A 7th grade math teacher and army veteran changed his name to ‘Literally Anyone Else’ and announced his run for U.S. president

A 35-year-old Texas man legally changed his sanction to “Literally Anybody Else” and announced he is moving successful nan 2024 U.S. statesmanlike election.

The man, formerly known arsenic Dustin Ebey, is an service seasoned and teaches seventh people mathematics astatine Watauga Middle School, located successful Tarrant County, Texas. But this week, he decided to springiness nan world a history instruction and announced his tally for statesmanlike candidacy—which, historically speaking, is simply a doomed mission—out of vexation complete nan 2 repeating candidates, erstwhile president Donald Trump and existent President Joe Biden. 

The sanction alteration thought started arsenic a joke past year, Else said successful an interview pinch Texas outlet WFAA. He started taking it earnestly because he realized there’s fewer different options “for folks for illustration maine who are conscionable truthful fed up pinch this changeless powerfulness drawback betwixt 2 parties that conscionable has nary use to nan communal person.” 

Else legally changed his sanction astatine a courthouse successful Tarrant County connected January 12, and it’s moreover reflected connected his driver’s license. But he’ll request 113,000 signatures from non-primary voters successful Texas to make it connected nan presidential ballot. Since it’s improbable he’ll person capable signatures, per a Guardian report, he’s campaigning for group to constitute successful his name. 

Being connected nan ballot isn’t astir himself arsenic a person, he said successful nan interview, “it’s astir virtually anyone other arsenic an idea.”  

Else believes location should beryllium an action beyond nan 2 candidates—one a billionaire and nan different a lifelong politician—because they don’t stock nan aforesaid experiences arsenic nan mostly of nan country. He questions whether Trump and Biden are “still successful touch pinch group for illustration maine aliases group for illustration you.” 

What’s more, Else said a batch of group he speaks to ballot “against 1 of nan main candidates alternatively than for personification they support.” They mightiness not for illustration Biden, he explained, but they’ll ballot for him if they despise Trump. He hopes that getting his sanction connected nan ballot tin beryllium a measurement for “disenfranchised” group who want different statesmanlike action to opportunity “neither.” 

“We should person nan action to ballot for group who correspond us,” Else said, alternatively than voting for nan “lesser of 2 evils.”

Can third-party candidates really triumph an election?

The sentiment down Else’s statesmanlike bid is not mislaid connected galore people. Taste for a 3rd statement campaigner has been growing. Indeed, 63% of U.S adults work together that nan statement and antiauthoritarian parties do “such a mediocre occupation of representing nan American group that a 3rd awesome statement is needed,” according to a survey conducted by Gallup successful October. 

The state is location to much than 54 governmental parties–some of nan astir progressive see The Green Party, Reform Party, Libertarians, and Natural Law Party–and 37 of them person had candidates tally for nan U.S. presidency. But historically, 3rd statement candidates thin to suffer because of really nan country’s two-party strategy evolved, according to a report by Third Way, a nationalist argumentation deliberation vessel based successful Washington D.C. 

Some influential third-party candidates who person tally see Ross Perot, who ran arsenic an independent successful 1992, and Ralph Nader, who made four statesmanlike bids nether nan Green Party successful 1996 and 2000; nan Reform Party successful 2004; and arsenic an independent successful 2008. They were each unsuccessful runs.

On March 8, No Labels, a group that supports third-party statesmanlike candidates, decided to section a statesmanlike campaigner successful nan 2024 election,The Associated Press reported, but its luck has been dry. Earlier this week, erstwhile New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie decided against a third-party tally pinch No Labels, joining a database of different big-name candidates, including Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin who refused to subordinate nan centrist party. 

While Christie said he appreciates “the encouragement I’ve gotten to prosecute a 3rd statement candidacy,” and feels arsenic if it’s an important speech to beryllium had, he thinks it could wounded nan wide predetermination outcome. “If my candidacy successful immoderate way, style aliases shape would thief Donald Trump go president again, past it is not nan measurement forward,” he wrote successful a statement connected X.

And nan Third Way study besides goes to show really third-party runs tin impact predetermination results. 

It’s “close to intolerable for a third-party campaigner to really triumph nan predetermination outright,” and candidates often alternatively “act arsenic a spoiler,” nan study says.

Still, dreams of a much relatable third-party are successful mobility successful overmuch of nan country–as seen by Else’s name-altering determination to reside nan two-party dominated ballot. And he hopes his sanction connected nan ballot will beryllium a “beacon for everyone who shares nan aforesaid sentiment.”

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