Teresa Gutiérrez

Teresa Gutiérrez, January 6, 1951 (Bexar County, Tex.) -

VP candidate for Workers World Party (aka Liberty Union Party) (2004)

Running mate with nominee: John Thompson Parker
Popular vote: 1,648 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

In late May, 2008 the Workers World Party nominated John Parker of Los Angeles for President and Teresa Gutiérrez of New York as his running-mate. Their party newspaper had a lengthy nomination announcement which included the following biographical information about the ticket--

Parker went to Sudan and visited that country's main pharmaceutical plant after it was demolished in 1998 by a U.S. missile strike. He has been to Iraq and seen the terrible effects of sanctions on the people there, especially children. He also did solidarity work in Cuba in 1997 with the Venceremos Brigade.

Gutierrez has met with progressive forces in Colombia, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Mexico. She recently was part of a delegation to the Dominican Republic investigating the use of that country as a training ground for the paramilitaries who attacked Haiti and helped the U.S. depose its elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

She has visited Cuba many times in solidarity with that besieged but politically strong socialist country, and was a major organizer of the powerful 1992 "Peace for Cuba" rally held at New York's Javits Convention Center that demonstrated the widespread support Cuba enjoyed in that difficult period after the collapse of the USSR.

John Parker was only 18 when he organized his first union election--at a small steel plant in New Jersey. An African American, he has worked at a variety of other jobs, including teaching at a public school in Newark. After moving to Los Angeles with his family several years ago, he became a leader in the anti-war movement there and helped organize and chair several large rallies against the U.S. war in Iraq, sponsored by the ANSWER Coalition. He then worked hard to mobilize anti-war forces to support the 80,000 grocery workers on a strike/lockout against three giant southern California food chains.

Teresa Gutierrez first became politically active in the Chican@ movement in Texas. She eventually moved to New York to be part of a multinational party that puts the struggle against racism and national oppression at the top of its agenda, as an indispensable part of uniting the working class as a whole in the struggle to end capitalism and build a socialist society. A proud lesbian, she brings consciousness on the need to combat sexist oppression to all her work.

These two working-class candidates will be running against the pro-war, pro-intervention, pro-big business politics of George W. Bush and John Kerry. They will use the election to bring another vision of the world to a public that is saturated day in and day out with the cynical view that the political arena belongs only to those who can play the millionaires' game and make the deals that buy elections.

Their webpage included a summary of the platform:

Abolish the Pentagon Money for housing human needs, not occupations in Iraq, Haiti, Palestine & Afghanistan

U.S. hands off Cuba, Venezuela, Africa, Colombia, Korea & the Philippines Globalize solidarity, not imperialist plunder. Independence for Puerto Rico

Union jobs or guaranteed income. Raise the minimum wage to $15. Jobs not jails for youth

Free, universal health care for all. Fund a worldwide campaign to conquer AIDS

End racism, police brutality & the death penalty Reparations & social justice for people of color & colonized nations.

Same-sex marriage rights now. End all discrimination against lesbians, gays, bi & trans people

Defend women's rights Equal pay for comparable work Full reproductive rights. Free childcare

Full rights for immigrants. Repeal the Patriot Act. Free victims of anti-Arab, anti-Muslim repression

Education is a right. Restore affirmative action. Lower the voting age to 16

Free Mumia Abu-Jamal, Leonard Peltier, the Cuban 5 and all political prisoners

Tax the rich End corporate welfare. Make corporate polluters pay to clean up our environment

Besides the World Workers Party, the Parker/Gutiérrez ticket was also endorsed by the Liberty Union Party of Vermont who had previously backed the Socialists in the previous two elections. This was the only time the LUP ever backed the WWP in a Presidential race. Although I have never seen this spelled out, I suspect the LUP was more taken aback by the anti-abortion stance of the Socialist nominee Walt Brown than they were attracted to the WWP.  Just a guess.

In the middle of campaign 2004, the San Francisco branch of the WWP split and helped form the Party for Socialism and Liberation. To outsiders even within the Left, the difference between the WWP and PSL seemed minuscule as both entities support repressive regimes (e.g. North Korea) and seem to mirror each other in a philosophy frequently described by observers as neo-Stalinist.

Parker/Gutierrez were certified write-ins in California and Ohio, and on the ballot in three states-- Washington 0.04%, Rhode Island 0.06%, and Vermont 0.08%.

Election history: none

Other occupations: co-coordinator of the International Action Center, deputy secretary general of the International Migrant Alliance, author

Notes:
One source claims Gutierrez was born in Mexico.

Marilyn Ann Taylor

Marilyn Ann Taylor, April 22, 1952 (Providence, R.I.) – April 12, 2009 (Santa Clarita, Calif.)

VP candidate for Personal Choice Party (2004)
VP candidate for Boston Tea Party (2008)

Running mate with nominee (2004, 2008): Charles Jay (b. 1960)
Popular vote (2004): 946 (0.00%)
Popular vote (2008): 1 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (2004, 2008): 0/538

The campaign (2004):

The short-lived Personal Choice Party was based in Utah, founded and supported apparently by disgruntled ex-members of the Libertarian Party who felt the former had become too regimented and, well, not very libertarian.

Charles Jay, a sports consultant, broadcaster, columnist, boxing promoter and manager, had earlier been associated with the Libertarian Party and had made a bid for their 2004 VP nomination. After that fell through he was asked to head the ticket for the new Personal Choice Party.

Jay's choice for a running-mate was Marilyn Taylor, better known as Marilyn Chambers the star of adult moves such as Behind the Green Door (1972). "Marilyn was the only person I ever seriously considered," Jay told the press, " ... I felt that Marilyn brought some publicity value to the ticket, but what a lot of people don't understand is that even though I'm sure it wasn't her primary motivation at the time, Marilyn, through her participation in adult films, has done more to advance the First Amendment right of free speech than any other candidate in this presidential race. From that perspective, she is a very strong symbolic presence."

Chambers herself was surprised to be asked on the ticket, but seemed to adjust to campaigning. She told the New York Press, "The candidates with the Personal Choice Party have the freedom to comprise their own platforms, and mine is built on the right to have your own personal choices. Americans are supposed to have the constitutional right to partake in whatever activities they want to, without restrictions. That's not quite how the country's being run."

Later in the campaign, when asked how people reacted to Chambers on the ticket, Jay's response could be viewed as prescient, "It really depends on how old you are. Many of the younger people have no idea even though she still regularly appears on television, on Cinemax, Showtime, and occasionally on HBO. She was not a Pop culture icon while they were growing up. But, for Baby Boomers, certainly she is very well-known. And, it really is a source of amusement. There's been very few people who tell me they don't take the campaign seriously because she's involved, because a lot of people don't take politics seriously. They see Jesse Ventura elected Governor of Minnesota. They see Arnold Schwarzenegger is elected Governor of California. So, nothing is really outside the realm of possibility. Nothing it seems is too extreme in politics. That is probably a factor in that."

On the ballot in Utah only, the Jay/Taylor ticket finished 6th out of 7 with 0.10% of the vote in the Beehive State.

