Fred Karger, the openly gay GOP
presidential candidate, says he doubts he'll be allowed to
participate in an upcoming Republican presidential debate in South
Carolina, but will continue to fight.
The 61-year-old Karger announced he's
running for president as a Republican on March 23.
“Today is a very significant day for
my community and me,” Karger said in announcing his candidacy. “I
have just submitted my papers to the Federal Election Commission,
making me the first candidate to file for the 2012 Republican
nomination for President.
In 2008, Karger founded Californians
Against Hate, a group that led boycotts against major donors to
Proposition 8, California's voter-approved gay marriage ban.
During his exploratory phase, Karger
stumped in early caucus states New Hampshire and Iowa, and released
ads in those states.
The GOP – and to an extent the
mainstream media – has so far largely ignored Karger's candidacy.
Party
leaders in Iowa have proved hostile to the idea of an openly gay
candidate.
And an invitation to participate in a
May 5 presidential debate in South Carolina also appears to be biased
against Karger.
While Karger acknowledges that he has
not received the 1 percent national polling average requirement set
by the South Carolina GOP, he points out that neither has former
Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer, who is set to participate in the Fox
News-televised debate.
The chances of getting into the debate
are “slim,” Karger told On Top Magazine in an email, then
added, “but I had a very good meeting with Joel Sawyer, executive
director of the South Carolina Republican Party on Thursday.”
The political
adviser-turned-activist-turned-candidate has launched LetFredIn.com,
a website that urges South Carolina GOP leaders to let him
participate in the debate.