Vermin Supreme facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vermin Supreme
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Supreme in New Hampshire in 2019 during the 2020 United States presidential election wearing his characteristic Wellington boot
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| Member of the Libertarian Party Judicial Committee | |
| In office July 12, 2020 – May 29, 2022 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | June 1, 1961 (age 64) Rockport, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Democratic (2004–2008, 2012–2016, 2023–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Education | Gloucester High School |
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Vermin Love Supreme (born June 1, 1961) is an American performance artist and activist. He is known for running in many elections across the United States. He often runs as a "novelty candidate," which means he uses humor and unusual ideas to make a point.
Supreme is famous for wearing a Wellington boot (a type of rain boot) on his head. He also carries a very large toothbrush. He has joked that if he became President of the United States, he would make a law that everyone must brush their teeth. His campaign ideas often include fun and silly promises. These include giving a free pony to every American. He also talks about zombie apocalypse awareness and time travel research.
In 2011, he joined the Occupy Boston protests. A movie about him, called Who Is Vermin Supreme? An Outsider Odyssey, came out in 2014. It shows his 2012 campaign and his life as a political prankster.
Supreme also ran for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination in 2020. He finished in third place at their national meeting.
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Vermin Supreme's Unique Political Ideas
Vermin Supreme usually runs for office to make people think and laugh. He often suggests ideas that seem impossible or very strange. He does this to poke fun at politicians and the way politics works.
His unique style includes wearing many ties and a boot on his head. He sometimes carries a giant toothbrush. He gets attention by talking to reporters and showing up at events for other candidates.
Some of his main campaign ideas are:
- Making a law that everyone must brush their teeth.
- Giving every American a free pony.
- Using zombies to create clean energy.
- Making people aware of a possible zombie apocalypse.
- Researching how to travel through time.
Before 2020, Supreme mostly avoided serious political topics. But for his 2020 presidential campaign, he started talking about more serious issues. He has run for different political parties, including the Republicans, Democrats, and Libertarians.
Supreme has shared some of his deeper political thoughts. He has said he leans towards anarchism. This is a belief that society can work without a government. He thinks people should take responsibility for themselves and help each other. He believes in "mutual aid," which means people supporting and caring for their fellow citizens.
He sees his funny campaigns as a way to respond to what he calls "lies" from the media and government.
Vermin Supreme's Political Campaigns
Vermin Supreme has been involved in politics for a long time.
Early Political Steps
In 1986, Supreme joined the Great Peace March for Global Nuclear Disarmament. This march protested nuclear weapons. His first political campaign was for Mayor of Baltimore in 1987. He said he ran mainly to have a project to work on.
Running for President
Supreme has run in every presidential election since 1992.
2004 Presidential Campaign
In 2004, Supreme ran in the Washington, D.C. presidential primary. He received 149 votes.
2008 Presidential Campaign
Supreme also ran in the New Hampshire Republican primary in 2008. He received 41 votes.
2012 Presidential Campaign
For the 2012 election, Supreme ran as a Democrat. He was supported by the Good Humor Party.
He took part in a debate with other lesser-known candidates. He even "glitterbombed" another candidate, Randall Terry. This means he threw glitter on him.
In the Iowa Democratic caucuses, he received 1.4% of the votes. In the New Hampshire Democratic Primary, he received 833 votes.
Supreme also joined protests against NATO in Chicago in May 2012. He visited a high school in Maine to talk about his campaign style.
In August 2012, he announced his new political party, the Free Pony Party. He said Jimmy McMillan would be his running mate.
2016 Presidential Campaign
Supreme tried to run for president again in 2016. He traveled to 20 cities to gain support. He filed to be a candidate in the New Hampshire Democratic primary.
He was not invited back to the Lesser-Known Democratic Candidates Presidential Forum. This was partly because of the glitter bombing incident in 2011. Before the primary, he questioned Republican candidates Chris Christie and Ted Cruz. He jokingly accused Christie of hating ponies. He also asked Cruz if water used in waterboarding should have fluoride.