The campaign (2008):

As the Personal Choice Party began to fade, another new party also offering a home for disgruntled Libertarians sprang up. Thomas L. Knapp created the Boston Tea Party and explained once in an interview many years later, "I founded the Boston Tea Party in 2006 when there was a fairly serious schism in the Libertarian Party. I saw people preparing to leave the LP, and decided that it was important to give them a place to go that they might come back from (as a matter of fact, at our first convention, I proposed that the BTP become a caucus within the LP rather than a separate party, but I got voted down) ... Hey, we had some fun, got our message out as best we could, and gave libertarians who couldn't stomach Barr/Root 2008 a ticket to vote for. I don't regret any of that. It wasn't until 2010 that I gave up on voting and electoral politics, and I still have friends who are involved."

Charles Jay resurfaced in 2008 as a Presidential candidate, but this time for the Boston Tea Party. Apparently Knapp became the official running-mate but Jay had several alternative VPs: Barry Hess, Dan Sallis Jr., John Wayne Smith, Thomas J. Marino, and Marilyn Chambers Taylor.

The platform of the party was quite short:

Platform of the Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party supports reducing the size, scope and power of government at all levels and on all issues, and opposes increasing the size, scope and power of government at any level, for any purpose.

However, they also had something called a "Program," which was basically a platform--

Program of the Boston Tea Party

Program of the Boston Tea Party
Adopted in Convention, October 26th, 2008

[Note: The Boston Tea Party's 2008-2010 program consists of the Campaign For Liberty's four points, endorsed by US Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and presidential candidates Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party), Cynthia McKinney (Green Party), Ralph Nader (Independent), Bob Barr (Libertarian Party) and Charles Jay, the Boston Tea Party's 2008 presidential nominee.]

1. Foreign Policy: The Iraq War must end as quickly as possible with removal of all our soldiers from the region. We must initiate the return of our soldiers from around the world, including Korea, Japan, Europe and the entire Middle East. We must cease the war propaganda, threats of a blockade and plans for attacks on Iran, nor should we re-ignite the cold war with Russia over Georgia. We must be willing to talk to all countries and offer friendship and trade and travel to all who are willing. We must take off the table the threat of a nuclear first strike against all nations.

2. Privacy: We must protect the privacy and civil liberties of all persons under US jurisdiction. We must repeal or radically change the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, and the FISA legislation. We must reject the notion and practice of torture, elimination of habeas corpus, secret tribunals, and secret prisons. We must deny immunity for corporations that spy willingly on the people for the benefit of the government. We must reject the unitary presidency, the illegal use of signing statements and excessive use of executive orders.
 
3. The National Debt: We believe that there should be no increase in the national debt. The burden of debt placed on the next generation is unjust and already threatening our economy and the value of our dollar. We must pay our bills as we go along and not unfairly place this burden on a future generation.

4. The Federal Reserve: We seek a thorough investigation, evaluation and audit of the Federal Reserve System and its cozy relationships with the banking, corporate, and other financial institutions. The arbitrary power to create money and credit out of thin air behind closed doors for the benefit of commercial interests must be ended. There should be no taxpayer bailouts of corporations and no corporate subsidies. Corporations should be aggressively prosecuted for their crimes and frauds.

Past Programs

2006-2008 Program
Adopted in Convention, August 21st, 2006

1. The Boston Tea Party calls for a complete and unconditional withdrawal of US troops from, and a cessation of US military operations against or within, Iraq.

2. The Boston Tea Party supports repeal of the USA PATRIOT Act.

3. The Boston Tea Party calls for an end to the federal prohibition of marijuana and hemp.

4. The Boston Tea Party calls for the immediate repeal of the REAL ID Act and any and all National ID plans.

5. The Boston Tea Party calls for legislation adopting an annual, regularized increase in the personal exemption to the federal income tax of $1,000 or more, and the additional application of said personal exemption to all FICA/Social Security taxes paid by employees and employers.

According to the Party website voters were encouraged to write-in a ticket of Jay and Taylor/Chambers in states where they found write-in votes were not allowed or the system was too Byzantine to easily register: i.e. Arkansas, Hawaii, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Utah. "Jay and Taylor" did receive a single write-in vote in Utah, but since they were not registered elsewhere, no other votes were reported.

Election history: none

Other occupations: actress, model, porn star, singer, exotic dancer, author

Buried: "Cremated, Ashes scattered at sea, Specifically: Ashes scattered into the Pacific Ocean from the beach at Surfer Point Park, Ventura, California."--Findagrave

Notes:
The first third party VP I have found who was born in Rhode Island.
nee Briggs.

Irene Altahelle Markley Deasy

 Deasy and Andress

 1950

 1964

Irene Altahelle Markley Deasy, May 29, 1918 (Newell, Iowa) - December 6, 2014

VP candidate for Unaffiliated (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Stanford Eugene Andress (1917-2013)
Popular vote: 804 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The ticket of Stanford E. "Andy" Andress and Irene Deasy was another husband-wife political team.

Colorado native Andress brought experience as a US Navy veteran, former travel agency executive, private eye, and hospital administrator. He had made attempts for public offices since at least 1965 in Tennessee, California, and Colorado. In 1970 declared himself a "George Wallace Democrat" when he ran against Al Gore Sr. for the US Senate in the primary.

Deasy had formerly been a police officer in New York City and a registered nurse.

Their under the radar campaign did not gain a lot of publicity, but given their backgrounds it would be safe to guess their platform would lean conservative. In 2004 he was 87, she was 86, making their ticket one of the oldest, or perhaps the very oldest, combined age candidate teams in the history of US national politics. If elected, both of them would have served out their first term as they lived well into their 90s. However, being residents of the same state would have posed a problem as far as the Constitution was concerned.

Only on the ballot in Colorado, they finished 7th out of 12 with 0.04% of the popular vote.

Election history: none

Other occupations: receptionist, police officer, nurse

Buried: ?

Notes:
Married April 14, 1994

TiVo

 2004 ad for TiVo

TiVo, March 31, 1999 (San Jose, Calif.) -

VP candidate for Yes I Will! (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Will Markson (b. 2003)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Bill Shein, a humorist and newspaper columnist in Massachusetts, became the founder and President of a nonprofit organization called Yes I Will, with a nonpartisan mission of using "creativity and humor to educate citizens about voter participation issues and to encourage active participation in American democracy."

Will Markson was a fictitious character and Shein's (age 36) alter ego. Markson was brought into the world in July 2003 at a press conference in Great Barrington, Mass.. As Markson/Shein quipped, "As Great Barrington goes, so goes the nation." 

The campaign included fundraisers, an active website, a small staff, videos, and "Markson" pounding the pavement in search of voters.

In Sept. 2004 "Markson" named TiVo as his running-mate. This is a digital video recorder which in 2004 was still pretty esoteric to most Americans, me included. One has to assume there was some corporate sponsorship involved in the naming of a commercial item as a Vice-President.

Here's the official press release announcing TiVo's place on the ticket--

 TiVo Joins America's Favorite Fictional Presidential Ticket as VP Nominee!

Markson promises "a vice president who understands my agenda, knows America's priorities, and who can regularly suggest democracy reform ideas that I'll like"

MONTEREY, MA -- Pro-democracy presidential candidate Will Markson today named the revolutionary digital video recorder TiVo as his vice presidential running mate, finalizing the team that will barnstorm the nation and Internet between now and Election Day.

