Fred Karger
Fred Karger has been involved in politics for 35 years, although he has never ran for any official office. This makes him a relative outsider among his fellow contenders who have held more public positions. He is also the first openly gay presidential candidate from a major political party in American history.
Karger first began his political career in 1977 with the Dolphin Group, a political consulting firm, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. At Dolphin Group, he helped lead campaigns for numerous politicians. He has also served as a senior consultant on nine presidential campaigns, including Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Gerald Ford.
In 2008, Karger founded the watchdog organization Californians Against Hate to serve as a watchdog of major donors and organizations working to take away marriage equality in California during Proposition 8. As a gay rights activist and a Republican candidate for the 2012 election, Karger supports making marriage for gay and lesbian couples the "law of the land," as well as repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and ending the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
Karger’s name often does not appear in poll results. Instead, he is often categorized as “Other” indicating his lack of support among Republicans. It is unlikely he will secure the Republican nomination.
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Keep checking back with us for the latest information on Fred Karger and marriage equality.
Fred Karger's ad "Fed up" in New Hampshire that highlights his support for marriage equality:
On the Senate District 18 race:
"I have been a supporter of [Iowa Democratic Sen. Mike] Gronstal because of his heroic stance on marriage. So I call myself an independent Republican. I have supported Republicans and Democrats.
"I think it is important that the Senate remains in Democrat control, because of the marriage issue. I hate to be a single-issue voter like that, but I think it is very important that balance is there."
10/13/11, The Daily Iowan
On being the first openly gay presidential candidate:
"I realize it's historic that I filed for the Presidency of the United States yesterday. I'm now the first openly gay candidate to ever do so. But, you know, I'm way beyond on that. That's a part of me. I've come out of the closet so it's kind of interesting and newsworthy. But I want to talk about education reform. I want to talk about jobs first."
3/24/11, Fox40
On the Republican Party:
"We need to open up this party, and that's one of my reasons for running. The party should not be dominated by one faction or another. It should be open to all. We should not hyphenate Republicanism. So I'm in this. I want to change the Republican Party."
3/29/11, CBS
Fred Karger says "It Gets Better":
