About 20 mostly unknown candidates for president presented their cases to voters Thursday at St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H.
Continuing a 50-year tradition of hosting lesser known candidates, the New Hampshire Institute of Politics brought together 14 Democrats and six Republicans vying for their parties’ nominations with long-shot bids.
It just costs $1,000 to qualify for New Hampshire’s ballot, much lower than other states, leading to the glut of lesser-known candidates. Nearly 50 people will be on the ballot in New Hampshire between both primaries.
While most candidates on the stage took the opportunity seriously — and laid out policy platforms and issues important to them — others notably did not.
“Vermin Supreme will take away your guns, and give you better ones,” iconic long-shot candidate Vermin Supreme said. “These better guns will shoot marshmallows, but they will still be lethal.”
Supreme’s 2024 campaign is his ninth run, and it’s for his third political party, at different points pursuing the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian nominations. Famous for wearing a rubber boot on his head, Supreme has made numerous headlines for his advocacy for time travel research and human-pony chimeras.
Musician and perennial candidate Paperboy Love Prince also featured at the event. A one-time progressive candidate for a New York congressional district and New York City mayor, Prince said their candidacy was focused on spreading love.
Dressed in a flamboyant red outfit, a turban and wearing a Game Boy as a chain, Prince gave an impassioned speech advocating for universal basic income and a unique $1 million love grant policy.
“The politicians and leaders are doing theater on us. We need to start spreading love, and we need to do that in a major way,” they said. “We need policies that give positive reinforcement. The same way that you can get a ticket for doing something bad or doing something negative, you should be able to get a love ticket for doing something positive in your community and helping out your fellow people.”
The stage also featured businessmen, academics and retirees from all over the country.
“I’ve lived in 11 different cities and two countries, and in the wisdom I’ve gained from all of these places, I’ve learned that everyone in those communities values their family, their friends, and their community most of all,” said Gabriel Cornejo, a Democratic presidential candidate.
Others pledged to fight against crime and gun violence.
“Too many young people are being gunned down in our country every day, too many people are losing their children, and too many people are losing their parents in this country,” said Darius Mitchell, a Republican candidate.
The New Hampshire primary, the second vote of the election cycle, is set for Jan. 23.