A Texas man has legally changed his name to Literally Anybody Else and announced he is running for US president in the 2024 election.
Formerly known as Dustin Ebey, the 35-year-old is a US army veteran and seventh-grade math teacher in the suburbs of Dallas, and now has a Texas driver’s license to prove his name change.
He said he wanted to change his name because he was unsatisfied with this year’s presidential candidates, Joe Biden and Donald Trump.
“Three hundred million people can do better,” he said in reference to the two frontrunners for the nation’s highest office. “There really should be some outlet for people like me who are just so fed up with this constant power grab between the two parties that just has no benefit to the common person.
“It’s not necessarily about me as a person, but it’s about literally anybody else as an idea,” he told news outlet WFAA88.
He needs 113,000 signatures from non-primary voters in the state of Texas by May to get his new name on ballots. Since that is unlikely, he is campaigning to get people to write in his name.
“We don’t have a ‘neither’ option on the ballot, and this kind of fills that role,” he said.
The candidate’s website says: “Literally Anybody Else isn’t a person, it’s a rally cry.
“For too long have Americans been a victim of its political parties putting party loyalty over governance. Together let’s send the message to Washington and say, ‘You will represent or be replaced.’
“America should not be stuck choosing between the “King of Debt” (his self-declaration) and an 81-year old.”
Man changed name to ‘Literally Anybody Else’ & is now running for president
Mr. Else is a North Richland Hills teacher and an Army vet. His candidacy? A protest to what Democrats and Republicans are offering Americans for the White House.
DALLAS, Texas — Before a Dallas Stars hockey game at the American Airlines Center last week, fans were met by an ordinary, eager-looking guy wearing a TCU ballcap and a shirt that read ‘Literally Anybody Else 2024’ by the steps of PNC Plaza.
His mission? Impossible. But the sentiment driving it all? Wholly relatable, sympathetic, and engaging to many voters who don’t want to see former President Trump or now President Biden win the race for the White House come November.
That guy’s name in the TCU ballcap is first name: Literally. Middle name: Anybody. Last name: Else.
Not joking.
Watch the full interview with Literally Anybody Else here:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=jEAQ-76QY8M%3Frel%3D0
He’s a 35-year-old Birdville ISD 7th grade math teacher and Army veteran who legally changed his name to ‘Literally Anybody Else’ earlier this year to run for president in the first year he’s eligible to do so.
We checked — a Tarrant County judge signed off on the name change, though Mr. Else mentioned they weren’t amused.
“This isn’t about me ‘Literally Anybody Else’ more so as it is an idea. We can do better out of 300 million people for president,” Mr. Else said.
Mr. Else has already filed with the Federal Election Commission. He was at the game stumping for signatures to try and land on Texas’ November ballot as an independent presidential candidate.
It’s still possible at this point but immensely difficult.
Credit: WFAA
A photo of Literally Anybody Else’s Texas license.
“I’m not delusional. This will be very hard to do, but it’s not impossible. My hope is to have Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and then Literally Anybody Else right underneath,” Mr. Else said. “I really want there to be an outlet for folks like me who are just so fed up with this constant power grab between two parties that has no benefit for the common person.”
Per the state–an application to be on the ballot as an independent candidate must be submitted with a petition and both documents must be filed on or before May 13, 2024.
Potential candidates can start gathering signatures for their petition after March 5, 2024. But there’s a massive hurdle: the petition must have 113,151 signatures from registered voters who did *not vote in the presidential primary of either party in Texas.
Other states have similar requirements and deadlines for independent candidates. So, it will be doubtful that Else gets this accomplished in every territory voting for the next president. His best chance is to apply as a write-in candidate for the Lone Star State and others too.
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In Texas, a write-in candidate only has to register with the state, but hordes of signatures aren’t needed for the secretary of state to accept their votes if a voter writes their name down in November.
In other words, Mr. Else has to become a household name overnight even to have a chance in the big show–something he’s aware of.
“Write that name in–we don’t really have a ‘neither’ option on the ballot, and this fills that role,” Else said.
But Else’s candidacy feels more like a rallying cry against the current state of politics and who Republicans and Democrats are offering up to run the country.
In an ABC/Ipsos survey earlier this month, Americans were asked if they’d trust Trump, Biden, or neither to better lead the country as president. 36% of Americans said they trust Trump to do a better job, while 33% trust Biden more—and 30% trust neither.
