Keith John Ferguson

 

Keith John Ferguson, ca1961 -

VP candidate for Citizens Freedom Party (2016)

Running mate with nominee: Mark Blair Graham (b. 1960)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Mark Blair Graham of Okeechobee, Fla. filed with the FEC as a write-in for US President on the unfortunate date of Apr. 1, 2015. Graham had previously made an Independent bid for President in 2008 but withdrew in order to run as one of Frank McEnulty's 9 different running-mates in the New American Independent Party. In 2012 he also ran for President but withdrew from the race, he said, due to family death.

By 2016 Graham was involved in something called the Citizens Freedom Party. His June 3, 2016 Facebook announced--

The Citizens Freedom Party has nominated there choice for President and Vice President for the 2016 election,The nomination for President is Mark B Graham of Florida and  for Vice President is Keith John Ferguson from Minnesota.

Ferguson had been the nominee of the Citizens Party of the United States in 2012, a group that may or may not have been the ancestor of the Citizens Freedom Party. Ferguson's 2012 platform--

1. We will re-create the comprehensive employment and training act called ( ceta ) program; We will target new jobs to employ the unemployed; and focus on economically depressed communities. The intentis to provide the unemployed with marketable skills needed to find premanent employment.  The frist time used was 1973 to train workers and high school students in the summer for the jobs of the future.

2. We will re-imagine the workforce development act (wia) to integrate region training systems in order to retool America's workforce and transform regional economies. And providing high-wage jobs opportunities for workers. Congress should pass it now, to put America back to work.
 
3. We will permit unemployed American's to tap their retirement accounts without incurring a ten percent penalty for early withdrawals. To allow them to have some extra funds to pay their bills.

4.We will Renegotiate all trade agreements, beginning with NAFTA, A revitalization of the U.S. economy requires the U.S. to withdraw from NAFTA and all other trade agreements at once.

5. We will Craft a national industrial policy to stop the outsourcing of American job and to secure America's future and economic base.

6. We will stop allowing U.S. companies to receive tax benefits for sending jobs overseas allowing America to become unemployed. The exodus of U.S. jobs will stop.

7. We will stop China's unfair currency manipulation. The U.S. must put an end to this injustice by leveling the playing fied by levying a tax on Chinese imports,we need a tougher trade policy on China.

8. We will  Enact strong " Buy America" Legislation that all fedral, state and local government's must buy American first.

9. We will make wall street pay back main street through a financial transaction tax the funds would be use for infrastructure projects.

10. We will stop employers from using a job applicant's credit rating as a basis for employment. Buy the Equal Employment for all Act, HR 3149 it with be passed.

11. We will close all but ten military bases over seas, and end the wars of Iraq and Afghanistan. Then we will use the funds from those closed bases to build a larger military rapid deployment force, this will put American's back to work building the equipment. And the funds would also be used for much needed infrastructure projects.

12. We will have an incentive tax breaks if you buy American, this will come off your gross income. You can read about the plan on the group National Self Reliance.

13. We will freeze all federal pay for 4 years, this includes all of Congress and the President but not the military.

14. We will increase veterans benefits, so that our veterans have full access to medical and mental health coverage. And their spouses and their children will have mental health coverage for life, if they have post traumatic stress disorder that was caused by living a military life.

15. We will increase military pay to what they deserve, to a modest pay so they can take care of their familys.  

16. We will feeze all foreign guest worker programs, until all American workers are employed. Or until we have a 1.5 % unemployment rate.

17. We will stop illegal immigration by hiring up to 5,000 border patrol agents. And we will also use the national guard, until we have enough border patrol agents trained.

18. We will place a fine on employers who are caught hiring illegal labor. The fine would start about about $1000.00 per worker.  

19. I believe that no health insurance company should make a large profit off a citizen of the United States of America. This will be looked at to see what we can do about it.

20. We will have basic healthcare and mental healthcare for all the citizens of the United States of America. Which would be a preventive type healthcare and mental healthcare . Which will include up to 12 office visits per year of basic care, and up to 20 hrs per year of mental healthcare, and would include full physical exams every year starting at birth.

