News : Presidential Candidates on the 2024 Ballot

The two most popular candidates on the presidential ballot include of course Donald J. Trump and JD Vance on the Republican side of the ticket and Kamala D. Harris and Tim Walz on the Democratic side.

I don't think you probably need any background on those two. or probably this one, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Nicole Shanahan of the WTP or the We The People party. Kennedy announced that he was withdrawing from the race and looks to be joining Trump in Washington D.C. if Trump wins. The two will be working together as Kennedy would like to work toward improving the health in the country.

So just for fun, let's see what can be found out about the other lesser known candidates.

Chase Oliver and Mike ter Maat, Libertarian Party

Oliver is a 38-year-old Libertarian activist living in Atlanta. He claims to be dubbed "…the most influential Libertarian in America…" by Rolling Stone, Oliver is a champion of the rights of the individual against the growing power of the state.

Oliver takes "punniness" seriously. With his theme, "It's time to Chase your dreams" and the next section on his website, "Chase the vote" I was relieved to see that he was done chasing any more puns.

A Google search shows that he ran for Congress in Georgia in 2020, the Senate in 2022 and won a place on the Libertarian ballot after the 7th vote at the national convention for the 2024 ballot. There is no mention of a personal life other than he has a deep faith in the gospel, was formerly a democrat.

His VP candidate Mike ter Maat, has had a long history in politics from as far back as 1989. He was a Republican then and has served in the Office of Management and Budget. He ran in 2022 as an Independent for Congress in Florida. He also served as a police officer for 11.5 years in Florida and ran for the House of Representatives as an independent in 2021. He has a wife, two daughters and two dogs.

The website for this ticket can be seen here: Chase Oliver for President

Claudia De la Cruz and Karina Garcia, Party for Socialism and Liberation

This is the only all-woman and all Latino ticket.

De la Cruz began life in the South Bronx to immigrants from the Dominican Republic. She's a socialist American community organizer, theologian, and activists, a pastor, and activist for pro-Palestinian protests.

Their platform includes: "a pledge to support reparations for Black Americans, institute a single-payer healthcare system, end all U.S aid to Israel, forgive all student loan debt, fully recognize Native American sovereignty and honor treaty rights, cut the U.S. military budget by 90%, seize the 100 largest corporations, expand public transportation, and use taxation to eliminate billionaires

Karina Garcia is an organizer and educator. An activist she has lead campaigns against landlord abuses, wage theft, and police brutality, as well as fights for reproductive justice, immigrants rights and student financial aid reform. She is a member of the Central Committee of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

William P. Stodden and Stephanie H. Cholensky, Socialist Party

Stodden (Iowa) platform can be seen here. On The Issues. It appears to be a random collection of ideas he's gathered since childhood. He also holds a "Ph.D. in Political Science from Southern Illinois University and has served on the faculty of ND State, Concordia College among several other universities. Bill has particular expertise on the 1959 Cuban Revolution." That's about all you'll find out about him.

It appears that running mate Cholensky (Minnesota) has been heavily involved in the Socialist party for a bit more than 20 years. There is not much about their personal lives other than Cholensky has a cat.

Here's Stodden's website: About Stodden & Cholensky

Shiva Ayyadurai and Crystal Ellis (No party)

Shiva says on his page that he came to the United States at the age of seven, and addresses how he can still be president HERE. Overall he appears to be a pretty intelligent guy. He said that he invented email, but that claim looks to be debunked. He is pretty antisemetic, hates "imperialist" wars and has some interesting ideas. Trust me if you're bored, it's definitely worth a gander at the platform. He also has some ideas like this one that states, "The Swarm has an international organization and oppresses working people all over the world." I have no idea who the "swarm" is. I stopped reading at the defense section of his platform.

He does say he is pro-choice...AND pro-life.

As for his personal life, it appears that he had a short-lived relationship with Fran Drescher but no one else seems to pop up since 2016.

There seems to be nothing about Ellis to be found, at least not in the first few pages of searching, there than she is from Massachusetts.

To find out more about Dr. Shiva, here's a link to his website.

About Dr.SHIVA | Dr.SHIVA For U.S. President 2024