"What a president needs more than anything else is a wise, loyal vice president who truly knows the president's priorities and concerns," Markson said, moments before the new ticket headed out for its first day of campaigning. "My good friend TiVo knows me that way, and if need be, could step in as president without missing a beat," Markson, America's favorite fictional candidate, said.

Available for just a few years, TiVo has already grabbed the nation's attention -- and affection. According to his web site, more than 98 percent of TiVo users say they "can't live without him" -- a favorable rating that far surpasses that of every candidate for president or vice president in the history of the republic.

Asked about joining Markson's non-partisan campaign to expand voter participation and promote common sense democracy reform, TiVo said: "Bleep! Boop, boop, bleep! Gabock gabock whomp, pling!"

Translating, Markson said: "TiVo says he is thrilled to work toward our common goal of enhancing American democracy with ideas like an Election Day Holiday, Election Day Registration, Instant Runoff Voting, public financing of elections, and the rest of our 'Democracy Agenda 2004.' And that turning up the volume of the voice of the people with massive voter turnout is something all Americans -- TiVo users or not -- can support."

Markson continued: "TiVo also said that based on his analysis of the interests of everyone attending this political rally, he has recorded several hours of C-Span that you might like to view later."

In announcing his choice, Markson noted that TiVo enables users to skip over commercials, dramatically reducing the power of big corporations in American life. He also explained that more than any other potential running mate, TiVo has a demonstrated ability to pay close attention to what Americans are doing, and what they might want and need in the future.

"TiVo is the perfect choice for a candidate who aims to restore power to the people in the American political process," said one advisor to another campaign who asked to remain anonymous. "TiVo is all about taking control, and Will Markson's non-partisan campaign has been creatively spreading that message for over a year," the operative added. "For putting democracy reform on the nation's radar screen, there's no better ticket this year than Markson-TiVo."

In the campaign's remaining few weeks, Americans will get to meet Will Markson and TiVo as they travel the nation, speaking out about ways to bring our democratic structures into the 21st century.

Asked about what he looks forward to most as he prepares to campaign with TiVo, Markson smiled, looked at TiVo, and said, "Gabock!"

In response, TiVo -- and the capacity crowd of supporters and media -- burst into sustained applause that carried the duo out the door and into America's heart and heartland.

--30--

Naturally there would have been quite a number of Constitutional hurdles in the event of a Markson/TiVo victory.

Election history: none

Other occupations: digital video recorder

Notes:
Shein ran for US Congress (Mass. 1st Dist.) 2012 in the Democratic primary.

Vacant

Vacant

VP candidate for Independent (1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008)

Running mate with nominee: Robert Bryant Winn (b. 1943)
Popular vote (1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008): ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote (1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008): 0/538

The campaigns (1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008):

Occasionally there are Presidential candidates who are very pointed about NOT having a running-mate, and I try to cover their reasons if possible.

Robert B. Winn is a perennial Independent candidate in Arizona who has run for Governor and US Senator always as a write-in. In 1988, 1996, 2000 and 2004 he ran in the same manner for US President. In 1984 he actually made the Arizona ballot, and received 3 votes for President.

A Vietnam veteran, welder and laborer, Winn had a religious background in the Church of the Latter Day Saints and in his resume are included the intriguing but unexplained entries "Prisoner, Maricopa County, Arizona, 1992 -- Prisoner, Veterans' Affairs Hospital, Psychiatric Ward, 1970." A long time advocate and activist for independent political parties, he has written a few books and has been a prolific online author.

Although Winn did have a political platform, he deemed it "irrelevant" and made the simple fact he was not running under the banner of one of the major parties the main focus of his campaigns. Some of the reviews of his published material suggest he has a conspiratorial-minded political outlook.

So far as I can tell, Winn never had a running-mate and that seemed to be the result of a deliberate decision.

Winn made the following comment on the Third Party Watch blog regarding the election and function of the Vice-President--

 Robert B. Winn Says:
January 1st, 2008 at 1:17 am

You third party people have not fully considered what it means to be independent. Why would anyone want to be a party wannabe. As an actual independent voter, I can register as a candidate for President with the Federal Election Commission the same way George Washington did, without a vice-President running mate. Party wannabes have not yet seen what an advantage this gives the independent voter who is registered as a candidate for President.

This splits the political party vote. Who will be vice-President if an independent voter is elected President?

Well, obviously, the party vice-Presidential candidate who gets the most votes will become vice-President of the United States, since the independent voter elected President has no running mate. The duties of the vice-President are to preside over the Senate. John Nance Garner said that this job was not worth a bucket of warm spit. It should go to a political party candidate. So we will have an independent voter as President and a party politician in the vice-Presidency, even though that party’s Presidential candidate lost the election.

Match that, political party wannabes.

Actually, the Republican-Democrat Party started this anomaly by running two candidates for President in the election of 1800. Now that makes more sense. Abraham Lincoln was elected because the opposing party ran more than one candidate. Two Democrat candidates in 1860 seemed to have a good effect, until it resulted in party primaries and all the political party wannabes of today.

A real independent runs without a running mate. This running mate thing has always seemed a little suspect to me. I would rather have a Political party vice-President who just tends to his job of presiding over the Senate, except in the case of an impeachment trial, when he would be replaced by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

In any event, a political party wannabe candidate for vice-President will never defeat a political party vice-Presidential candidate because of the twelfth amendment to the Constitution. An independent vice-Presidential candidate running separate from all independent Presidential candidates could defeat a party vice-Presidential candidate, but there is no record I have seen of any independent voters running for vice-President outside of the party wannabe running mate method.

Winn also made a comment for the New York Sun along the same lines:

Robert B. Winn • Nov 13, 2007 at 08:04

The idea of a vice-Presidential running mate came from the election of 1800 when the Republican-Democrats ran two candidates for President, Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, to prevent the Federalist followers of Alexander Hamilton from gaining the office of vice-President. When the electors of the electoral college met, all of the Republican-Democrat electors voted for Jefferson and Burr, resulting in a tie vote for President. Burr, who was supposed to be running for vice-President, started campaigning for Federalist support in the House of Representatives, and it took about 38 votes in the House before Jefferson was elected.

Members of Congress considered this to be so traumatic that they passed an amendment resulting in the present day running-mate system for Presidential and vice-Presidential candidates. The way for independent voters to break the hold that parties have on these two offices is to run Presidential and vice-Presidential candidates separate, several Presidential candidates and several vice-Presidential candidates on election day.

It costs the American people billions of dollars per election to put two corrupt sets of party running mates on the ballot. Put some independent candidates on the ballot using nomination petition signatures instead of money.

Robert B. Winn

In 2019 there as an effort called Vice.run that had a mission to "reclaim our constitutional right to democratically elect the vice president by creating separate ballot lines for vice presidential candidates in the 2020 election, as per the 12th Amendment. Vice.run will secure signature pledges to use standing ballot access laws in each state to initiate this change." I had contacted this group. They agreed to be interviewed. I put in the time to research for the questions and sent them in, and that was the last I heard. Actually, some political candidates have brushed me off the same way after they gave the green light and I put in all the effort to write the questions. But in the case of Vice.run it looks like the organization just ceased to exist about the same time I sent them my list of queries.

