Gary the Snail, May 1, 1999 (Burbank, Calif.) -
VP candidate for Independent (2016)
Running mate with nominee: Patrick Star (b. 1999)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Fans of Spongebob Squarepants had been active in promoting his pal Patrick Star for President in every election cycle from 2008. In 2016 and 2020 Patrick was also Spongebob's running-mate.
In March 2016 a fan-driven Facebook campaign page for Patrick Star had a meteoric rise followed by a sudden end. But in the course of those heady three days Patrick was able to name a VP-- Gary the Snail.
In the world of Bikini Bottom, snails are metaphors for dogs and cats. Gary the Snail, who is Spongebob's pet, communicates with a meow.
Patrick's platform was simple. As one post said: "The only clear choice for president is Patrick Star. He will 'take our country's problems and push them somewhere else'."
The number of barriers for this ticket actually obtaining office in the event of their victory would have been considerable.
Election history: none
Other occupations: fictional character
Notes:
It seems this effort also had a campaign webpage (http://star4prez.com/) but it has escaped the clutches of archivists and is now lost.
