Walter Ray Masters, July 5, 1950 (Los Angeles, Calif.) -
VP candidate for Looking Back Party (aka Looking Back Group) (1992)
Running mate with nominee: Isabell Masters (1913-2011)
Popular vote: 339 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Kansas-based Isabell Masters, who had originally ran for President after being instructed to do by a Divine revelation while riding a bus in Washington, DC in 1981, was making her third bid for the Presidency. As she did before, she initially ran in the Republican primaries.
By summer Masters was running as an independent in the Looking Back Party. Although she had run earlier as a Republican, she had no love for President Bush: "You have presidential candidates that give us promises. We end up with canceled checks and promissory notes. Bush came in with Willie Horton and 'read my lips,' and we got war, famine and potato chips."
Her 1992 platform included:
-"I propose minimizing our participation in foreign affairs."
-"We should put a stop sign for foreign countries exploiting our markets, our jobs and deal with that."
-Six month jail sentence for those who exhibit racial discrimination to minorities.
-"To help some people change their attitude and build their self-esteem."
In what is probably a mother-son campaign first, her running-mate was her son, Walter. Walter Ray Masters seems to have a been a Florida resident in 1992. Isabell's method of campaigning was "riding on discount bus tickets and All-Aboard Amtrak train fares" while visiting church groups and schools.
The Masters/Masters ticket actually made the ballot in Arkansas, where they placed 13 out of 13 with 327 votes (0.03%). They also received a dozen write-in votes from California. Although they were registered write-ins in Florida, Missouri, and Utah there were no votes reported for the ticket.
The candidate said if she was "spiritually inclined" she would run again in 1996. And she would.
Election history: none.
Other occupations: Down With Dope Up With Hope program employee, campaign aide to Marion Barry (his brother-in-law)
Notes:
Was named in an alleged money laundering scheme involving DC Mayor Marion Barry, his brother-in-law at the time, in 1995. Masters denied any wrongdoing.
B.S. in Political Science.
