Deez Nuts (satirist)

Deez Nuts
Campaign2016 U.S. presidential election
CandidateDeez Nuts
AffiliationIndependent[1]
HeadquartersWallingford, Iowa
Key peopleBrady C. Olson

Deez Nuts was a satirical presidential candidate portrayed by Brady C. Olson who ran for president of the United States in 2016.

On July 26, 2015, Olson—then 15 years of age, and a resident of Wallingford, Iowa—filed a statement of Deez Nuts's presidential candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. In polls conducted by Public Policy Polling in Iowa, Minnesota, and North Carolina in mid-August 2015, Deez Nuts polled at eight, eight, and nine percent, respectively, garnering media attention.[2][3][4]

On August 19, 2015, The Daily Beast revealed that Deez Nuts was actually Olson.[2] In an interview with Rolling Stone, Olson said that he jokingly created the Deez Nuts candidacy "half-trying to break the two-party system" and half out of frustration with the leading candidates, choosing the pseudonym based on the bofa meme. Olson endorsed Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination and Ohio Governor John Kasich for the Republican nomination.[5] Olson has expressed libertarian views.[6] According to Section 1 of Article Two of the United States Constitution, Olson did not meet the minimum age requirement (35 years) to serve as president if elected.[7]

Nuts' bid for the presidency drew attention to other questionable candidates who had filed to run for office.[8][9][10] Analyst Jim Williams of Public Policy Polling opined that because of a fringe element of the population with a penchant for anti-establishment candidates, "you could call [the third party candidate] anything, and they would get their 7% or 8%".[11]

On October 11, 2015, Deez Nuts announced on Facebook that he intended to run for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Nuts cited the scarcity of candidates for the position as well as his alleged eligibility for it. A poll taken in Texas in mid-August 2016 showed Nuts receiving 3% support for the House speakership; this figure exceeded the amount of support received by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and the deceased gorilla Harambe, another Internet phenomenon.[12]

  1. ^ Woolf, Nicky (August 20, 2015). ""I have so many websites" Donald "All of the women on The Apprentice flirted with me" Trump beware: political apprentice Deez Nuts is top-polling independent". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Collins, Ben (August 19, 2015). "Presidential Sensation Deez Nuts Is a 15-Year-Old Iowa Farm Boy". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  3. ^ Details for Candidate ID : P60009198 Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine, Federal Election Commission.
  4. ^ Jensen, Tom. "Trump grows lead in NC; GOP leads most match ups". Ed. Dean Debnam. Public Policy Polling, August 19, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015. Archived 2015-08-22 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Dickinson, Tim (August 20, 2015). "Meet 'Deez Nuts,' the Teen Presidential Candidate Punking America". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  6. ^ Soave, Robby (August 20, 2015). "2016 Presidential Candidate Deez Nuts Is (Are?) Libertarian". Hit and Run Blog. Archived from the original on August 22, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
  7. ^ "Constitution of the United States, Article 2, Section 1". Archived from the original on 2011-08-19. Retrieved 2015-08-21. neither shall any Person be eligible to [the office of President of the United States of America] who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years
  8. ^ Kaplan, Rebecca (July 28, 2015). Deez Nuts is running for president Archived 2015-08-20 at the Wayback Machine, CBS News
  9. ^ Fang, Marina (August 4, 2015). 'Deez Nuts' And 'Sydneys Voluptuous Buttocks' Are Running For President, Because Why Not Archived 2015-08-23 at the Wayback Machine, Huffington Post
  10. ^ Fuller, Jaime (August 19, 2015). Poll Numbers Improving for 15-Year-Old Presidential Candidate 'Deez Nuts' Archived 2015-08-20 at the Wayback Machine, New York
  11. ^ Berenson, Tessa (August 20, 2015). "Meet the 15-Year Old Presidential Candidate Who is Polling 9%". Time. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  12. ^ Poll: Jill Stein tied with Harambe, trailing Deez Nutz in Texas (16 Aug 2016), The Hill.