Sick of Biden and Trump? This Candidate Is for You
Many American voters are dreading November’s rematch between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Well, now those people can vote for Literally Anybody Else.
A man in Texas, fed up with the two major-party candidates, has legally changed his name to Literally Anybody Else and launched a campaign for president. Formerly known as Dustin Ebey, the 35-year-old is a U.S. Army veteran and works as a seventh-grade math teacher in Birdville, Texas, near Fort Worth.
“Three hundred million people can do better” than Biden and Trump, Else told The Guardian. “There really should be some outlet for people like me who are just so fed up with this constant power grab between the two parties that just has no benefit to the common person.”
A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in January found that about two-thirds of Americans were “tired of seeing the same candidates in presidential elections and want someone new.” Nearly a third of people surveyed still didn’t know whether they would back Biden or Trump in November.
“People are voting for the lesser of two evils, not someone they actually believe in or support,” Else told the local news outlet WFAA88. “People should have the option to vote for someone who resembles and represents them.”
On his website, Else argues that “America should not be stuck choosing between the ‘King of Debt’ (his self-declaration) and an 81-year old. Literally Anybody Else isn’t a person, it’s a rally cry.”
Else faces an uphill battle. In order to appear on the ballot in Texas as an independent candidate, he must submit a petition with more than 113,000 signatures by May 13. The signatures must be from registered voters who did not vote in either major party’s presidential primary in the state.
Since he is unlikely to get that many signatures in such a short time frame, Else is campaigning to get people to write his name on the ballot.
“I’m not delusional. This will be very hard to do, but it’s not impossible,” Else said. “My hope is to have Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and then Literally Anybody Else right underneath.”