21. Social security is intended for the protection against social recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and other social programs. And we will restore social security to its full intent with the funds from the limiting of our foreign aid.

22. Peer Education System is a structure of older students teaching younger students what they had just learnd. With the guidance of their teacher all students will learn just like they did in the one room schoolhouse.

23. We will have a War tax to pay for the cost of War before we go to War, all corporations and companies and citizens will pay that tax, maybe it will stop America from getting involved in those Wars.

24. We will prohibit the government from taking money from the Social Security fund, and it will be used for Social Security purposes only.

25. We will have a national jobs bank, that will match up prospective employees with employers, and it will provide a means for those with disabilities to find employment they can still do.

26. We will look at the unfair housing opportunities for post-secondary students, so that they can have housing at a fair market price. Also it will be added to the federal housing act.

27. Reform foreign aide.

28. Reform America's tax system.

Ferguson continued his Presidential quest after the 2012 election. He posted an announcement on the Party website that muddies the waters for researchers like me--

Comment by Keith John Ferguson on December 5, 2014 at 9:25am
Just to let all Citizens of the C party, that I Keith John Ferguson and Mark B Graham have Joined Forces as one in 2016, I as Prez, Mark as Vic Prez.

It would appear that by 2016 the positions had flipped. One problem here is that a lot of potential sources about that campaign have been wiped clean. Ballotpedia managed to archive portions of Graham's platform in May, 2015--

Education
"My policy on Education is that over crowding in each classroom across this great nation could be eliminated with hiring of more teachers."

Higher education
"As far as Higher Education each college needs to cut there tuition by a percent each year so students are not forced to leave school because they are not able to afford tuition even with grants. I also want to see a money voucer [sic] to incoming college students. We must make more grants for tuition to decrease of student loans."

Energy and environment
"America must achieve energy independence either it is domestic oil or natural gas, wind, and solar power should be a top priority...I am very concerned with global climate change. We must quickly work to cut vehicle emissions."

Immigration
"We must greatly reduce the number of approved H1B and L1 visas that allow U.S. Companies to hire foreign workers in America...Also we need to beef up Boarder Patrol with man power and euiqment [sic]."

Social security
"Privatizing Social Security would not solve the funding issues that Social Security faces."

Marijuana
"I am in favor of legalizing of Medical Marijuana and belive [sic] it can be a safe and effective treatment for the symptoms of cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, pain, glaucoma, epilepsy, and other conditions."

Graham/Ferguson were not registered as write-ins in any state and no votes were reported.

Election history:
2012 - US President (Citizens Party of the United States) - defeated
2016 - Citizens Party of the United States nomination for President - party collapsed?

Other occupations: ?

Notes:
Ferguson supported Trump in 2020.
Graham, who ran for President in 2020, was arrested on Nov. 24, 2020 and charged with six counts of possession of child pornography, which later increased to 523 charges.

Daryl Dixon

 

Daryl Dixon, November 14, 2010 -

VP candidate for Independent (2012, 2016, 2020)

Running mate with nominee (2012, 2016, 2020): Rick Grimes (2003-2019)
Popular vote (2012, 2016, 2020): ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote (2012, 2016, 2020): 0/538

The campaign (2012, 2016, 2020):

Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon are two characters from The Walking Dead franchise, and from what I gather it is sort of a zombie apocalypse neo-Western that originally was a comic book in 2003 but expanded into television in 2010.

One of the heroes, Rick Grimes, was in the very first issue of the printed series. He was apparently killed off in issue # 192, published June 5, 2019.

The character of Daryl Dixon was created for the television series. Both Grimes and Dixon were noted for being men of action in a world where civilized society had collapsed, hence their campaign slogans adorning the considerable merchandise available--

They're Doing Things

This Isn't a Democracy Anymore!

For a Walker Free America

A Man That Keeps His Promises

Speaks Softly and Carries a Big Gun

We'll Rebuild the Wall

We'll Survive. I'll Show You How

Change You Can Believe In

In each election there was a parallel effort to elect Dixon President under the banner of the Death to Walkers Party.

