Deez Nuts was a

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or ...

presidential candidate, portrayed by Brady C. Olson (born ), who ran in the

2016 United States presidential election The 2016 United States presidential election was the 58th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. The Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana governor Mike Pence defeated the Democratic ticke ...

. His form to run for office was filed with the

Federal Election Commission The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency of the United States whose purpose is to enforce campaign finance law in United States federal elections. Created in 1974 through amendments to the Federal Election Cam ...

in late July 2015. In polls conducted by

Public Policy Polling Public Policy Polling (PPP) is an American polling firm affiliated with the Democratic Party. Founded in 2001 by businessman Dean Debnam, the firm is based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Debnam currently serves as president and CEO of PPP, while T ...

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

, and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

in mid-August 2015, he polled at 8, 8, and 9 percent respectively, garnering the attention of the media. On October 11, 2015, Deez Nuts announced on his Facebook page his intention to run for

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the ...

, citing his eligibility despite not being a member of the House itself and the scarcity of candidates. A poll performed in mid-August 2016 showed Deez Nuts slightly edging out Jill Stein and

Harambe Harambe (May 27, 1999 – May 28, 2016) was a western lowland gorilla who lived at the Cincinnati Zoo from 2014 to 2016, and previously at the Gladys Porter Zoo for 15 years. On May 28, 2016, a three-year-old boy climbed into a gorilla enclosu ...

—the latter of whom was a deceased gorilla—in Texas with 3% of the vote. Nuts' bid for the presidency drew attention to the number of questionable candidates who had filed to run for office.Kaplan, Rebecca (July 28, 2015)
Deez Nuts is running for president
, ''

CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio service CBS. CBS News television programs include the '' CBS Evening News'', '' CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs '' CBS News Sunday Morning'', '' 60 Minutes'', and '' 4 ...

''Fang, Marina (August 4, 2015)
'Deez Nuts' And 'Sydneys Voluptuous Buttocks' Are Running For President, Because Why Not
, ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

''Fuller, Jaime (August 19, 2015)
Poll Numbers Improving for 15-Year-Old Presidential Candidate 'Deez Nuts'
, ''

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

'' Jim Williams, an analyst at Public Policy Polling, the organization that had conducted the poll in North Carolina, noted to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' that, due to a fringe of the population with a penchant towards

anti-establishment An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society. The term was first used in the modern sense in 1958, by the British magazine ''New Statesman'' ...

candidates, "You could call he third party candidateanything, and they would get their 7% or 8%." It was revealed on August 19, 2015 that "Deez Nuts" was 15-year-old Brady C. Olson of

Wallingford, Iowa Wallingford is a city in Emmet County, Iowa, United States. The population was 197 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Wallingford was platted in 1882. Geography Wallingford is located at (43.319163, -94.793331). According to ...

. He stated, in an interview with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine, that he created the practical joke "half-trying to break the two-party system, half-frustration with the front-runners." Olson also endorsed Vermont Senator

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 20 ...

for the Democratic nomination and Ohio Governor

John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...

for the Republican nomination. Olson has expressed

libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's en ...

views. Olson did not meet the minimum age requirement of 35 years at the time of inauguration to be able to serve as president if elected following the 2016 elections, according to Section 1 of

Article Two of the United States Constitution Article Two of the United States Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government, which carries out and enforces federal laws. Article Two vests the power of the executive branch in the office of the president of the Unite ...

. In August 2016, the

announced its intent to punish future satirical candidates for president for false filings with a federal agency.

Endorsements

Deez Nuts was endorsed by hip-hop artist

Warren G Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper and producer known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. Along with Snoop Dogg and ...

, who had created the original skit "Deeez Nuuuts" as part of a song on

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and w ...

's album ''

The Chronic ''The Chronic'' is the debut studio album by the American hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his record label Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place in ...

''. Rapper Ice-T also endorsed Deez Nuts. Deez Nuts endorsed

and

for the respective 2016 Democratic and Republican presidential nominations.

Polling

Deez Nuts first gained media attention from being included in a Public Policy Polling survey as a joke.

Nationwide

Statewide

North Carolina

Texas

Utah

Aftermath

Olson later enrolled at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 co ...

to study finance. In 2019, he told ''

The Gazette The Gazette (stylized as the GazettE), formerly known as , is a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in Kanagawa in early 2002.''Shoxx'' Vol 106 June 2007 pg 40-45 The band is currently signed to Sony Music Records. Biography 2002: Conception a ...

'', "I don't foresee ever running again."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nuts, Deez Living people People from Emmet County, Iowa 2015 in American politics American libertarians Iowa Independents Practical jokes Candidates in the 2016 United States presidential election 21st-century American politicians Year of birth missing (living people)