A Texas man has legally changed his name to "Literally Anybody Else" and has launched a bid for the US presidential election.
In November 2024, Americans will head to the polls to elect the next president, choosing between two dominant parties: the Democrats and the Republicans.
The former will be led by current POTUS Joe Biden, who is trying to secure a second term in power, while the latter will be spear-headed by former President Donald Trump who has secured enough support to be nominated as the top candidate despite his ongoing legal troubles.
But what if voters are sick of Biden and Trump's rematch? Well, now they can vote for "Literally Anybody Else", as he may enter the presidential race.
Formerly known as Dustin Ebey, the hopeful candidate is a 35-year-old US Army veteran and seventh-grade math teacher in the suburbs of Dallas.
He said he changed his name (even proved it by showing his Texas driver’s license) because he was unsatisfied with this year’s presidential prospects for the nation’s highest office. "It’s not necessarily about me as a person, but it’s about literally anybody else as an idea," he told news outlet WFAA88.
"Three hundred million people can do better," Else said about Biden and Trump. "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."
Else faces an uphill battle as under state law, he needs 113,000 signatures from non-primary voters in the state of Texas by May to get his new name on ballots.
He has acknowledged that this is unlikely, adding that he is "not delusional," so he is focusing his efforts on campaigning to get people to write his name on their ballot paper.
"We don’t have a 'neither' option on the ballot, and this kind of fills that role," he added.
A Reuters poll conducted in January discovered that about two-thirds of Americans were "tired of seeing the same candidates in presidential elections and want someone new." Nearly a third of the people questioned still didn’t know whether they would back Biden or Trump in November.
Else launched a website that says: "Literally Anybody Else isn’t a person, it’s a rally cry," and wrote: "For too long have Americans been a victim of its political parties putting party loyalty over governance."
"Together let’s send the message to Washington and say, ‘You will represent or be replaced," he continued. "America should not be stuck choosing between the 'King of Debt' (his self-declaration) and an 81-year-old."
The Texas man campaigned before a Dallas Stars game and is considering hosting a campaign event this month. According to the Dallas Morning News, he also hopes to hire an assistant to help field calls from the media.
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