In the event of their electoral victory, the fact they were fictitious characters would have posed a problem. In addition, during the 2020 election, Grimes was a dead fictitious character.

Election history:
2012 - US President (Death to Walkers Party) - defeated
2016 - US President (Death to Walkers Party) - defeated
2020 - US President (Death to Walkers Party) - defeated

Other occupations: fictitious character

Notes:
Yet another major American subculture franchise that I have never read or seen.
No word if Rick Grimes is related to Jackson Kirk Grimes (b. 1950), the Presidential candidate for the United Fascist Union, 2000, 2004, 2008.

Fluttershy

 

Fluttershy, October 10, 2010 (Pawtucket, R.I.) -

VP candidate for Independent (2012)

Running mate with nominee: Rainbow Dash (b. 2010)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic was an animated television series that ran from 2010-2019 and in part gained an unusual cult following from adults who call themselves "bronies" or "pegasisters." Even if you have have not been exposed to the TV presentations, it is hard to ignore the copious Internet memes and references to this franchise. The My Little Pony toy products originated with Hasbro in 1981, the multinational conglomerate based in Pawtucket, R.I. Their "4th Generation" of the line, launched in 2010, presented several new characters.

My formative years were spent on a farm where we raised Shetlands, so I know a bit about little ponies, but the equines in this series are more than earthly as they are gifted with magical powers.

American capitalism and fandom being what it is, of course this commercial interest would have fictitious candidates running for President as a promotional device. Almost all of the My Little Ponies ran for President 2012-2020, but seldom with a running-mate, er, trotting-mate. Rainbow Dash, a blue pegasus who possesses the ability to somehow control the weather ran for President in 2012 with a VP, Fluttershy. Another pegasus, Fluttershy's chief personal attributes are kindness and empathy. She ran for President herself in 2012 and 2016 but apparently without a Vice-President.

Rainbow Dash's Tumblr campaign blog began in Jan. 2012 and lapsed into some serious commentary on one occasion--

Dash Slams Gingrich on Affair

In response to Newt Gingrich’s answers to the first question of the Southern Republican Presidential Debate, Rainbow Dash released the following statement:

    As the Element of Loyalty, I think it is totally not cool that he thinks he can get away with this. This is the man that tore down Bill Clinton for the Monica Lewinski scandal, and now he’s trying to tell us that these are just attacks by the liberal media? It’s ridiculous. He’s cheated on two women already, so how does he expect anypony to think he won’t cheat on our country? It’s disgraceful.

Fluttershy was added to the ticket on Aug. 14, 2016--

We are pleased to announce that Fluttershy has officially accepted an offer to be Rainbow Dash’s running mate this election. Her gentleness and kindness will go a long way to helping mend a fractured Congress and a polarized nation

Election history:
2012 - US President (Independent) - defeated
2016 - US President (Independent) - defeated

Other occupations: fictitious character

Notes:
I wonder how she fared in the Gallop Poll?

Rainbow Dash

 

Rainbow Dash, October 10, 2010 (Pawtucket, R.I.) -

VP candidate for Independent (2012, 2016)

Running mate with nominee (2012, 2016): Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria (b. 2010)
Popular vote (2012, 2016): ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote (2012, 2016): 0/538

The campaign (2012, 2016):

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic was an animated television series that ran from 2010-2019 and in part gained an unusual cult following from adults who call themselves "bronies" or "pegasisters." Even if you have have not been exposed to the TV presentations, it is hard to ignore the copious Internet memes and references to this franchise. The My Little Pony toy products originated with Hasbro in 1981, the multinational conglomerate based in Pawtucket, R.I. Their "4th Generation" of the line, launched in 2010, presented several new characters.

My formative years were spent on a farm where we raised Shetlands, so I know a bit about little ponies, but the equines in this series are more than earthly as they are gifted with magical powers.

American capitalism and fandom being what it is, of course this commercial interest would have fictitious candidates running for President as a promotional device. The central protagonist is Twilight Sparkle, aka Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. From what I gather Twilight Sparkle is a winged purple unicorn who includes the fact she was a librarian in her crowded resume. I wonder where she attained her MLS? She also ran for President in 2020, but apparently without a Vice-President.