So, just for the heck of it, here were the questions I had for Vice.run, which I will dovetail off of Mr. Winn's thought-provoking comments--

Oct 3, 2019, 7:39 AM

Vice.run was created by Mikel and David Blake, education and workforce entrepreneurs currently based in San Francisco.

Their mission, as told on their website:

"Vice.run grows from a kernel of an idea: 'All the ills of democracy can be cured by more democracy' and that the vice presidency is an undemocratic anomaly in American politics. It’s an extremely important elected office whose occupant we do not choose.

Mikel & David launched vice.run to 'act anew' to fix this anomaly and reinstate the vice presidency as a democratically elected position. Vice.run’s goal is to create a vice presidential ballot line in the 2020 election in all 50 states.

Since national elections are managed at the state-level, we have state-level goals and are growing our state-level operations. Our very first organizing effort is collecting ballot-access pledges calling on states to create a separate ballot line for the vice president."

And here is what I would call their thesis statement:

"The Constitution gives the American people the right to choose the vice president of the United States. That right was taken from us by the party ballot. That lack of democracy has corrupted the office, turning it into a presidential lap dog, instead of a representative of 'We the People.'

It’s time for that approach to change. It’s time to reclaim the vice presidency for the American people. It’s time for us to elect the vice president.'"

David Blake, co-founder of vice.run

https://vice.run/

--------------------------------------------------------------

Q: What exactly provided the spark for this movement? Were the Blakes at all politically active before vice.run was created?

Q: If the presentation of a party ticket is the result of custom rather than legality, why has this been allowed to exist so long without being challenged? Or have there been other efforts similar to yours in the past?

Q: Devil's advocate here. Shouldn't the parties have a right to select their own solid ticket?

Q: Part of the 12th Amendment states "The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves ..." -- This has never really been tested. But in your model it could happen by chance. Then what?

Q: Do the recent efforts to eliminate the Electoral College complicate or help your mission in any way?

Q: In every political process there always seems to be an opportunity for mischief. In 1860 there was an alleged plot to deadlock the presidential vote in the House in the event of no electoral winner, and with the absence of a President the Senate would elect the pro-slavery running mate Joseph Lane of the Constitutional Democratic Party who would then ascend to the presidency. Have you identified any other sort of loopholes in the system regarding Vice-Presidents and what can be done about them?

Q: I recall that after the JFK assassination the US was without a Vice-President and then the 25th Amendment was enacted, allowing the sitting President to appoint a new VP, which was later the case with Gerald Ford in 1973 and Nelson Rockefeller in 1974. Should that process also be changed and if so, how?

Q: Half of the states have a baked-in system, part of election law, where the Governor and Lt. Governor are elected as a ticket. Do you have plans to try and change that as well?

Q: What part of the political spectrum are you getting the most positive response from? Have you been able to determine the demographics of your support? Do you find yourself building alliances with other organizations in this process and who are they?

Q: Are you experiencing any pushback and if so, from where?

Q: Gone are the days when Wilson's VP, Thomas Marshall said, "Once there were two brothers. One ran away to sea, the other was elected Vice President, and nothing was ever heard of either of them again." Some modern VPs have been able to involve themselves, basically under the public radar, in schemes that had enormous consequences for our country-- for example the VPs Nixon and Cheney getting their hands dirty with clandestine foreign operations and performing end runs around due process. How does your model make the Vice-President more accountable?

Q: How goes the battle with the state by state effort? Do you have benchmarks set for 2020? 2024?

Q: Is the vice.run project giving anyone in the central team ideas for broader political ambitions? Can we expect to see any of you running for office?

Q: Thanks very much for taking the time to answer my questions. Anything you would like to add?

Election history: none

Other occupations: none

Notes:
Winn was a Republican until 1973, when he left the Party due to Watergate.

Joseph H. Senegals

Joseph H. Senegals

VP candidate for Independent (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Deborah Elaine Allen
Popular vote: 92 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Deborah Elaine Allen of Houston, Tex. was something of a local perennial candidate, running write-in campaigns for city council, county commission, and judicial positions since 1981.

In 2004 she decided to run for US President apparently simply because she could and Texas was an easy state to register as a write-in. Her platform? "There's no policy," she told a reporter, "I just walked right around the neighborhood and got 34 [signatures]."

Her running-mate Joseph H. Senegals, one might assume, had the same outlook. The ticket garnered 92 write-in votes.

Election history: none

Other occupations: ?

Notes:
Another mystery candidate.

Marijohn F. Rowe Peterman

Marijohn F. Rowe Peterman, July 6, 1940 (Dallas, Tex.) - 

VP candidate for Independent (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Andrew J. Falk (b. 1969)
Popular vote: 219 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Andrew J. Falk was a history teacher at University of Texas at Austin at the time he collected most of the signatures required to be a certified write-in in the Lone Star State. But by the election he was a resident of Georgia. Falk turned 35 in this election year which was a factor in his decision to run. Other than telling the media, "I want to exercise as many constitutional rights as I can in my life outside of maybe pleading the Fifth," his platform was sort of a secret.

Calling himself the "anti-candidate," his goal was not to prod his students in Georgia to think like him, but simply to think.

His running-mate was Marijohn Peterman of Austin, Tex. One month before Election Day she married Bentley P. Stansbury, Sr.

Election history: none

Other occupations: teacher

Notes:
Progressive Democrat.

Travis James Offenberger

Travis James Offenberger, September 30, 1972 (Parkersburg, West Va.) -

VP candidate for NeoWhig Party (aka Neo-Whig Party) (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Chester Notgerman (b. 1969)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Apparently based in St. George, Utah, the Neo-Whig Party was basically a venue for expressing a sort of fratboy political humor. The following is a biography of Presidential nominee Chester "Chest" Notgerman--

Meet Our Candidate - Chester "Chest" Notgerman
The Notgermans know hard work; in fact, they invented it. The Notgermans have been producing inexpensive casual wear in Haiti for large corporations since the early 1940's. The values of hard work (and exploiting child labor) have been passed down from generation to generation, making Chest the man he is today.

Chest's grandparents came to America after fleeing Germany during World War II. They decided to change their name from Von Nichtdeutsch to the more "Americanized" Notgerman. After a few months living a precarious existence in the Hell's Kitchen section of New York City, they settled into the Remlington, West Virginia area and began planting roots for an all-American family.

Chest's father, Juergen "Biff" Notgerman, was a West Virginia State Senator in the 60's and 70's. Senator Biff Notgerman was credited with increasing state funding for private schools and reducing the income taxes of high-income families. Who can forget his famous campaign slogan, "Why Penalize Success?" His greatest accomplishment was in 1974 when the "Notgerman Omnibus Crime Bill" was passed outlawing life sentences and imposing mandatory death sentences via forced rectal insertion of a large steel pole for offenses including overdue library books and public urination. Senator Notgerman was often referred to as Biff the Impaler.

Chest's mother, June Notgerman, was instrumental in creating WROHP (Women Running Off Husband's Power) an organization established to protect the interests of the top 1% of American women. WROHP was the organization that forced the FDA to make certain prescription medications more accessible to at-risk high-income families (Valium Act of 1965).

Biff and June Notgerman gave birth to Chest on January 2, 1969 in a log cabin on the old Notgerman homestead outside of Sistersville, West Virginia. Though both of Chest's parent were burdened with hectic schedules, Chest manage to live a happy childhood with the love and care of many non-English speaking nannies.

