office per the Constitution.
Election history: none
Other occupations: nail salon worker, dominatrix, cosmetics salesperson, singer, performance artist, actor, author
Notes:
Born Armand Lepore.
In 2014 Needles wrote and performed I Wish I Were Amanda Lepore, with Lepore herself featured in the video. A few lyrics--
Silicone
Tiny waist
Red carpet lips
Porcelain face
A mannequin
She's got it all
She's built for men
A blow up doll