Her running-mate was Rainbow Dash, a blue pegasus who possesses the ability to somehow control the weather. Those voters who cherish some of the conspiracy theories regarding chemtrails, HAARP, weather modification by the government, etc., might point to her as conclusive proof of their dubious claims.

Twilight Sparkle was given some unwanted publicity in July 2016. During the Republican convention, Melania Trump gave a speech including phrases many listeners felt were basically a plagiarized version of Michelle Obama's 2008 Democratic convention speech. In true Trumpworld fashion, a barrage of denials were issued, including Sean Spicer quoting Twilight Sparkle in a bizarre attempt to deflect the facts. Shortly after that, Melania's speechwriter Meredith McIver admitted she had lifted Michelle's words for part of the speech, "This was my mistake and I feel terrible for the chaos I have caused Melania and the Trumps, as well as to Mrs. Obama. No harm was meant."

Dash also ran for US President in 2012, 2016 and 2020.

Election history:
2012 - US President (Independent) - defeated
2016 - US President (Independent) - defeated
2020 - US President (Independent) - defeated

Other occupations: fictitious character

Notes:
I have never seen any episodes of this TV series so apologies to diehard fans for my less than detailed profile.
Rainbow Dash is not related the Sam Dash (1925-2004) chief counsel for the Senate Watergate Committee.

William Thomas Riker

 

William Thomas Riker, September 28, 1987 (Hollywood, Calif.) -

VP candidate for Independent (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024)

Running mate with nominee (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024): Jean-Luc Picard (b. 1987)
Popular vote (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020): ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020): 0/538

The campaign (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024):

Star Trek: The Next Generation, a 1987-1994 spinoff from the original Star Trek television series from the 1960s, defined their purpose as, "Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before."

The Trek franchise is huge and it seems only naturally American for the lead characters to be, in this age where entertainment and politics are so intermingled, merchandised as Presidential timber. Heck, when the show first aired the President at the time was a former movie and TV actor.

The Enterprise skipper, Jean-Luc Picard (portrayed by Patrick Stewart) and his first officer Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) have been marketed as a Presidential ticket in every election since 1992. They probably ran in 1988 as well but I didn't find a confirmation of that. Bumper stickers, t-shirts, buttons, coffee mugs, etc. abound every four years with a "Picard/Riker" declaration.

"Jean-Luc Picard" filed with the FEC on Aug. 20, 2015 with no party affiliation. His address was given as 877 Enterprise St., Buchanan, MI 49107 and the campaign committee was United Federation of Planets, 150 Galaxy Rd., Shirley, AR 72153.

The Next Generation not only explored space, but the writers broached a number of political and social subjects that were fairly progressive at the time. Intelligence, reason, tolerance, curiosity, and humanity were seen as virtues. The assumption was that not only would we survive ourselves, but a far better, almost utopian age awaited us.

In the event of their electoral victory there would be several problems. They are fictitious characters. They live in the future (Picard was born in the year 2305). Although Riker was born in Alaska, Picard is from France. They reside in outer space. The characters were created in 1987, which made them below the age of 35 but in 2024 they will be legal in this regard. And so forth.

Election history: none

Other occupations: fictional character

Notes:
Riker is a contender for holding the record for number of times someone has made a Vice-Presidential run.

Susan Alexandra Weaver

 

Susan Alexandra Weaver, October 8, 1949 (New York, N.Y.) -

VP candidate for DemoCatic Party (2012)

Running mate with nominee: Gordon Shumway (b. 1986)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

ALF was a television situation comedy from 1986-1990 on NBC. Since it was a show I have never seen, I'll let the campaign website explain the rest--

ALF, whose real name is Gordon Shumway (this fact alone could make you a champion at Trivial Pursuit), was born and raised on the planet Melmac, to Flo and Bob Shumway. He arrived in Hollywood by accident when his spaceship crashed through the roof of the Tanner family's garage.

