Frisbee-throwing Karger Enlivens N.H. GOP Primary

Undeterred by his exclusion from last Thursday’s Republican presidential debate in South Carolina, Fred Karger has launched a new television commercial in New Hampshire, a light-hearted and upbeat spot featuring the little-known presidential aspirant tossing a Frisbee while introducing himself to the state’s Republican voters.

The ad is debuting this week on WMUR-TV in Manchester. The ad, which will also be aired for a full week on cable television stations throughout the Granite State, highlights Karger’s campaign theme of “Bringing Back the American Spirit — Optimism and Getting Along.”

It also directs viewers to his campaign web site.

Dubbed “Demon Frisbee,“ Karger’s campaign produced 30-second and 60-second versions of the commercial. A longer version of the ad can be seen here.

Created by award-winning filmmaker John Keitel, the zany commercial is being augmented by an ambitious door-to-door campaign in the state. This past weekend, Karger and his supporters visited several hundred homes at the famous Dartmouth Green where they distributed hundreds of “Fred Frisbees.” They were accompanied by bagpiper Kirk Brunson.

Most of those going door-to-door with Karger were young college students, vaguely reminiscent of 1968 when college students from across the country, including a young Hillary Rodham Clinton, flocked to New Hampshire for peace candidate Eugene McCarthy.

Karger, whose fledgling candidacy had reportedly raised more than $179,000 through March 31, is the first openly gay man to seek a major-party presidential nomination.

Though he faces a difficult road ahead, his campaign is beginning to be noticed, as evidenced by his 1% showing nationally in a Fox News Poll released in late April. Incredibly, he tied Gary Johnson, the libertarian-leaning ex-governor of New Mexico, and former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, President Obama’s former ambassador to China, in that poll.

It was the first national poll that included Karger’s name among the growing list of potential Republican presidential candidates.

Karger, 61, was delighted by his unexpected showing. “As the first out gay candidate to ever run for President of the United States, this is truly historic,” he said, adding that there was “only one way to go but up!”

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