Fred Karger files papers for GOP Presidential run March 23, 2011 (Screen capture from CNN iReport)
LGBT Angelinos know political consultant Fred Karger from his diligent efforts to “Save the Boom” and especially his incredible work digging up the background link between the Mormon Church and the Prop 8 campaign, which he posted under Californians Against Hate. Last July, he changed the website’s name to Rights Equal Rights, where he continues to monitor the National Organization for Marriage.
For about a year, the openly gay Republican has been traveling the country talking to Republican and independent voters about the possibility that he might run to be the GOP’s presidential nominee – including the Southern Republican Leadership Conference last April.
On Wednesday, March 23, Karger formally announced his intention to seek the presidency, formally filing papers with the Federal Elections Commission. Karger, who identifies as a “progressive” Republican, is now in Manchester, New Hampshire where he is campaigning and will participate in the famous GOP straw poll of all 17 prospective candidates conducted on Thursday by the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anseim College.
Karger has been keeping track of his historic campaign, including through several CNN iReports. Here is a report on him being the first to file for President with the FEC, in which he dedicates the filing to the six bullied teenagers who committed suicide last fall:
Here’s Karger’s official statement after filing:
“Today is a very significant day for my community and me. I have just submitted my papers to the Federal Election Commission, making me the first candidate to file for the 2012 Republican nomination for President. I am also the first openly gay person, in a major political party, to ever run for President of the United States.
After spending 35 years in politics behind the scenes, I want to be a participant and help shape the debate in the Republican Party and our nation. While I intend to talk about many important issues, I dedicate today to the 6 teenagers who took their lives this past fall because they were bullied for who they were. They could not go on living for even one more day. There is no place for hatred and bigotry in this country. We must all learn to respect each other and our differences.
I began this journey 13 months ago when I traveled from my home in California to Washington, DC, New York and then up to New Hampshire. It has been a whirlwind. I have traveled to 19 states, including 12 trips to New Hampshire and 6 to Iowa. I have talked to thousands of people, and I have been encouraged to take this to the next level.
During the months ahead, I will propose some bold new ideas on a wide array of issues, and I want to help bring back optimism like my old boss Ronald Reagan did 30 years ago. I know that I will not be invited to participate in some of the debates and forums that will be held during the next year. Some will not include me because I am an outsider, others because I am gay. I will fight to get into each and every debate, so that my ideas and my voice may be heard.
I want to send a loud and clear message to anyone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer, that you can do anything you want to do in this country. You can even run for President of the United States.”
Other iReports of Karger on the campaign trail can be found here and he also spoke with CBS News.
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