He was nicknamed ALF (Alien Life Form) by the Tanner children and actually prefers it to Gordon. Although he speaks most of Earth's languages, many of ALF's customs are unfamiliar and somewhat startling to Earthlings. For example, he has a penchant for snacking on cats and can whistle with his lips closed.

He graduated from Melmac High School where he majored in software and pedestrian crossing. ALF was active in the Skleen Club and was a co-captain of the Bouilabaseball team for three years. (Bouilabaseball is similar to Earth's baseball -only it uses fish.)

Before landing on our planet, he spent more than a dozen years as an orbit guard. Other previous occupations include Assistant Boxleitner and part-time male model. At one time he even owned and operated his own Phlegm dealership. (The Phlegm 220 was a classic sports car.)

ALF's current hobbies are Gerrymandering, audio-animatronic impressions, and eating.

A Sagittarius, ALF is 244 years old (in 2011). "I've got dandruff older than your country," he says. Although he is single, he insists he's "still looking."

A perennial popular culture candidate, ALF had developed a platform designed for the short attention span--

Complicated Government
"I finally figured out why your political system is so complicated. That's just the way your world works. If we didn't understand something, we broke it." ~ALF

Homeless
Mr. Shumway plans to have houses built for each of them (see unemployment).

Pollution
"To get rid of pollution, just tie big balloons on all the smokestacks to catch the dirty air." ~ALF
"My solution to pollution will help your consitution, so send a contribution and start the revolution. Uh-huh, uh-huh!" ~ALF

Unemployment
"If I can restore a man's dignity by climbing on his back, I say go for it!" ~ALF
There won't be any, everybody will be busy building houses (see homeless).

War
"Preventing war is easy. Just tell the people who are mad at each other to kiss and make up." ~ALF

ALF's 2012 campaign began in January of that year. A website and Facebook account were set up for the electioneering. In July film star Sigourney Weaver was selected as the running-mate. Weaver had considerable onscreen experience with aliens, as well as in stories set in the White House. As the ALF campaign press release related--

ALF NAMES RUNNING MATE

July 1, 2012
By Samuel Stokes, Campaign Correspondent

In a Thursday morning press conference, DemoCatic Presidential candidate Gordon “ALF” Shumway  announced his running mate for the 2012 election.

Earlier in the week, the Romney campaign facetiously announced via Twitter that, “ALF has narrowed down his choice of running mate to E.T. and Mr. Spock, LMAO!”

ALF was dismayed by the tactless comment and said, “Jokes like this are demeaning to the dignity of the office of Vice President. So without further ado, I’m pleased to announce that my running mate for the 2012 election is Sigourney Weaver.”

ALF cited Weaver’s strength of character and her key role in Earth’s defense against intergalactic invasion. Weaver was astonished and flattered by the nomination, which she enthusiastically accepted. After the conference, when Weaver was asked whether ALF realized that the Alien movies in which she starred were fictional, she replied, “I don’t know, but I’m not telling him.”  

In 2012 Weaver had completed a role in the UFO comedy Paul, and at the height of the election season appeared in a USA Network miniseries entitled Political Animals where she played a character who was very much like Hillary Clinton.

Although Weaver had been a volunteer for Nelson Rockefeller in the past, she counted herself as a Democrat later. When asked in 2012 by interviewer Ron Bennington if she had ever met a sitting President, she replied, "I have. I went to the Reagan White House. I was the guest of, you know, I guess one of the little Saudi princes had just seen 'Ghostbusters' and wanted to meet Zuul. (laughs) So, I was actually not….you know being a Democrat, I at first said I was busy and then my father lectured me on if you’re invited by the President, you go ... So I went. And I did try, it was a very beautiful and glamorous night and I did actually try to speak to President Reagan about abortion rights. (laughs) And that didn’t go over very well. I was picked up and moved away from the President very quickly."

Election history: none

Other occupations: actor

Notes:
She is a niece of Doodles Weaver!
Weaver films on my VHS/DVD shelves: Eyewitness, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Dave, Galaxy Quest, Paul. She's great in all of them.

