The 9 Weirdest Presidential Candidates in U.S. History
There’s something about politics that seems to attract weirdos, so it only makes sense that the weirdest of people would run for U.S. president. If you think the current candidates are oddballs, you should see the following 10 people who never even made it to the ballot!
Vermin Love Supreme
Though his antics have been described by some as a publicity stunt, Vermin Love Supreme has run for president as a Democrat more than once. Supreme has promised every American citizen a pony, saying that he will be able to “create lots and lots of jobs once we switch over to a pony-based economy.” He has also proposed using zombies as a fuel source.
Jello Biafra
Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra has tried his hand at politics multiple times, most notably in the 2000 presidential election. Biafra hoped to gain the support of the Green Party, though they predictably gave Ralph Nader their nomination. Before his campaign ended, Biafra named a death row inmate as his presidential running mate.
John Hagelin
During the three presidential elections the Natural Law Party contested between 1992 and 2004, their candidate was John Hagelin. One of the major points of Hagelin’s platform was an unconventional solution to conflict: to gather all the world leaders and meditate on their issues at the same time. This tactic, he claimed, would ensure the spiritual world would be at peace and there would be no war.
Lyndon LaRouche
Labor Party candidate Lyndon LaRouche has run for office many times, and we can safely say we’re lucky he didn’t win. LaRouche is very outspoken about his controversial ideas, such as believing that the holocaust was fabricated and that his advisors were brainwashed by opponents and instructed to kill LaRouche.
Cynthia McKinney
Before running for president, Cynthia McKinney served in Congress, where she used her political position to force the government to release a secret file it allegedly has on deceased rap legend Tupac Shakur. She also believes that the U.S. government murdered thousands of men, dumped their bodies in a swamp, and has gone to great lengths to keep the incident in the dark.
Lee Mercer Jr.
Lee Mercer Jr. believes that the U.S. government placed surveillance equipment inside his body while he underwent military training. While discussing his accomplishments, Mercer said that he wanted to be president “to prove that you need to pay the American Citizens before I die,” proving that he may need to brush up on his writing skills before taking office.
John G. Schmitz
It’s popular to run under the platform that the government needs to make some serious changes, but John G. Schmitz might be the first candidate to suggest a military takeover of the White House. Unfortunately for Schmitz, he “lost the presidency by a mere 44 million votes” in 1972.
Jonathon Albert Sharkey
Commonly referred to as “The Impaler,” Jonathon Albert Sharkey is a wrestler-turned-politician, which is rarely a winning combination. Sharkey believes he is a vampire, supports the brutal interrogation of criminals, and has released an Elvis Presley cover album. He prematurely ended his presidential campaign in 2012, but he said he would be running again in 2020.
Jack Shepard
Because of an outstanding warrant for his arrest, Jack Shepard has been forced to run multiple presidential campaigns while seeking asylum in Italy. Shepard became a fugitive after being convicted of arson, making it unclear how he would evade the law if he were actually elected.