In 1976, Chest entered the South Florida Beach Military academy. There he developed many of the leadership skills he still holds today. Chest was leader of the Entertainment Battalion and Captain of the Tennis Squad.

In 1989 Chest attended Yale University. He easily floated to the top 3% of his class and graduate with honors. Afterwards he began practicing law in New York with the prestigious firm of Benton, Bueller and Carnes.

Within two years Chest managed to make partner. Everything he touched turned to gold. However, there was always a burning feeling deep down in his chest that something was not right. Sure, there were the supermodels, swanky Upper East Side penthouse and seven figure salary, but Chest knew that there was more to life than just mindless sex and conspicuous consumption. Then, on April 1, 2002, while perusing porn on the internet, Chest accidentally discovered the Neo-Whig website and became enthralled with the political theories of William Grim and William Doty, referred to respectively as the Cicero and Marcus Aurelius of the New Millennium. And from that day on, Chest Notgerman decided to devote his life to the Gospel of Neo-Whiggism.

The rest, as they say, is history.

The Party Manifesto and Agenda serve as the 2004 platform--

The Neo-WHIG Manifesto

By William James Madison Grim

What We Believe

1. Looking good on camera does not make one an expert at anything (except looking good on camera). The combined IQ of Hollywood is less than the total number of teeth of three randomly selected West Virginians.

2. Political correctness is a polite expression for Stalinism. Vegetarians are basically evil people. (Hitler was a vegetarian.) And Tea-Totalers are condemned to Eternity to Hell. (Jesus drank wine and that's good enough for me.)

3. High culture is better than pop culture. Stephen King sucks; Thomas Pynchon is a genius. Rap is not music. The path from Duke Ellington to Snoop Doggy Doggy has not been one of evolutionary ascendancy.

4. Globalism is good. Starbucks is good; Coca-Cola is good; Barnes & Noble is good. And let's face it, most independent bookstores suck out the wazoo.

5. People who don't like jazz are communists and/or perverts.

6. The Dixie Chicks are not hot; Shania Twain, on the other hand, is mega-hot.

7. Too much money is spent on the retarded. We want it drastically reduced. Besides, it's not like they'll even notice it.

8. The Death Penalty is good and its use should be extended, perhaps to overdue library books or spammers

9. The designated hitter rule is an abomination and should be eliminated from the American League.

10. Soccer is a sissy sport.

11. Groundhog Day should be a national holiday.

12. Speed limits and parking meters should be unconstitutional.

Neo-Whig Agenda 2004

By William Grim

1. Eliminate income tax. Replace with jackass tax.

2. Mandatory death penalty for grafitti.

3. Geneva Concention does not apply to Muslims or the French.

4. Owl is the symbol of the Neo-Whig Party because we're smarter than everyone else.

5. Judges and lawyers must wear white wigs at all times, even in the shower. Hey, we are the Neo-WHIG Party after all.

6. Fat chicks prohibited from wearing low-riders and belly shirts.

7. Every town with a population of over 400 must have at least one Starbucks, preferably two.

8. All flight attendants must be female, under the age of 30, unmarried and Swedish.

9. Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Vermont to lose statehood and revert to colony status.

10. Speed limits and parking meters to be prohibited by constitutional amendment.

11. "What, Me Worry?" to replace E Pluribus Unum as national motto.

12. John Wayne to replace FDR on dime.

13. Operation Self-Esteem--free breast implants for all women smaller than 40D.

14. Income tax marriage penalty to be increased. We're tired of swinging singles having to support the wasteful lifestyles of married persons with children.

15. All beer, wine and liquor containers will be required to sport labels extolling the health benefits of daily adult beverage consumption.

16. Operation Latino Outreach-- bull-fighting will be legalized in all 50 states.

17. Corporal punishment will be re-instituted in the public schools, and capital punishment where needed.

18. The State of the Union Address will be given in Latin, and U.S. senators will be required to wear togas when they are in the Senate chambers.

19. The name of the Commonwealth of Virginia will be changed to East Virginia.

20. The United States will commit itself to developing a dilithium-based warp drive engine by the year 2025.

The selection of a running-mate was decided via an essay contest. The address in St. George, Utah to send the essay does indeed trace in 2004 to someone named Doty.

Travis J. Offenberger, a resident of Ohio, was the winner--

Why I Would Be A Good NeoWhig V.P.
By Travis J. Offenberger

Gentlemen, good people of the party, members of the press and those who will be known as miscellaneous, I have come here today to announce my intentions of running for the Vice Presidency under the flag of the great NeoWHIG party.

I look across this great nation and what do I see? Rampant unemployment, a citizenry disenchanted by the political elite, clone soldiers engaged in a galactic war of supremacy and John Tesh walking the streets unmolested. Ladies and Gentlemen, how can this stand? How can we move forward as a nation when the very fabric of our civilization is being torn asunder? The question of where to look for answers looms just as large.

Shall we look to the special interests? They don't care.

Shall we look to the entrenched Washington elite? They can't care.

Perhaps answers lie in the much speculated, but never delivered Full House series finally. As much as Dave Coulier would like to, the Olson twins would never go for it, and can we really trust their opinion?

No my friends, we must a chart a new course. One that goes forward into the future instead of back in time, cause folks, Trek has done it to death. The answer lies in one word, seven letters, three syllables, a bunch of consonants and a few vowels. That answer is the neoWHIG party and the truths for which they stand.

I stand here today seeking the Vice Presidency of that great party. I want to be your Garfunkle, your Oats, Messina or Teller if need be. I seek your nomination, and the approval that is the lifeblood of every second banana.

We know that the party stands for, and her founding principals are well known and much debated. Yet I will not abide to be a yes man to the politics of the "as usual." The ideas that I bring to the table are as varied as the original party platform, and compliment them in many instances. Among my many passions are the following:

1. Line dancing is a "loser yuppie activity" and will be referred to as such in all appropriate literature.

2. Not all children are precious. They are your problem and they are far too often heard instead of merely seen. This must stop.

3. All declarations of "federal disaster zones" shall cease. In the case of areas devastated by flood, fire, hurricane or tornados, you are on your own. This shall fall under the new federal guidelines covered in the pamphlet "Shit Happens and Sometimes it Happens to You."

4. Federal legislation will be introduced to force competing "boy bands" to fight to the death. Only one shall reign supreme at any given time. Never again shall we be forced to endure the concurrent nightmares of nSync and The Backstreet Boys.

5. We must simplify. Several states shall be joined into one. No longer shall we be confused by North Dakota, West Virginia, South Carolina and the such. Soon we shall have the great states of Dakota, Carolina and a once again unified Virginia.

6. It is my opinion that California holds too much sway in election politics, and shall be broken up into two or possibly three individual states. Texas is on my shit list too.

7. The Electoral College will be abolished. Elections in the future will consist of the competing parties digging a hole in a field from sunup to sundown. Whoever digs the deepest hole shall be declared the winner. Ballot issues shall be determined by watermelon eating contests.

8. Death metal bands and their fans shall be rounded up and placed into forced labor camps.

9. This prissy insistence that people not drive and talk on cell phones at the same time shall stop. For the love of God, we are all adults here.

