VP candidate for Grassroots Party (1992)
Running mate with nominee: Jack Herer (1939-2010)
Popular vote: 3,875 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
The single-issue pro-marijuana Grassroots Party once again nominated Jack Herer for President. For VP they chose another founding member, Derek Grimmer.
Grimmer, who had already run four times for different public offices under the auspices of the Party was an experienced campaigner by 1992. He moved from Minnesota to Iowa in 1988 and opened up a whole new territory for the cause. During the election he was listed as being a resident of Missouri.
Striking something of a libertarian tone, Grimmer told one reporter, "Whatever you need to do to get through the evening, more power to you. It's your own business."
Continuing to be a regional party of the Upper Midwest, they were on the ballot in three states the results: Minnesota 0.11%, Iowa 0.05%, and Wisconsin 0.02%. The Party was also active in running candidates for other positions.
Election history:
1986 - Minnesota Attorney General (Grassroots Party) - defeated
1988 - US Senate (Minn.) (Grassroots Party) - defeated
1990 - Iowa Treasurer (Grassroots Party) - defeated
1994 - US House of Representatives (Iowa) (Grassroots Party) - defeated
Other occupations: research and development scientist, solar panel production
Notes:
Ph.D. in Physics
Washington State trivia alert! It would appear Dr. Grimmer lives or has lived in Sequim, Wash.
recently. Washington State and Colorado were the first two states to legalize recreational marijuana.
In the course of looking into this I was surprised to discover that the writer Will Shetterly, who I had
a friendly correspondence with back in the 1980s for a few years, was the Grassroots Party candidate
for Minnesota Governor in 1994.
