Elvis Presley for President!

Elvis Presley for President!

A look at some of history’s interesting third party ‘ candidates’

news@theeveningtimes.com

Can’t bring yourself to mark your ballot for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?

Well, you’re probably not alone.

A vote for Hillary is seen by some as a vote for the status quo, the same old tired policies, run by the same Washington insiders, in the same rigged system, and more scandals that got us into the mess we’re in right now.

Others can’t stomach the thought of electing a misogynist egomaniac billionaire who speaks his mind (often without thinking) occupying the highest office in the land.

And sadly, there is little chance of any third party candidate garnering enough support to win either — not that they are much better.

Well, I just may have the perfect write-in candidate — or in this case, candidates — for you.

How’s this for a platform?

“He’s all for love, love, love He’s all for kiss, kiss, kiss, He’s all for hug, hug, hug, hug, hug Who else can give you this?”

Elvis Presley for President!

Sounds ridiculous, right?

Well, believe it or not, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll actually got 5,000 votes in the 1956 presidential election helped by a novelty record written by Lou Monte.

Even dead Elvis was quite a vote-getter.

In 1992, more people voted for Elvis than in the presidential election. Okay, so it was for which image of Elvis they wanted to see on a postage stamp. But still, 1.2 million people voted for the winning image of a young Elvis, which is still the best selling postage stamp of all time.

There have been other celebrity third party writein candidates over the years.

Mickey Mouse has appeared as a write-in on ballots since 1932 and still to this day handily outpolls even Jesus Christ himself.

In 1932, vaudeville song and dance man Eddie Cantor decided he would run for president during the height of the Great Depression. When he met incumbent President Herbert Hoover, Cantor told him that his slogan was “Come in and eat.” A puzzled Hoover asked “Come in and eat?” to which Canton replied, “I don’t mind if I do.”

Will Rogers, the famous humorist of the 1920s and 1930s, was actually nominated for president in 1932 and addressed both the Republican and Democratic conventions that year.

In a quote that will I’m sure today’s voters will appreciate, Rogers joked “There is only one redeeming thing about this whole election. It will be over at sundown, and let everybody pray that it’s not a tie, for we couldn’t go through with this thing again.”

Gracie Allen probably gets my vote for the funniest write-in campaign of all time. The daffy female half of the famous Burns and Allen comedy team announced on radio in 1940 that she was running for president on the Surprise Party.

Husband George Burns recalled that “Gracie and I were at home in Beverly Hills with our children when she suddenly remarked

‘I’m tired of knitting this sweater. I think I’ll run for president.’ When asked why the Surprise Party, Allen told the audience that her mother was a Democrat, her father a Republican, and she had been a surprise.

Gracie’s campaign song, “Vote For Gracie,” was written by close friend Charles Henderson and proclaimed “If the country’s

going Gracie, so can

you.”

In 1948, Howdy Doody, star of the popular children’s program ‘The Howdy Doody Show’, announced that he was running for president.

The read-headed, frecklefaced marionette ran on a platform which promised children two Christmas holidays, fewer school days, more pictures in history books, and free admission to the circus and rodeo.

Howdy’s human companion Buffalo Bob Smith would sing “I’m for Howdy Doody, are you?” to which the audience in the “Peanut Gallery” would answer “Yes, I am!”

The show received over 250,000 requests for “I’m For Howdy” buttons.

Alvin the Chipmunk had a hit in 1960 with the song “Alvin for President.” The song apparently caught the attention of John F.

Kennedy, who sent a note to Chipmunk creator Ross Bagdasarian. The note read: “I’m glad to know that I have at least one worthy opponent.” And he wasn’t referring to Richard Nixon.

Huckleberry Hound also made a run for the presidency in 1960. Show sponsor Kellogg’s and Screen Gems plastered the face of the blue cartoon hound dog with a southern drawl on everything from comic books to balloons, and even a record to boost sales and ratings.

Huck was replaced on the ticket in 1964 by Yogi Bear and Magilla Gorilla, by then Hanna-Barbera’s two most popular cartoon characters. Both characters had approval ratings of over 70 percent.

So if you don’t like either Trump or Hillary and are looking for a protest vote, may I recommend “E-L-VI- S. Vote for Elvis. Yes!

Yes! Yes!”

By Mark Randall