10. It's pronounced "library," and the "r" is not silent.

11. Dodge-ball will be reinstituted as a mandatory part of every school child's physical education curriculum. It builds character and the split second reflexes that modern children sorely lack.

12. Prostitution, gambling, and marijuana shall be legal and taxed beyond the capacity for rational thought.

13. As repayment for America's selfless efforts to bring freedom to the world in the past century, we shall gladly annex Canada as payment in full and break it up into several new states.

My nomination lies in your good hands, and the course we will chart together will lead the way for this great nation for years to come. I stand here but a simple citizen who has never before held or pursued public office. I am the result of a long line of janitors, plant foremen and doughnut makers born and raised in the foothills of Southern Ohio. I am one of the people, and I will gladly accept your nomination.

May God bless the United States of America.

After Offenberger's selection, the following autobiography appeared on the Party website--

Travis J. Offenberger - V.P. Candidate
By Travis J. Offenberger

The legacy of Travis Offenberger, nominee for the Vice President of the NeoWhig party and world-renowned big game hunter, begins in what his parents still call the "old world." As a child, he was regaled with stories of his father's service to the Kaiser and happy go lucky lifestyle in Düsseldorf. His mother led an equally impressive life, and served as a prostitute in the German Army on the Russian front. She would proudly tell her son how she was decorated for valor on the battlefield no less than five times. It was fate that brought the two lovers together, and after being indicted (but not convicted!) of war crimes in the fall of 1946, the pair immigrated to America.

Once nestled within the bosom of the mid-Ohio valley, the pair made a life for themselves selling nuclear secrets to the highest bidder and tending the earth on their sausage farm. In those heady days of prosperity, the couple could think of nothing other than starting a family, though try as they might they remained childless for many years. It was not until a set of circumstances involving a tractor pull contest, a few kind fords from former President Lyndon Johnson and a drunken New Years Eve grope fest in the back seat of a 1966 Chevelle changed everything. Their first and only child, Travis J. Offenberger was born on September 30, 1972 in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

Travis' early records are sealed by court order, but if asked he will tell of a childhood that consisted mostly of school in the winter and long hours on the farm in the summer. At the age of seven he stunned the agricultural community by cross breeding a bratwurst with a wienerschnitzel giving birth to the world's first WeinerWurst™. While the Nobel committee applauded his efforts, word of condemnation from the Vatican labeled the young farmer a "heretic" and his creation a "crime against nature."

Later in life Offenberger would attend Ohio University in Athens, Ohio earning doctorates in both Psychology and Parapsychology. In 1994 he entered the record books as the first man to break all Ten Commandments in all fifty states in fifty days. Although the June 2-3 Missouri/Kansas cross border murder/idolatry spree casts a pall over the record, Offenberger remains proud of his accomplishment.

After college, Travis held a number of jobs, among them VP of Sporadic Enterprises, a Macon Georgia based greeting card and Inter Uterine Device (IUD) manufacturer. He also played second base for the Durham Bulls from 1994-1997 and draw up articles of impeachment against corrupt Montana Senator Kip "Backscratcher" Hoolihey. It was during these proceeding that Travis got the politics bug, and began to look for the party that fit his needs and lifestyle. It was during a misspelled Google search on the word "Diverticulitis" that Offenberger came across the NeoWhig web site, and he became immediately intrigued with their platform.

Now lets go have pudding.

A Notgerman/Offenberger victory on Election Day would have had some potential problems. First, it is probable there was no such person as Chester "Chest" Notgerman and secondly Offenberger was below the age of 35.

Election history: none

Other occupations: gamer

Notes:
Published the Mythe online game in 2004.
Registered Republican.

Paula Maria Concepcion Zych Fullerton

Paula Maria Concepcion Zych Fullerton
VP candidate for Non-Partisan (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Thomas F. Zych (b. 1958)
Popular vote: 11 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Thomas F. Zych was an attorney based in Cleveland Heights, Ohio at the time he ran for President as a write-in. His running mate, Paula Maria Concepcion Zych Fullerton, appeared to be somehow related.

All I really know about his campaign comes from his webpage:

Reclaim America!

Vote Tom Zych in '04

We've Done Worse

You have a choice - make it.  You have a voice - use it.  You have a chance - take it.

Until then - think Zych for President.

It's not like he has anything better to do.

SWITCH TO ZYCH!

HE'S SOMEONE ELSE!
In Ohio, the only state where the Zych/Fullerton ticket were certified as write-ins, they received 11 votes.

Election history: ?

Other occupations: ?

Notes:
Another mystery VP

Robert C. Culbertson

Robert C. Culbertson

VP candidate for Non-Partisan (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Richard Austin Duncan (b. 1953)
Popular vote: 17 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

In 2004 Richard Duncan of Aurora, Ohio was just starting out his career in electioneering when he ran for US President as a write-in in his home state. His campaign was sort of under the radar and the platform mysterious, as was his running-mate Robert C. Culbertson. Later, Duncan would become known as a perennial candidate.

On Election Day 2004 the Duncan/Culbertson ticket earned 17 votes in the Buckeye State.

Culbertson appeared to be the initial choice for Duncan's VP in 2008 according to the early nomination petitions, but on the ballot (Duncan made the ballot in Ohio that year) the running-mate was Ricky Johnson. Duncan was on multiple state ballots in 2012 and 2016, with Johnson as his VP. Duncan has also run for other public offices in Ohio.

Election history: none

Other occupations: ?

Notes:
Another mystery VP

Ronald M. Lefeber

Ronald M. Lefeber

VP candidate for Independent (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Joy Elaina Graham-Pendergast
Popular vote: 1 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Joy Elaina Graham-Pendergast and her running-mate Ronald M. Lefeber ran a stealth campaign, as I cannot determine their platform or any political history. The Presidential candidate was a resident of Minnesota and the VP might have resided in Wisconsin. Some research suggests they were possibly related somehow.

The Graham-Pendergast/Lefeber ticket were registered write-ins in the State of Minnesota only, where they received a single vote.

Apparently Graham-Pendergast, who according to one account voted for herself, had asked the Minnesota Secretary of State for a recount but had made the request after the official deadline for such an action.

Election history: none

Other occupations: ?

Notes:
Another mystery VP

Andrew Joseph Vanyo

 1987

 Martin S. Wishnatsky, 2004

Andrew Joseph Vanyo, June 26, 1933 (Tabor, MN) - August 15, 2013 (Fargo, ND)

VP candidate for Nonpartisan (aka Independent) (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Martin Saul Wishnatsky (1944-2020)
Popular vote: 11 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Martin Wishnatsky of Fargo, ND was a self-described Christian activist who opposed abortion and Gay rights. Prior to arriving in North Dakota he converted to Christianity in 1977 and performed acts of civil disobedience that landed him in jail and cost him his computer programming job on Wall Street.

Arriving as an out-of-state agitator to Fargo with a group, he was sentenced to nearly a year in jail for continuing to protest in an illegal form. By the time he was released his original crew had already gone home, so he decided to remain in Fargo.

When Wishnatsky ran for President as a write-in in 2004 his running mate was Andrew "Andy" Vanyo, a fellow activist from right across the border in Moorhead, Minn.

Vanyo who had also experienced arrest and incarceration for protest actions in the 1990s, had deep roots in the Catholic Church. Initially he underwent seminary training but decided to become active with his faith in other ways. He obtained a masters in social work at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Campus and went into the adoption and foster care occupation.

