FILE - In this Feb. 5, 2020, file photo, perennial candidate Vermin Supreme draws a crowd before a rally for Democratic presidential candidate Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, in Keene, N.H. The performance artist said he is mounting a write-in campaign as a Democrat candidate for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts in the Tuesday, Sept. 1 primary election. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP, file)
Republished August 26, 2020 - 9:33 AM
Original Publication Date August 26, 2020 - 7:56 AM
BOSTON - Vermin Supreme, the perennial presidential candidate who wears a boot on his head and promises every American a free pony, is mounting a write-in campaign for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts.
In a video posted Monday on YouTube, the performance artist proclaims himself a Libertarian alternative to U.S. Sen. Edward Markey and U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, the Democrats battling it out in next Tuesday's primary. Two Republicans, Kevin O’Connor and Shiva Ayyadurai, are also running.
Democrats are seen as having a distinct edge in Massachusetts, whose entire congressional delegation is Democratic.
Supreme, who has listed a Rockport, Massachusetts, address on campaign documents in the past, told NBC10 Boston his candidacy is “a lark.”
He said he decided to jump into the race after learning that some disaffected voters were writing his name on mail-in and absentee ballots.
“I'm the only candidate who has released their dental records,” he says in the video, holding up an X-ray of his teeth. “None of my opponents have released their dental records. Are they soft on plaque? They may be.”
Supreme has been a satirical candidate since at least 2004, usually confining his campaigns to New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation presidential primaries. His political stunts are legendary: He once threw glitter at a rival during a debate.
In his latest video, he says his signature boot hat “has allowed me to interact with media from across the flat Earth.”
“Together we will ride our ponies into a zombie-powered future,” he says.
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This story has been corrected to show Supreme's home state is listed as Massachusetts, not New Hampshire.
News from © The Associated Press, 2020