Dagon

 

Dagon, July 1917 (Pacific Ocean) -

VP candidate for Independent (aka Elder Party aka Communist Party aka Great Old One Party) (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020)

Running mate with nominee (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020): Cthulhu (b. 1928)
Popular vote (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020): ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020): 0/538

The campaign (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020):

H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937), author of supernatural horror, created a character named Cthulhu who was described as "A monster of vaguely anthropoid outline, but with an octopus-like head whose face was a mass of feelers, a scaly, rubbery-looking body, prodigious claws on hind and fore feet, and long, narrow wings behind." I'm not going to go down the rabbit hole of Lovecraft esoterica, but suffice to say Cthulhu is not a nice guy.

There have been numerous attempts by a variety of sources to elect Cthulhu to the office of President or head of state, not just in the USA but in other countries, ever since at least 1996. Some of the campaign slogans to emerge from these efforts revealed a humor of despair as well as Cthulhu's character--

Vote for the Greatest Evil - Why Vote for a Lesser Evil? - Cthulhu, Because it Can't Get Any Worse - Because No Lives Matter - Don't Settle for the Lesser of Two Evils, Vote for the Greatest - The aliens you should be worried about will not be stopped by a wall - Embrace the Madness - Keep Blaming the Poor - A Thousand Points of Fright - Cthulhu Wants You... as Food - I Want You... for Breakfast - America Needs a REAL Monster  - Eat the Rich and Everyone Else - After you are eaten your effective tax rate will be zero - Equality through Insanity - I want you to get a head and consume it for nourishment - Keep climate changing - Legalize human sacrifice - No More Years - Vote for Cthulhu... and you'll never have to vote again - Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn!

On Sept. 15, 2015 Dr. ourlordandsavior Cthulu of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., Washington, D.C. filed with the FEC as a Presidential candidate running as a member of the Communist Party.

Naturally the Cthulhu campaigns have been a merchandising bonanza.

Cthulhu had at least two running-mates: Dagon, and, Crawling Chaos. Dagon was a character that predated Cthulhu, a horrendous creature in the Pacific Ocean described thus by Lovecraft--

    With only a slight churning to mark its rise to the surface, the thing slid into view above the dark waters. Vast, Polyphemus-like, and loathsome, it darted like a stupendous monster of nightmares to the monolith, about which it flung its gigantic scaly arms, the while it bowed its hideous head and gave vent to certain measured sounds.

It would be safe to say there would have been some problems regarding the Constitution in the event of a Cthulhu/Dagon victory.

Election history: none

Other occupations: fictitious character

Notes:
Not the same Dagon as the Mesopotamian deity.

Mark Stedman

 

Mark Stedman, ca1962 -

VP candidate for Independent (2012)

Running mate with nominee: Josiah Stoltzfus (ca1957-2014)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 270+/538

The campaign:

In Martha Bolton's work of political fantasy fiction Josiah for President (Zondervan, 2012) US Congressman Mark Stedman of Wisconsin fails in his quest to gain the Presidential nomination and on his road trip home from DC has a fateful accidental meeting in Lancaster County, Penn. with Josiah Stoltzfus, an Amish farmer. So impressed is Stedman with Stoltzfus' character, he runs Josiah as an independent write-in candidate for President. In turn the candidate insists that Stedman be the running-mate.

I'll try to not spoil the story too much, but Josiah does indeed win the election as a write-in. The book mentions that among the states he won were Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Tennessee, North Carolina, Iowa, Indiana, Texas, Arizona, Michigan, Illinois, and New York.

The fictitious campaign actually became real in the 2012 cycle. Zondervan released a couple Josiah for President electioneering videos with actors portraying Stoltzfus and Stedman. A Facebook page was set up. The novel was also presented on stage as a musical.

Four years earlier in the 2008 election there was a ticket with an Amish connection. The Florida-based Real Food Party of the United States of America ran farmers James Harlin Carter and Dennis Eugene Stoltzfoos as the President and VP. Raised in Lancaster County, Penn. as an Amish Mennonite, Stoltzfoos went out on his own both spiritually and physically, moving to Florida in 1989. After working in the alternative health field and an EMT for a time he eventually started his own farm. Citing the writings of Weston Price as a major influence, Stoltzfoos shared Carter's enthusiasm for non-pasteurized dairy and natural foods.