Registered as write-ins in two states, their popular vote was 2 votes in Minnesota, 9 in North Dakota.

Election history: none

Other occupations: Catholic Social Services, adoption and foster care

Buried: Saint Joseph's Cemetery (Moorhead, Minn.)

Notes:
Vanyo's mother was born in the Czech Republic. His paternal grandparents were born in Austria.
After the election Wishnatsky obtained a law degree at Liberty University. He later worked for Judge
 Roy Moore, the Alabama Republican. Wishnatsky became briefly famous when, in an effort not to
 appear anti-Semitic, Moore's wife Kayla announced at a rally in 2017 that "one of our attorneys is a
 Jew."

Oscar Renderos Castillo

Oscar Renderos Castillo, May 3, 1956 -

VP candidate for Independent (2004, 2008)

Running mate with nominee (2004, 2008): Debra Joyce Renderos (b. 1952)
Popular vote (2004): 2 (0.00%)
Popular vote (2008): 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (2004, 2008): 0/538

The campaign (2004):

The wife-husband independent ticket of Debra Joyce Renderos and Oscar Renderos Castillo ran something of a stealth campaign for national office as write-ins in Minnesota.

Renderos had previously run in the primary for the nonpartisan position of Mayor of Minneapolis in 2001. In that race she identified herself as being affiliated with the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and provided what looked like an artistically altered photo of herself for a newspaper profile.

On Election Day they received two votes, which possibly came from the candidates themselves. The fact they were residents of the same state would have posed a Constitutional problem in the event of their victory.

The campaign (2008):

Oscar was now called Oscar R. Renderos. The couple registered as write-in candidates in Minnesota twice, switching positions on the ballot. But in both instances they received zero votes, which means they didn't even vote for themselves.

Election history:
2008 - US President (Independent) - defeated

Other occupations: ?

Notes:
Married in 1997.

Jaime Elizabeth Pressly

Jaime Elizabeth Pressly, July 30, 1977 (Kinston, NC) -

VP candidate for Americans for a Better Party (aka Party Without the Politics) (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Captain Morgan (b. 1944)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

In 1944 the Canadian-based Seagram Co. began marketing their Captain Morgan rum. The label mascot was named after a real person, Sir Henry Morgan (ca1635–1688), a Welsh privateer who terrorized Spanish vessels and settlements in the Caribbean. He later served as the Governor of Jamaica, so the real Morgan actually did hold a political office!

As part of a publicity campaign the Seagram's Captain Morgan character ran for President in 2000, but apparently without a running-mate. Shortly after the election Seagram's sold the brand to Diageo, headquartered in the United Kingdom. The new owners expanded the Presidential campaign marketing concept in 2004.

Under the guidance of the marketing firm BFG (now called 9Rooftops), the 2004 Captain Morgan for President effort was launched under the "Americans for a Better Party" campaign. This included over 1,000 staged public "rallies" across the United States.

One of the more colorful aspects of the electioneering included someone in a Capt. Morgan costume making personal appearances. In one such visit late in the campaign in Los Angeles, he indicated the actress Jaime Pressly was his running-mate. Pressly's reaction was not recorded but in the publicity photos she looks like she was on board and a good sport about it.

Some complications here regarding the Constitution. First, Capt. Morgan the mascot is a fictitious character. Secondly, even if he was real, he's Welsh. Third, if they were running the real Capt. Morgan, he's dead. Fourth, Pressly was too young in 2004 to serve as Vice-President.

Election history: none

Other occupations: actress, model

Notes:
She was one of the stars in the 2004 TV movie Evel Knievel. Like herself, Knievel had also been a celebrity third party VP candidate (for the Magneto-hydrodynamics-Puritan Epic-Prohibition Party in 1976).

Goldie

Goldie

VP candidate for Feline Party (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Tabby
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The Feline Party appears to have been created circa 2001. As the name suggests, both candidates were cats-- Tabby and Goldie.

The Party website had this statement on their splashpage: "Tabby and Goldie are advocates of recycling glass, paper, cans, and other materials... but not animals! Pets are for life.. do not throw them away... and reduce litters by spaying and neutering your pets!!"

Embedded further into the website, an address by Tabby goes into further detail of the campaign's mission:

My fellow Americans,

I shall be brief. My goal may seem simple, as it can be summed up in only one word, but it is extremely complicated: Peace. I am sure that is what everyone wants, peace on Earth, goodwill toward men. But today I ask for peace toward all creatures. Cats, dogs, birds, fish, kangaroos, everyone. My goal is to tear down the walls that divide humans and all other animals, to unite us.

How might we do this, you ask? By making animal cruelty laws more severe, by funding shelters so they can be no-kill, by treating us like the intelligent creatures we are. We have feelings too, yet our voices go unheard.

I will be blunt: we will not see a feline president in my time, or ever. But that will not stop us from spreading our message.

Support Goldie and I, support the Feline Party, support peace for all creatures!

Naturally due to their species, age, and shared state residence, there would have been some Constitutional issues in the event of a Tabby/Goldie victory.

Election history: none

Other occupations: cat

Buried: ?

Notes:
It is probably best they were never on a debate stage with the Hamster Party 2004 candidates.

Bupkes

Bupkes, September 25, 2004 (Maryland) - February 16, 2007 (Maryland)

VP candidate for Hamster Party (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Diddley Squat V (2004-2006)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The Hamster Party, which has nominated hamsters for President since 1996, had an unusual candidate in the off year of 2002-- a hamster named Potus. Yes, he ran for President in 2002 [!!!], but without a running-mate. As Fate would have it, he died on Oct. 5, 2004, aged 29 months, a month shy of the 2004 national election. Since hamsters have such short lifespans, it is highly unlikely any elected ticket with these creatures would ever survive a four-year term.

The 2004 Hamster Party nominees were siblings, Diddley Squat V and Bupkes, born Sept. 25, 2004. It certainly was not the first time a Presidential ticket had been comprised of brothers, but their age made them among the youngest ever teams in Electoral history.

Putting aside the tiny detail that both candidates were hamsters, there are the two Constitutional problems: They were way below the required age of 35 and also they were residents of the same state. But if by some miracle they had attained the offices they sought, both of them died within a few months of each other, first Diddley Squat V and then Bupkes. Even though some might say the US Senate is already occupied by fellow rodents (rats) it seems unlikely they would have confirmed a hamster to fill the VP vacancy, which would have elevated Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to the Presidency after the death of President of the United States Bupkes.

Election history: none

Other occupations: hamster

Buried: ?

Notes:
Diddley Squat V died October 19, 2006.
According to the Presidential Pet Museum, President Lyndon Johnson had pet hamsters in the White House.

Dave Cogan

Dave Cogan

VP candidate for National Barking Spider Resurgence Party (2004)

Running mate with nominee: Michael W. Bay (b. 1957)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

According to the National Barking Spider Resurgence Party's website, "The National Barking Spider Resurgence Party was formed in the late fall of 1999 after the untimely death of Pat Paulsen, a repeat independent candidate for the presidency of the United States, as well as the end of Bloom County/Outland in newspapers. The party's name is derived from the slang term 'barking spider,' which refers to audible flatulence, a sure sign of an election year."