That ‘neither’ group is the one Trump and Biden will be chasing after hard. People like Else.
Else, whose name was Dustin Ebey before the name change, feels like his candidacy isn’t about winning but sending a message.
To him, he wants voters who feel as he does to write ‘Literally Anybody Else’ as a statement of dissatisfaction.
“People are voting for the lesser of two evils, not someone they actually believe in or support,” Else said. “People should have the option to vote for someone who resembles and represents them, not the lesser of two evils. I reject that.”
Else was born in Fort Worth and grew up in Louisiana. He started off college at LSU but had to drop out and join the military because he ran out of money. He served in the Army from 2012 to 2018 and graduated from TCU with a focus in combined science, aided by military benefits.
Credit: WFAA
A photo of Dustin Ebey before he was ‘Literally Anybody Else.’
He worked as an insurance adjuster before becoming a math teacher. While in the military, he traveled quite a bit as an ambassador, singing in the U.S. Army Chorus.
He considers himself a centrist in his political beliefs, which is always ambiguous to many, but Else said he has beliefs from both the right and the left.
If you’d like to read more about his stances on healthcare, the border, and the economy–he has a website titled www.literallyanybodyelse.com
“I would love to get up on the debate stage and bring some reality to what’s happening. I’m there because both of them aren’t enough,” Else said.
But what happens after November? Does Else change his name? Do his students address him as such now?
Per Else, his students still call him by his new legal name because he wants to keep politics out of the classroom. His license will likely resemble his old one if his movement doesn’t gain steam.
But he’s going to march toward November, nonetheless.
“We have the responsibility to stand up for ourselves and say enough is enough. Let everyone know we’re not hopeless,” Else said. “If you want to accomplish something no one ever has–you have to do something no one’s ever done.”
Credit: WFAA
Literally Anybody Else stumping for signatures before a Stars game.
Looks like Texas voters may have another choice for president when they head to the ballots in November. In addition to Joe Biden and Donald Trump, voters could also see an option for Literally Anybody Else.
Ahead of the upcoming election, a 7th grade math teacher and U.S. Army veteran from North Richland Hills, Texas, has legally changed his name to Literally Anybody Else with the intention of running for president as an independent candidate, per multiple outlets including NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth and WFAA ABC 8. The 35-year-old was previously known as Dustin Ebey.
“For too long have Americans been a victim of its political parties putting party loyalty over governance. Together lets send the message to Washington and say, ‘You will represent the people or be replaced,’ ” Literally Anybody Else’s biography on his website reads.
“America should not be stuck choosing between the ‘King of Debt’ (his self-declaration) and an 81 year old. Literally Anybody Else isn’t just a person, it’s a rally cry. Join the movement in any way. Donate. Volunteer. Share with a Friend.”
Now hoping his campaign serves as a “beacon of hope and innovation,” the veteran has taken some big steps to get his name out there — and to get it legally changed.
As he told NBC DFW this week, the educator had his name changed in January to emphasize being discontent with this year’s presumptive Republican and Democratic candidates, noting that Americans want something “different” and “better.”
He even secured the LiterallyAnybodyElse.com domain name last year, and he has been selling T-shirts in a move which began as a joke and now has become quite serious as he campaigns to get his name on the ballot.
“I didn’t change my name when it was a joke. I would not have changed my name. My father-in-law puts it nicely that that juice was not worth the squeeze,” Literally Anybody Else told NBC DFW.
The outlet also notes that Literally Anybody Else will need 113,151 signatures of registered voters who didn’t vote in the primaries by May 13 to even continue his journey toward the White House, citing Texas law.
The candidate, who could be seen campaigning before a recent Dallas Stars hockey game while wearing a T-shirt featuring his new name, even has “Literally Anybody Else” printed on his driver’s license.
“There really should be some outlet for folks like me who are just so fed up with this constant power grab between the two parties, that has just no benefit to the common person,” Literally Anybody Else told the outlet.
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For those seriously considering Literally Anybody Else, his website offers a look at where he stands politically on affordable housing, small business success, health care, taxes and more.
The teacher, who WFAA noted started with “centrist” beliefs, emphasized how there isn’t a “neither” option on the ballot for people who share his hopes for an additional candidate.
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