Election history:
1993-2013 - US House of Representatives (Wis.) (party unknown)
2012 - Presidential nomination from unknown major party - defeated

Other occupations: ?

Notes:
Mark Stedman should not be confused with Seymour Stedman, running-mate in the Socialist Party of America in 1920 with Eugene Debs.

American People

 

American People

VP candidate for Independent (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024)

Running mate with nominee (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024): Nicholas Pierotti
Popular vote (2012, 2016, 2020): 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote (2012, 2016, 2020): 0/538

The campaign (2012, 2016, 2020, 2024):

Nicholas Pierotti has been running for US President since 2012 as an Independent using social media as his chief method of communication. He is a technical writer, poet, musician, and the founder of the Society for the Abandonment of Subjectivity and Objectivity and appears to change his place of residence every few years.

It would be accurate to describe his political stance as Left wing populist. He has said his running-mate is "the American People," and you can't get more populist than that. A Facebook post from his first campaign set the tone his subsequent runs as well--

The mainstream media is ignoring me, because I don't have the money machine behind me that Mitt Romney or Barack Obama have, but here's my two cents again. I am not rich. I am not owned by the corporations or by the political machine. I am of the working folk, like you. Not a Wall Street mouthpiece robed in false promises of populism. Not an Ivy League-educated lawyer with a web of powerful and dangerous connections.
I am not a lawyer, but I have been reading the Law now for years... like another man you may have heard of... his name was Abraham Lincoln.

I am tired of our current President and our current Congress tearing down our world. Every four years a new President come into office, and every four years, all the President does is work for the rich and for the war machine. And they continue to destroy and despoil our planet.
There comes a time in the life of any man when he can no longer stand the cant of hypocrisy, or stand by the door while the legions of robbers trample down the fair fields, and pillage and destroy all that has ever been dear to him, and trample down and defile the temples of beauty and honesty and Truth. It is in times like these that he must stand up alone, and make restoration to the People for what has been stolen from their Land.

I am not about Hope. I am about Deliverance.

We can't have Change when we have no change.

You are being told by Republicans, right-wing Democrats, and Tea Party defeatists that Government is broken. Government is NOT broken. It’s just been hijacked. It’s the bought-and-paid-for puppets of Wall Street in the Congress and in the White House that are robbing our future to fill their bank accounts. And it’s the two-party system that’s broken.

My name is Nicholas Pierotti. I am running for President as an independent candidate who works FOR the People, unlike the bought-and-paid-for Republicans and Democrats, who answer only to Wall Street and the rich. Together we will break the gridlock in Congress.
And that is why I am encouraging YOU, the Working People, to run for Congress, to run WITH me.

I want to fill the Congress with factory workers and Wall Street occupiers, line cooks and laborers, schoolteachers and homemakers; people who carry a lunch box to work and who pack that lunch box so that a worker can eat while they slave for Obama and Wall Street; folks who work two jobs to make ends meet. People like YOU and ME, who know what it is to live paycheck to paycheck, or with no paycheck at all.

And this from his 2016 campaign--

I do not belong to a party.
I am a free man.

Once you name a party, a party forms, a cadre surrounds you, and politics emerge. I am not about politics; I am about clearing the decks so that the voice of the people can be heard again.

After 2 years of my Presidency, the American people will have heard my message of radical involvement by the people for the people, interdependent governing, and how the party system, which degenerates into corporate puppetry, is against the best interests of the working people and against the freedom and human rights and environment of the Planet.

I will employ the office of the Presidency to speak to the American People, and tell them of my vision of a government of independent people, a Congress of independent individuals, unaffiliated with any established and therefore corrupt political parties.

Encouraged by my example, folks like me will run in droves for the Congress, spreading their message by the same grassroots methods I have employed, outside the system of Superpacs and corporate influence cloaked in populist rhetoric and false patriotism.

The new Congress that will be elected two years after my election will no longer be controlled by the two entrenched Republican and Democratic parties, and effective change by and for the People will finally be achievable, by a Congress and a President who are not owned by corporate lobbyists, rich criminals in smoke-filled rooms, and the war machine.