The Party's slogan: Don't Drink and Vote

The Party's mission statement: Today's National Barking Spider Resurgence Party is truly determined to renew America's most basic bargains: triple coupon Saturdays and ballots even a child can fathom.

NBSRP's 2000 nominee, Mike Bay, made the following comment after failing to win the White House: "Due to the ballot counting confusion in the 2000 presidential election, Mike Bay was denied his rightful electoral votes as the chosen candidate of the state of Florida, gracefully stepping aside and allowing George W. Bush to become president."

The Party's platform came across as half-flippant, half-Libertarian--

Most of the policies of the NBSRP revolve around getting government control out of most institutions. A summary of the party's stances on various issues follows.

Taxes: Eliminate most of the income tax down to a low flat rate, then charge a nationwide sales tax on everything. Eliminate all double taxations, and fire all tax lawyers.
Abortion: This quote from the NBSRP platform says it best: "Get over the so-called 'progressive' notion that you aren't responsible for your own actions. Get responsible, or take your 'blame everyone else but yourself' ass to France, where irresponsibility and blaming someone else is a national pastime."
The Environment: The party is in favor of clean air and clean water policies. And, according to the platform, the only reason New Jersey has more hazardous material dumpsites and California has more fiscally bankrupting liberal lawyers is that New Jersey had first choice.
Alternative Energy: It's what the party is all about; we must harness the excess methane produced and synthesize it into useable fuels.
Girl Scout cookies: The NBSRP pledges to spend $25 annually during the Girl Scout cookie drive, preferably on Thin Mints.
Foreign Policy: We shouldn't enforce our way of life on the rest of the world and should instead use careful diplomacy and understanding.
Edewekashun: Education currently sucks in America. Eliminate the Department of Education and return school control to individual states, allowing different states to provide different levels of educational support. This means bad schools in Mississippi and good schools in Colorado.
Meatloaf: The party wholeheartedly supports meatloaf, but is also supportive of a special soyloaf option for those of vegetarian persuasion. On the important issue of Bat Out of Hell II, the party does not take an active stance. 

In 2004 Bay was once again the NBSRP Presidential nominee, but this time he had a running-mate, Dave Cogan. His VP choice, selected in May 2003,  was an expatriate and a bookshop owner in Germany, where he apparently held citizenship. I believe this might be a first in national Electoral history. Their campaign motto: "Know the slogan... vote Bay and Cogan!" Politically, Cogan was a bit more to the Left than Bay.

Cogan provided a long list on his campaign website that is probably unique in Presidential campaigns--

A Few Reasons NOT To Vote For Dave  
   28 Jun 2003
First off, I don’t especially even want to be vice-president.
I don’t like speaking before large groups of people.
I hate wearing a tie, or tight shoes, or tight anything.
I would definitely hate hugging and/or kissing male foreign dignitaries.
I don’t like to shake the hands of people that I detest/disrespect. (Sorry about that, Yassir & Gee-Dubya.)
I’d rather drink beer and smoke cigars, and maybe even cuss… on a daily basis.
I’m not very talented at most things.
I enjoy throwing darts AND kinky sex, although not at the same time.
I won’t accept bribes. (Shit! There goes the business vote!)
Sometimes I tell li…er, I tend to exaggerate about things.
I never go to church. (Dang! There goes the Baptist vote!)
I believe in the Golden Rule. Period! (Danggit! There goes any stray Republican votes I might have picked up!)
I’d rather read a good book than watch a football game.
I love the Tour de France.
I like London, and I like France, and I like (wearing) ladies' underpants.
I have a tattoo. (email me privately if you’d like to see it. Have proof that you are minimally 18 years old.)
I wear sandals as often as possible.
I inhaled.
I would push for universal health care.
I usually speak in complete sentences.
I’m not anybody’s puppet. (More Republican votes lost on this one!)
I believe in protecting the environment. (There goes 90% of Congress!)
I believe in pro-choice, on most things. (No sweat here! The Baptists are already gone.)
I would support gay marriages.
I need to lose weight, and my hair is starting to thin.
I’m not afraid to laugh at myself.
I hate, and often ridicule hypocrites.
After doing so, I’m often in the mood to moon them.
I think that drugs should be legalized. (Did I mention that I inhaled?)
The same goes for legalized prostitution. (Did I mention that I inhaled?)
I believe that guns and prostitutes should be registered.
I believe that most people in Congress are corrupt, and beyond redemption.
First chance I get, I intend to moon Congress.
I would totally support John McCain in campaign reform legislation.
Day 1 - The so-called unconstitutional Patriot Acts would be repealed… or I’d do my damnedest to constipate everything else until it was.
This would immediately be followed with repealing ALL the obscene tax-cuts-for-the-rich legislation bullshit that Bush lied about and bullied through said corrupt Congress.
I’d fight to abolish the anti-democratic electoral college. One (wo)man - one vote.
Once the Cubs are out of the running, I don’t really give a rat’s ass who wins the Series, as long as it isn’t the Yankees.
I like Jackie Chan films.
I still like Sammy Sosa.
Schwarzennegger would never be in any cabinet that I had anything to do with.
Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, and Sean Penn would beinvited to the innagural. Arnold won't be.
I love to sleep in late, hugging my pillow as long as possible.
I believe the death-penalty constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, is unfair, barbaric, and unconstitutional. (Damn! There goes all the compassionate conservatives!)
I'd be willing to make an exception to the above, especially in the traitorous case of most on the Bush administration.
I would support legalized dueling, to the death, but only under strict guidelines.
The State owes everyone a chance for a good education. Other countries are able to accomplish this, and I’d fight to see that America followed suit.
I admire Michael Moore, the Dixie Chicks, Paul Krugman, and Arianna Huffington, amongst others.
I’ll push to see that Ralph Nader, or someone he recommended, becomes Secretary of Commerce AND the Environment.
I wouldn’t allow anyone to be in the cabinet that lost an election to a dead guy.
I would support legalized euthanasia programs (especially for Baptists, since I already lost their vote earlier.)
As far as I’m concerned, Michael Moore can have the job of press secretary.
I believe in checks and balances, and in the separation of church and state.
I would have frequent press conferences, and I wouldn’t be afraid to face reporters questions, AND I wouldn’t have scripted things ahead of time.
I’m not very good looking, so I definitely won’t be into photo-ops.
I actually served in the military for five years, so I wouldn't have to fake photo-ops to prove I'm a man, nor pretend I was once a soldier.
I think that the current so-called war on terrorism is a total sham.
Pre-emptive, unjustified wars are criminal acts ... war crimes.
I believe war criminals should go to jail, to include many in the present acting administration.
I would support the U.N. and NATO, and immediately sign the Kyoto Accords.
I’m not into pretending I’m a cowboy, at least not when I’m out of the bedroom.
People accuse me of having lots of other faults, and I reckon they’re generally correct.
I believe that the impeachment process hasn’t been exercised enough in the 21st century.
If and when I’m elected, I will be the first to instigate impeachment proceedings against myself, just on general principles.
Please note: I’m not even going to vote for me, and if I had any money, I wouldn’t give me a campaign contribution.

Election history: none

Other occupations: soldier, bookshop worker

Notes:
Needless to say, Cogan's status as a German citizen might have been problematic in the event of Bay/Cogan victory.