Truth Squad 2020 - Top 200 List

These "Top 200" highlights are from Fred Karger's historic 2 1/2 year full-time campaign for president as the first major-party openly gay candidate to run. We’re calling it the Good, the Rad and the Ugly. Check them out!! Think you’ll agree that Fred was a serious, major and often viable candidate for president when he ran in the 2012 GOP Primaries.

1. Sir David Frost thought Fred was a major candidate for president when he interviewed him in May of 2012

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In 1977 Sir David Frost was the first journalist to interview Richard Nixon after his resignation. 35 years later he interviewed Fred Karger and said, "The US has the first openly gay candidate from a major political party to make a bid for the White House" Watch the full interview here.

2. Rachel Maddow thought Fred was a serious candidate for president, she interviewed and featured Fred on her show 5 times

Rachel Maddow had Fred as a guest on her #1 rated MSNBC show many times during his campaign and would always introduce Fred as "the first openly gay candidate for president of the United States."

3. The Associated Press thought Fred was a viable candidate for president when they covered him signing up to be on the New Hampshire GOP Primary ballot

Associated Press

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner welcomed Fred as the first in person candidate to enter the NH Presidential Primary on October 17, 2011.

4. CBS News thought Fred was a major candidate for president - they interviewed him several times in their Washington, DC studios

CBS News

Nancy Cordes, CBS News' Chief Congressional Correspondent interviewed Fred the day he filed for president on March 23, 2011.

5. This year Politico made sure that America knew Fred was the first major openly gay candidate to run for president

Eugene Daniels interviewed Fred in New York on all the challenges he faced running as the first openly gay major-party candidate in history and doing so in the Republican primaries in 2012.

6. National Pollsters knew Fred was a viable presidential candidate when they included him as one of 11 GOP candidates in their national and state polling

Via advocate.com

Fred was tied with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and often ahead of or tied with Governor's, Rick Perry, Gary Johnson, Jon Huntsman and Buddy Roemer

7. The Big Think thought Fred was a serious candidate for president

Fred was one of a select group of politicians interviewed by Big Think in 2011, including President Jimmy Carter.

8. The media thought Fred was a major candidate for president when he beat Mitt Romney and Donald Trump in the first New Hampshire straw poll St. Anselm Straw Poll

Via dailycaller.com

Fred surprised a lot of pundits, when he beat 18 other Republican candidates in the St. Anselm College election

9. Steve Scheffler, Iowa's #2 Republican, thought Fred was a viable candidate for president when he attacked him and threatened to "abort" his historic campaign

Via motherjones.com

Scheffler, also the head of the Iowa Christian Alliance, thought Fred's candidacy was serious enough that he emailed Fred and threatened to sink his campaign. Republican and Democratic leaders came to Fred's defense, "everyone is welcome in the Iowa Caucuses," they said.

10. MSNBC's Thomas Roberts knew Fred was a serious candidate for President when he interviewed him early on and called him the "anti-Romney candidate"

Via msnbc.com

This was Fred's first national television interview when he was just beginning his historic run for president.

11. Newsweek's 2019 interview of Fred confirmed that he was the first major openly gay candidate to run for president

Newsweek

Fred did a video interview with Newsweek and was asked to pen a Newsweek Op-Ed on his historic campaign in early 2019.

12. The Los Angeles Times thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when veteran political reporter Mark Barabak did a major profile on Fred

This was the first of several L A Times stories covering Fred's historic campaign as the first openly gay major-party candidate to run for president.

13. The Jerusalem Post thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when it ran this big front-page story on Fred's historic visit to Israel in May 2011

Via jpost.com

Yes, Fred was also the first Jewish Republican to ever run for President of the United States. During his five-day trip to the Middle East, Fred held many high-level meetings with government officials and LGBTQ leaders.

14. The Iowa Pork Produces knew Fred was a viable candidate for president when they invited him to grill and serve pork chops at the Iowa State Fair in August 2011

Via youtube.com

This coveted invitation is only extended to "major candidates for president." Unlike Mitt Romney did in 2008, Fred didn't drop a chop on the ground.

