How May People are Running for President? At Least 150

The average American voter may find it overwhelming to know they have to put up with the nightmare of realizing there are 10 Republicans and eight Democrats currently seeking the job of being the next President of the United States and who have been actively campaigning for that job practically to the day the last presidential election concluded in November 2004.

But wait. That's only the top tier of presidential aspirants who have held or are presently occupying some type of prominent public office which gives them national exposure. There are many, many other candidates seeking the nation's top political job. And most of them are still unknown to the voters of the country as they try to get their message of availability to entice the masses to vote for them.

In fact, there are at least 150 plus candidates who have filed the necessary paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to replace George W. Bush as our nation's leader on January 20, 2009. And what's even more surprising about these many dozens of wannabe presidential aspirants seeking that esteemed political position that comes with a free house and large airplane is that perennial candidate Lyndon LaRouche is not one of those running for high office this time around after failing to win during his eight previous tries for high office.

Some of these fringe candidates who've filed their intentions with the FEC have no apparent website, no toll free telephone number or no known organization promoting their campaign. So it's unclear what their motives would be in seeking the presidency. But the many others who are running are doing their best through their travels across the country in promoting their candidacy and explaining to the voters on why they believe they should be selected as this nation's 44th president.

A few of those unknowns are seeking the nomination of either the Republican or Democratic Party while many are trying for the ultimate political brass ring through many of the lesser known political parties this country has. Yet some are campaigning to get themselves chosen as this nation's next chief executive through the write-in process by having voters place their name on the blank space made available on most of the states' voting ballots.

In the United States, anyone can run for the job of being our president as long as they meet the requirements of the Constitution which require a candidate to be born in the United States, is at least 35 years old at the time of his/her inauguration and has lived in this country for at least 14 years.

But meeting that criteria just let's you know you're qualified to accept the job once chosen. You still have to get elected by winning at least 270 Electoral College electors in the 50 states and District of Columbia.

So when you decide to run, you must file the necessary paperwork with the FEC to let them know you are a legitimate candidate once you or your supporters raise at least $5000 in contributions for your campaign. And at that point you must follow their rules in how to spend the money you collect. You must also keep track of all funds gathered and are required to also reveal your own personal wealth so the masses can find out all about you and how much you owe your creditors.

To date, only 19 of those candidates who have stated their intentions with the Federal Election Commission have reached the $5000 threshold and have filed the necessary paperwork detailing their donations, per records at the FEC's website. Most of those are the top tier candidates one sees every night on the evening news.

But once the money starts coming in, you must then decide how you are going to get your name on the ballot of each state by attaining the nomination of one of the political parties registered in that state. Or you can do it by running as an independent and meeting the various thresholds each state requires to put such a candidate's name on their election roster.

If you go the party route, you must win the nomination of your political organization, be they Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green or any of the other political entities with a built-in organization so your name will be among those whom the voters get to choose from in November, 2008.

The New Hampshire primary will be the nation's first for registered voters in the nation and is set to occur in January for those candidates solely running on the Democratic or Republican Party ticket.

And this being a typical government function, there is much paperwork required by the New Hampshire Secretary of State's office before one officially becomes a candidate. So those still considering their chances with a candidacy should know that the filing period for New Hampshire's presidential major party primary has yet to pass and will occur between Nov 5-16, 2007.

Each hopeful running must file a declaration of candidacy along with a filing fee of $1000. Those aspirants on a budget who can prove their lack of finances to the satisfaction of New Hampshire's Secretary of State may have their name placed on the two parties' ballots after getting a required number of signatures on candidate petitions from each county in the state.

The only candidate from those 19 who has raised money requiring FEC oversight, yet is not generally known to the public is John Cox of Illinois who had amassed over $700,000 by the end of the first quarter of 2007.

Cox was born and raised in the Land of Lincoln where he attained a degree in law. He was part of an investment group that purchased a potato chip company in the 1980's called Jay Foods where he helped turn around that business from where it was losing money to making a healthy profit. He has been a big Republican Party supporter in that state but has been unsuccessful in winning several local races in the last few years before he decided to run for president in 2006.

Cox has participated in several of the early debates in Iowa and New Hampshire with many of the better known candidates. But he was not allowed to take part in Fox News Channel's May 15 televised debate in South Carolina, despite threatening legal action against that network's rules on who gets exposure because he was deemed by them as not having enough public support. He also did not get to participate in the more recent June 5 discussion by the GOP hopefuls in New Hampshire which was broadcast on CNN because of the same stipulation.

Other Republican hopefuls listed as candidates on the New Hampshire Secretary of State's website include a woman from Ohio named Millie Howard who has run for high office several times before and an Illinois based retired naval veteran named James C. Mitchell, Jr.

And there are two fellows with the moniker of Smith who are running; one being Michael Charles Smith who is mainly campaigning in his home state of Oregon because he has limited funds and Richard Michael Smith of Texas who says he is running for high office because 'our elected representatives have abandoned the interests of the people. It's time to negate the special interest groups and make public policy benefiting the people instead of a privileged few.'

On the Democratic side, besides the eight better known candidates seeking that party's nomination is Karl E. Krueger of South Dakota with an aim of putting the nation on a course of energy independence within ten years of his taking office.

He stated in an interview that he wants to make alternative energy his number one campaign issue. He believes our country's perpetual oil shortage is the cause of the Iraq War and most of this nation's problems stems from our constant meddling into the affairs of the Middle East.

"I call them symptoms of the problem, our dependence on oil," he expressed.

Krueger's second campaign issue is addressing the never-ending flow of campaign money to the nation's federal politicians.

"We have as front runners people that are front runners by the virtue of their ability to raise money," he lamented. "This process is plain and simple bribe taking. They cannot represent the people of this country because they owe the money contributors. I am the only candidate that limits contributions to $50."

Another issue that concerns Krueger is the lack of military experience by all of the major presidential candidates.

"It would make more sense to appoint a Supreme Court Justice with no law experience than a commander-in-chief with no military experience," he said of the situation.

And Krueger believes he could get more done as president as an outsider than someone who has been in the system and part of the problem for many years.

"It would be much easier to work with both parties once elected as an outsider than coming into the office with pre-existing backgrounds of political infighting and owing political favors to the money brokers in this nation," he stated.

And there's always the possibility of America having another John Kennedy taking residence in the White House in two years. No, it's not someone from this generation of the famous Massachusetts political family. Instead, this potential future chief executive currently running is named John Joseph Kennedy and has no relation to the late 35th president. He is campaigning as a write-in candidate on a platform that includes free universal health care for all American citizens.