Supreme received 256 votes in the New Hampshire primary. After this, he switched to the Libertarian Party.
2020 Presidential Campaign
Supreme ran for president again in 2020, this time as a Libertarian. This campaign was more serious than his past ones. His slogan was "In On The Joke."
While he still used humor, he focused more on real political issues. He called for ending foreign wars. He also supported reducing the number of people in jail, which he called his top priority. About the COVID-19 pandemic, Supreme criticized President Donald Trump. He said Trump should have paid more attention to the virus. He also joked that he would make COVID-19 illegal.
He won the Libertarian primary in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He later dropped out when Jo Jorgensen became the Libertarian Party's nominee. Interestingly, Supreme's running mate, Spike Cohen, was chosen as the Libertarian vice presidential nominee.
2024 Presidential Campaign
Supreme is running for president again in 2024. This time, he is seeking the Democratic nomination. He has appeared at forums for lesser-known candidates. He placed fifth in the New Hampshire Democratic primary.
In June 2024, the US Pirate Party officially supported Supreme's campaign. He was also nominated by the Conservative Party of Delaware. This means he will be on the general election ballot in Delaware.
Other Campaigns
In 2018, Supreme showed interest in running for Governor of Kansas. Kansas had very few rules for running for office. Because several teenagers were running, Supreme decided to run for Attorney General instead. He liked that Kansas had loose rules for running for office. However, he was eventually not allowed to run because he did not live in Kansas. His home is in Massachusetts.
In August 2020, Supreme announced he would run as a write-in candidate for the Libertarian nomination. This was for the 2020 Massachusetts senatorial election.
The "Right to Pony" Protest
In December 2017, Hillary Clinton planned to visit Concord, New Hampshire. She was on a book tour for her new book, What Happened. Vermin Supreme decided to hold a protest outside the bookstore.
His protest was called a "pony protest." He planned to bring at least one pony. Supreme has always promised ponies to people if he gets elected. He believes Clinton does not like ponies enough. When Supreme asked for a permit for his protest, the police told the city to deny his request.
In response, Supreme said he had a "right to pony." He hired a lawyer to sue the city of Concord. The lawyer was known for defending First Amendment rights (freedom of speech). The court sided with Supreme. It ordered the city to give him a permit. He was allowed to protest and bring ponies. He just had to pay for pony parking at the same rate as cars.
When Supreme held his pony protest, it became a parade. More than 1,000 people attended the book signing and protest.
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Vermin Supreme in Films and TV
Vermin Supreme has appeared in several films and TV shows, often playing himself.
| Title | Year | Role | Genre |
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| Subdue the Universe | 1997 | Himself | Documentary |
| Winning New Hampshire | 2004 | Himself | Documentary |
| 2008 Uncut | 2008 | Himself | TV series |
| Vote Jesus: The Chronicles of Ken Stevenson (documentary) | 2009 | Ken Stevenson | Film |
| Learnin' with Vermin | 2012 | Himself | Educational |
| Who Is Vermin Supreme? An Outsider Odyssey | 2014 | Himself | Documentary |
| Rich Hall's Presidential Grudge Match | 2016 | Himself | Documentary |
About Vermin Supreme's Life
Vermin Supreme grew up near Boston, Massachusetts. He is the oldest of three children. He finished Gloucester High School in 1979. After high school, he moved to Baltimore to study art. He later left college and started booking bands for underground music clubs.
He legally changed his name to Vermin Supreme in the 1990s. In 2006, he donated one of his kidneys to his mother. She needed it because her kidneys were failing.
Supreme is married and does not have children. He lives in Rockport, Massachusetts.
See also
In Spanish: Vermin Supreme para niños
- List of frivolous political parties
- Pat Paulsen, often seen Presidential candidate
- Lord Buckethead, a British satirical candidate
- Screaming Lord Sutch, a satirical politician in the United Kingdom
- Count Binface, a British satirical candidate
- Rhinoceros Party, a satirical Canadian political party
- Situationism, an avant-garde social and political art movement which influenced Vermin Supreme