15. Karen Ocamb and Frontiers Magazine thought Fred was a serious candidate for president from day one

Los Angeles based Frontiers covered Fred's historic campaign for president from his announcement in New Orleans on April 10, 2010 through the last primary in Utah on June 26, 2012.

16. Buzzfeed thought Fred was a serious presidential candidate when they did this retrospective on his historic campaign

Buzzfeed was one of the first major press outlets to help correct the record and report that Fred was the first openly gay presidential candidate.

17. RNC Chairman Michael Steele thought Fred was a major presidential candidate when Fred introduced himself as the gay Shirley Chisholm

Via youtube.com

Michael Steele wished Fred well when the two men met at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans in March 2010 on the eve of Fred's announcement of his run.

18. Iowa's #1 station WHO-TV thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they did a big story profiling Rick Santorum and Fred, the first two candidates to attend the all-important Iowa State Fair in August 2010

WHO's Political reporter Dave Price did this great story on Fred and Rick as they both campaigned in Iowa. Rick went on to finish 2nd and Fred finished 9th out of the 11 major candidates running for the GOP nomination in 2012.

19. Radio host Bryan Fischer of American Family Radio knew Fred was a viable candidate for president when he interviewed him during the California Primary

Bryan, of the Alt-Right American Family Association, conducted a fascinating 30-minute interview with Fred, referring to him as a "homosexual rights advocate running for president."

20. RT thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they interviewed him on many occasions

Fred discussed a wide array of issues including health care reform, the economy and foreign policy during his many interviews on RT. Watch this one from the Alyona Show hosted by Alyona Minkovski.

21. Utah based Politic thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they interviewed him in Salt Lake City during the Utah GOP Primary

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Fred was the last GOP candidate standing to take on eventual nominee Mitt Romney in the final contest, the June 26, 2012 Utah Primary,

22. Peter Fox, writing for Tablet Magazine knew Fred was a major candidate for president when he did this great 2019 story on his historic campaign

Lots of news organizations are covering Fred's historic run from eight years ago, now that Mayor Pete Buttigieg is a top tier 2020 Democratic candidate for president.

23. WHO-Radio's Jan Mickelson, Iowa's #1 conservative talk-radio show host, thought Fred was a viable presidential candidate when he had him on his show six times, all for the full hour, between 2010 and 2012

Jan described Fred as "the Gay Rights Boogie Man of the GOP Presidential Race." The two became friends and Fred was a guest on Jan's show whenever he was in Iowa.

24. Mother Jones' Stephanie Mencimer called Fred the "frontrunner" after his upset victory in the first straw poll in New Hampshire

Fred campaigned at St. Anselm College and surprised a lot of people with his victory, finishing first and beating 18 other candidates including Mitt Romney and Donald Trump.

25. The Des Moines Register thought Fred was a major candidate for president, the all-important Iowa newspaper covered his historic campaign more than any other

Fred was invited to speak on the Des Moines Register Soapbox with all the other viable candidates for president at the 2011 Iowa State Fair.

26. The Agence France-Presse, the world's oldest news agency, thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they interviewed Fred from his home in Laguna Beach, CA

Hundreds of international journalists interviewed Fred during his historic run. News of Fred's campaign for president of the United States, as the first openly gay major-party candidate to do so, was covered all over the world.

27. New Hampshire Primary voters knew Fred was a serious candidate for president when they cast their ballots for him and he got more votes than Congresswoman Michele Bachmann

Fred's goal in the New Hampshire Primary was to beat Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum, Fred got more votes than Bachmann, but lost to Santorum, fresh from his victory the week after in the Iowa Caucuses.

28. NBC TV in Grand Rapids, Michigan thought Fred was a viable candidate for president when they interviewed him during the Michigan Primary

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Fred's place on the February 28, 2012 Michigan ballot, led the Karger campaign to base in East Lansing and campaign all over the state, often running into favorite son, Mitt Romney.

29. Stephen Sackur, host of BBC's HARDtalk thought Fred was a viable candidate for president when he interviewed Fred on his revered show at the BBC Studios in London

Fred was the only GOP presidential candidate to be interviewed by legendary BBC host Stephen Sackur, on HARDTalk, the "Meet the Press" of Great Britain.

