The serious and satirical all welcome to run for president in NH

Nov. 18—CONCORD — The 30 lesser-known candidates running in New Hampshire's presidential primary on Jan. 23 have no seven-figure campaign budgets, staffs or Super PACs spending millions on their behalf.

But they have some compelling stories and personal reasons for paying $1,000 to take part in one of the planet's greatest exercises in democracy.

They come from all walks of life and 17 different states. California (four) claims the most, followed by New York (three), New Hampshire and Maryland (two each).

As is generally the case every four years, more of these upstarts run in the incumbent's party.

Of the 2024 batch, 19 are Democrats and 11 are Republicans.

Bar none, the most experienced and perhaps most amusing of the group is satirist Vermin Supreme, a Rockport, Mass., comedian who makes a living poking fun at political leaders.

Now approaching retirement age (he's either 62 or 63), Supreme has sought the highest office in the land for 34 years.

"When I was younger, it was very easy to ignore me because I was like some crazy hippie kid. But as I've gotten older, and I'm more gray with more lines on my face, it has given me a lot more gravitas," Supreme said. "Now, I'm like the elder statesman of wingnuts."

His best showings were fourth in the 2016 Democratic primary and first in the 2020 Libertarian primary, when he was the only candidate.

Supreme wears a rubber boot on his head and promises that if he wins, every American will get a free pony.

The signature boot, he said, "has allowed me to interact with media from across the flat Earth."

He often carries a giant-sized toothbrush; his platform includes mandatory teeth brushing.

"I'm the only candidate who has released their dental records," Supreme said in a recent video. "None of my opponents have released their dental records. Are they soft on plaque? They may be."

As for the free ponies, Supreme insists the federal government could afford the expense. It's a metaphor, he says, for his opposition to exorbitant defense spending.

"Money should be for ponies, not for war, I think," he said.

Paperboy Love Prince, a Brooklyn, New York, rapper and non-binary activist, is a close friend of Supreme's and another colorful Democratic presidential candidate.

Prince wore a brocade jacket, gold pantaloons and Super Mario-esque shoes made by the designers behind Lil Nas X's Satan sneakers when filing at the State House last month.

"The folks who are in office have been in there more than many kings, queens and monarchs," Paperboy said.

"At that point, they become so out-of-touch with what it's like to be an everyday American. My focus now is to highlight that by not blending in with them."

Prince, who got into politics through rapping, took an interest in Democrat Andrew Yang's 2016 campaign, which included a promise of a universal basic income provided by the government.

"I'm fighting for centering this country around love, putting it first, being anti-war and pro-love, and creating love centers around the country," Prince said.

Scanlan: Why they file

Secretary of State David Scanlan said New Hampshire attracts more candidates than any other state because the threshold to run is so low and voters here are so accommodating to hopefuls of all stripes.

"A small state geographically, with a population of 1.4 million citizens, New Hampshire is the one place where any qualified United States citizen can run for president and have a shot," Scanlan said.

"If you had the childhood dream of growing up to be president of the United States, you can try to make that a reality in New Hampshire. That fact, after all, is the purest form of the American Dream."

Consider the two other early primary states that the Democratic National Committee and President Joe Biden wanted to move ahead of or even with New Hampshire's 2024 primary: It costs $20,000 to file to run in South Carolina and $55,000 in Nevada.

"It is far easier for most candidates to run for president in the New Hampshire primary than it is for them to run in their home state," Scanlan said.

The candidates will be showcased at a debate Dec. 7 at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics.

"The New Hampshire primary from the beginning has been about the little guy," said former Secretary of State Bill Gardner, when he introduced the candidates at the last such debate in late 2019.

A common theme among many of these candidates is how they have overcome personal struggles.

Richard Rist, a Baltimore Democrat who creates bronze sculptures, said he has a "Ph.D. in the school of hard knocks."

His little sister died from leukemia before he turned 10, which caused his mother to become a "mean alcoholic."

A judge awarded custody to Rist's father, who was murdered a short time later by one of his employees.

At 14, he started putting himself through high school while he lived in a trailer.

Scott Alan Ayers, a Republican candidate from Carpentersville, Illinois, said that while growing up, he didn't understand how poor he was.

"We didn't even have public sewer; it went out into the quarry out behind our backyard along with several other houses on our block. Every time it rained heavily, it came into our backyard," Ayers wrote on his website.

"My mom had to divorce my father when I was about 3 years old because he treated her very badly. He never came around to see me or even pay child support. Back then they didn't take it from their paychecks when they wouldn't pay support."

Peter Jedick, a Cleveland Republican, is an author.

"You do realize what an awesome job being president is, don't you? You get free room and board for you and your family for four years, eight if you win a second term," Jedick said.

"You get to fly on your own private jet, how cool is that? You can go to as many state dinners as you want and eat like a king every night. And even if you lose, you can spend the rest of your life giving speeches for thousands of dollars a pop like the Clintons. Where's the downside? Who wouldn't want to give it a shot? I'm surprised there are not more candidates jumping into the circus."

Among the others

For your consideration, here are thumbnail sketches of some of the other lesser-known candidates.

—John Vail, Democrat, Easton, N.H.

Vail said he's running to draw attention to the need to get big money out of politics.

"The money-in-politics problem cannot be solved in Washington, because (Washington's) whole reason for being is getting money," he said.

The candidate created a website to promote his platform. It's sendnomoney.org.

—Mark Stewart Greenstein, Democrat, West Hartford, Connecticut.

The candidate, who prefers to be identified as Mark Stewart, is making his fourth White House bid.

A self-described conservative Democrat, Stewart advocates for "social permissibility" and fiscal conservatism, which means he favors limited government involvement on social issues and wants to cut government spending.

—President R. Boddie, Democrat, Locust Grove, Georgia.

Boddie said God tasked him with running for president. A central plank of his platform is uniting the United States and Israel into one country.

"There is no 'If I don't win,'" Boddie said. "Any time that demon called 'Doubt' tries to creep into my head or flesh, I talk to Jesus. God said I'm already the president. I'm already the president of the United States of America."

—Thomas Koos, Democrat, Woodside, California

Koos, 58, worked at Stanford University's School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences and has promoted free speech as a hallmark of his campaigns.

"I want to feel educated and listen to other people's needs," Koos said.

This is his fourth bid for the office.

—Star Locke, Democrat, Port Aransas, Texas.

If elected, Locke said he would crack down on illegal immigration by turning five Mexican states along the border into U.S. protectorates.

—Mary Maxwell, Republican, Concord, N.H.

A "hardcore constitutionalist," she believes the federal government has too much power.

Maxwell fought for several years in defense of the convicted Boston Marathon bomber.

She believed that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was innocent, framed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Maxwell sued the FBI and tried to impeach the judge involved in the case.

klandrigan@unionleader.com