A man from Texas has taken an extraordinary step in his dissatisfaction with the current political landscape by legally changing his name to "Literally Anybody Else" and declaring his candidacy for President of the United States in the 2024 election. The man, formerly known as Dustin Ebey, is a 35-year-old U.S. Army veteran and seventh-grade math teacher in the suburbs of Dallas. He now holds a Texas driver’s license that confirms his unique name change.
Explaining his decision, Mr. Else cited his frustration with the current presidential options, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, emphasizing that the population of over 300 million in the United States can offer better leadership choices. “Three hundred million people can do better,” he stated, expressing his exasperation with what he describes as a "constant power grab between the two parties that just has no benefit to the common person."
His presidential run, as Mr. Else clarified in an interview with local news outlet WFAA88, is less about his personal ambition and more about sparking a broader movement. He emphasized that his new name and candidacy symbolize a protest, not just against the individual politicians but against the prevailing system of political competition which he feels fails to genuinely serve the populace.
The practicalities of his campaign involve a significant challenge: he needs to collect 113,000 signatures from Texas residents who did not vote in the primary elections of either major party by May. Given the daunting nature of this task, Mr. Else is also encouraging voters to write his name on the ballot as a form of protest. He argues that his campaign offers a "neither" option, which is not typically available on the ballot.
The slogan on his campaign website reinforces this message: "Literally Anybody Else isn’t a person, it’s a rally cry." The site calls for an end to what it describes as the detrimental loyalty to political parties over effective governance, urging Americans to demand better representation or push for change. The site provocatively contrasts his candidacy with the shortcomings of the current candidates, labeling them as the "King of Debt" and criticizing the advanced age of one of the incumbents.
Through his unconventional approach, Mr. Else seeks to ignite a conversation about political accountability and representational adequacy in Washington, encouraging voters to think beyond the binary choices typically presented in American presidential elections.