Saturday Afternoon at Brooklyn College: Bernie Sanders Kicks Off His Presidential Campaign at the Quadrangle

(Video courtesy Erin Sheridan for The Indypendent)

A 21-Year-Old’s Diary Entries From Mid-July, 1972 | Thought Catalog

 A 21-Year-Old’s Diary Entries From Mid-July, 1972 | Thought Catalog

DIARY OF A CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE by Richard Grayson now available at Amazon Kindle store

Richard Grayson's Diary of a Congressional Candidate is now available at Amazon's Kindle Store for 99¢.

The product description is taken from the Kirkus Discoveries review of a previous print edition of the material:

A witty campaign diary by a wannabe Congressman far too clever to ever be elected. In the spring of 2004, Grayson announced his bid to unseat the firmly entrenched Republican incumbent in Florida’s fourth Congressional district. Grayson’s long-shot run was made even longer by a number of factors: First, a South Floridian, Grayson had neither the time nor the money to travel to the Florida fourth, located on the Georgia border. Second, unable to afford the $9,000 filing fee, he could only run as a write-in candidate. Third, he was a gay, pro-choice, anti-war, anti-death-penalty liberal running for office in the state’s most conservative district. Grayson chronicled his efforts as a “mock-challenger” in a series of postings on McSweeney’s Internet Tendency website, and here he collects these postings in a slim, delectable volume. The author’s wry deadpan punctuates almost every entry. Funny and devastatingly incisive.

Askew Reviews reviews Richard Grayson's WRITE-IN: DIARY OF A CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE IN FLORIDA'S FOURTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Askew Reviews has a review by Dennis Sheehan of Richard Grayson's WRITE-IN: Diary of a Congressional Candidate in Florida's Fourth Congressional District:

Richard Grayson is your average Joe who works for a living, enjoys music, and decides to run a write in campaign for Congress against an uncontested, popular incumbent Republican, Ander Crenshaw. Richard has no campaign dollars and no endorsements, but he has balls large enough to fight for what he believes is right and the guts to do something about it. The diary chronicles Grayson's campaign run from May 7, 2004 to Nov. 3, 2007. Grayson details several interviews he granted, the dealings with obnoxious surveys by nationwide political groups, and the coincidences of several political appointments of Crenshaw's staff. Along the way, Grayson also dives into the 2000 Presidential election, some personal life stuff, and thoughts on various social issues.

Richard Grayson is a Democrat's Democrat and whether you agree or disagree with his views, you have to admire his running for office against a very strong candidate. Political junkies will enjoy the easy flow of the book and the "normal" account of running for elected office. Republicans will throw their arms up in the air with Grayson's thoughts, but also gloat in his loathing over what happened with the national and Florida state elections in 2004. Dems will cheer on Grayson and agree 100 percent with his hatred and annoyance with the opposite party. Personally, I enjoyed the read and found it magnificently interesting, but some of his writing is a bit whiney in a sore loser kind of way. Concerning the results of the 2004 national and Florida state elections, Grayson writes "The people have spoken, the subhuman douche bags." The fairly large text font and paragraph spacing makes for a quick read, but Grayson minces no words and has a lot to offer in the 105 pages.

Florida Times-Union reports on Richard Grayson's urging Florida Democrats to vote for "Undecided" in 1988 Presidential Primary

The Florida Times-Union reports today (Thursday, February 25, 1998) on Richard Grayson's urging Florida Democrats to vote for "Undecided" in 1988 presidential primary.

Federal Election Commisson issues advisory opinion on Richard Grayson's candidacy for Vice President

The Federal Election Commission has issued an advisory opinion to Richard Grayson regarding his candidacy for the Vice Presidential nomination in the 1980 New Hampshire Democratic primary:

October 5, 1979

CERTIFIED MAIL
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
ADVISORY OPINION 1979-43

Mr. Richard Grayson
1607 East 56th Street
Brooklyn, New York 11234

Dear Mr. Grayson:

This is in response to your letters of July 21 and 31, 1979, requesting an advisory opinion on the applicability of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended, ("the Act") to your candidacy in the New Hampshire Presidential Preference Primary.

Your letter states that you are a candidate for thenomination of the Democratic Party for the office of Vice President of the United States. You add that you are planning to circulate petitions to have your name on the ballot in "the 1980 New Hampshire Vice Presidential Preference Primary on the Democratic side." Since you are a candidate for Vice President, and since SS 100.6(b) (1) (ii) of Commission regulations speaks only of presidential preference primaries, you ask whether the "New Hampshire Vice Presidential Preference Primary" would be considered an "election" under the Act.

An "election" is defined in the Act to include a "general, special, primary, or runoff election". 2 U.S.C. SS 431(a) (1). Commission regulations go on to state that a primary election is an election held prior to a general election" as a direct result of which" candidates are nominated for election to Federal office, or which "is held to elect delegates to a national nominating convention." See 11 CFR 100.6(b) (1) (i), and (iii).

Under New Hampshire law, its presidential primary shall be held "for the purpose of determining the preferred candidates for president and vice president to be selected at the national conventions of the various political parties."1/ While New Hampshire law permits the separate designation of presidential and vice presidential candidates, the allocation of delegates among candidates is based upon the percentage of vote received by presidential candidates only, and only presidential candidates may designate delegates to be certified.

2/
The candidate of the Democratic Party for the office of Vice President is nominated at the Democratic National Convention, and not "as a direct result" of the New Hampshire Vice Presidential Primary. Furthermore, because the New Hampshire Vice Presidential primary does not elect delegates to a national nominating convention, the Commission concludes that such Vice Presidential primary is not an "election" under the Act or Commission regulations.

In the circumstances presented here, the "primary election" for candidates for the Democratic nomination for the office of Vice President is considered to be the Democratic National Convention since that convention has the authority to select a nominee. See 11 CFR 100.6(d) See also Advisory Opinions 1976-58, and 1978-30 copies enclosed. Therefore, limitations on contributions to Democratic Vice Presidential candidates apply separately with respect to two "elections", the Democratic National Convention and the general election.

See 2 U.S.C. SS 441a. Similarly reporting requirements relating to the filing of 10 Day Pre-Election and 30 Day Post-Election Reports would be met with the timely filing of such reports before and after the two "elections" noted above. 2 U.S.C. SS 434(b). See also Commission regulations at 11 CFR 104.4.

This response constitutes an advisory opinion concerning the application of a general rule of law stated in the Act, or prescribed as a Commission regulation, to the specific factual situation set forth in your request. See 2 U.S.C. SS 437f.

1/ N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. SS 58:1
2/ See N.H. Rev. Stat. Ann. SS 57:5, SS 57:8

Asbury Park Press features news article on Richard Grayson's campaign for Vice President: "He'll Be No. 2 on Anybody's Ticket"

Today, August 6, 1979, the Asbury Park Press features a story, "He'll Be No. 2 on Anybody's Ticket," about Richard Grayson's candidacy for the 1980 Democratic nomination for President.