The grossly over-inflated Defense budget will finally be redirected into rebuilding our infrastructure and our economy; people will be fed and employed in and through their communities with community gardens and infrastructure projects that empower the citizenry.

And the dinosaur reptile-brain leadership of the Clintons and the Obamas and the Bushes, the Republicans and the Democrats, will become a thing of the past, and the country will be wholly re-empowered by a government by the People and for the People.

The whole point of my running as a complete independent, affiliated with NO existing party, is that it assures my complete liberty and independence from the lobbyists that rule EVERY established political party.

I welcome you at the dawning
of a new day.

As far as I can ascertain, Pierotti has never appeared on any ballot or was registered as a write-in in any state during the 2012-2020 election years.

Election history: varied

Other occupations: everything and anything

Notes:
Pierotti is already in the race for 2024.

Bronn Stokeworth

 

Bronn Stokeworth, 1996 -

VP candidate for HOL Party (aka House of Lannister Party) (2012, 2016)

Running mate with nominee (2012, 2016): Tyrion Lannister (b. 1996)
Popular vote (2012, 2016): ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote (2012, 2016): 0/538

The campaign (2012):

Tyrion Lannister is a fictitious character created by George R.R. Martin and first appeared in his fantasy novel A Game of Thrones (1996) and later in the HBO television Game of Thrones series (2011-2019). Both in print and on screen, Lannister is a little person. He was portrayed by American actor Peter Dinklage.

Lannister had a large following and the inevitable fan-driven "Lannister for President" activism surfaced on social media. On one particular Facebook page called Elect Tyrion Lannister President, Tyrion's brother Jaime was initially his running-mate.

Sept. 4, 2012
Why are we touting Tyrion Lannister as a viable candidate for President? So many of the problems in the American arena are not unlike those of Westeros when Tyrion was serving as Hand of the King - poverty & unemployment, ongoing war, disturbances at the borders, civil unrest, government corruption and overspending, mistreatment of women - and he adressed these issues during his term, he knows how the game is played. Join us in bringing his solutions to the national conversation. A little change in the right direction.

Sept. 8, 2012
******************BREAKING NEWS********************
    Due to the recent breaking news of a confirmed sexual scandal involving a prominent woman deeply connected with House Lannister, Vice Presidential hopeful Jamie Lannister has withdrawn his name from the ticket in 2012.  Lannister, The King Slayer, was seen just outside his home and was quoted saying, “The things I do for love.”  
  Lord Tyrion Lannister was devastated by the news and has been in an emergency meeting of the Small Council for hours.  It is believed they are discussing the replacement on the ticket, and hope to have a new running mate by Monday.  Who knows what this will do to the campaign this late in the election.  Keep watching as this story unfolds.

On Sept. 9, 2012, Bronn Stokeworth (aka Ser Bronn of the Blackwater) was announced as the new Vice-Presidential nominee. The character is portrayed by English actor Jerome Flynn. I won't even attempt to describe Bronn's place in the complex Game of Thrones universe.

The campaign (2016):

On Nov. 13, 2012, only days after the election, the Elect Tyrion Lannister President Facebook page announced the same ticket would run again in 2016, complete with a graphic of Lannister and Stokeworth--

The People have spoken.  They are so upset that Lord Tyrion was not on their ballots that they are petitioning to secede from the union.  Well Lord Tyrion hears his people.  So let the new campaign begin... Lord Tyrion Lannister President of the NEW United States of America!

Eventually a call was made for a replacement running-mate, but no decision apparently was made, thus making Stokeworth the de facto VP.

In a probably non-coordinated effort, Mr. Tyrion Lannister of Essos, N.C. filed with the FEC for President under the HOL Party on Aug. 20, 2015. Essos is a fictitious continent created for the Game of Thrones narrative.

Election history: none

Other occupations: sell-sword, bodyguard, Lord of Highgarden, Lord Paramount of the Reach, Master of Coin,
 
Notes:
Confession: No disrespect intended, but I have never read or seen Game of Thrones which is probably quite evident from this profile.