30. Anabel Muñoz of KABC TV in Los Angeles thought Fred was a major candidate for president when she interviewed him this year on his historic candidacy and his full support for Pete Buttigieg video

Watch this great story with plenty of archival footage shot at Fred's home in Los Angeles. It ran on June 18, 2019.

31. GOP Voters in Puerto Rico thought Fred was a viable candidate for president when they cast more votes for Fred than top tier candidate Congressman Ron Paul

Scoring this big upset against Ron Paul in the March 18, 2012 Puerto Rico Primary was attributed to Fred's week-long campaigning all over the island. It included high level meetings, a press conference hosted by the Puerto Rico Republican Party at their offices, lots of speeches, multiple visits to the LGBT Center, a sound truck and giving away thousands of Fred Frisbees.

32. Feministing showed Fred was a serious, pro-choice Republican presidential candidate when they interviewed him

Fred was the sole GOP candidate running for president to attend the MoveOn annual conference in Las Vegas in 2010. Watch this great interview on his attempt to help bring the Republican Party back to its roots.

33. Fred showed that he was not only a serious candidate for president, but a prudent one. His campaign never went into debt, like many of his GOP opponents

Several of Fred's opponents had or even still have outstanding debts from their 2012 runs. Fred's belief, if we can't afford it, we won't do it. His campaign never missed a payroll and did amazingly well thanks to an outstanding small campaign team and clever, well placed commercials.

34. The London based Guardian profiled Fred as a major American presidential candidate and asked him to write seven Op-Ed for its International Edition

The liberal leaning Guardian appreciated Fred's aggressive style of campaigning and his campaign's historical nature.

35. Fred showed he was a very serious candidate for president when he aired the very first presidential campaign commercial all over New Hampshire beginning on September 18, 2010

Fred's biographical commercial, "Good Morning New Hampshire" was well received by voters in the Granite State, journalists and soon went viral. It was upbeat and funny and was a harbinger of many more innovative commercials to come. Fred's 20 different state specific commercials made news, helping the Karger campaign gain a lot of earned media.

36. Fred also ran the first presidential campaign commercial in Iowa, "Independence Day" making him a very serious candidate for president

The New York Times, Politico and media all over Iowa reported on Fred's bi-partisan appeal in his upbeat commercial that ran in all six Iowa media markets. The ad was previewed at a packed Des Moines press conference on November 23, 2010. Because of all the coverage the commercial received, Fred was soon considered a major candidate for president.

37. Amy Walter and Rick Klein of ABC News "Top Line" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they interviewed him live from ABC Studios in New York

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Fred discusses crazy Michele Bachmann, the reaction from GOP national leaders to his historic candidacy and the nasty threat he received from Iowa GOP National Committeeman Steve Scheffler on his first ABC interview.

38. "Real World - DC" star and openly gay celebrity Mike Manning thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he endorsed Fred and encouraged his supporters to learn more about his historic candidacy

Mike made this popular video to show at Fred's Washington, DC reception at the famous Duplex Diner. Mike attended many of Fred's fundraisers and campaign events all around the country.

39. Fox News 40 in Sacramento thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they had him as a guest on their popular morning show four times.

Fred first did this remote interview with veteran FOX morning host Paul Robbins and was told they would love to have him on the show whenever he was in Sacramento. Fred took them up on their offer.

40. FOX News Radio host, the late Alan Colmes, thought Fred was a serious candidate for president

Fred had a standing invitation to appear on Alan's show whenever he was in New York to talk issues and politics. Fred was a guest on his show at least six times during the campaign.

41. Rachel Maddow thought Fred was a major candidate for president and always listed him as one of the eleven major Republican presidential candidates running in 2012

MSNBC hosts frequently interviewed Fred on their shows. Rachel Maddow had Fred on the most. MSNBC thought Fred was a very serous candidate for president.

42. The Des Moines Register thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they invited him to be one of the eleven major GOP candidates to speak on their famous "Soapbox" at the Iowa State Fair

Fred spoke to thousands of Iowa State Fairgoers gathered to hear him and the other major candidates running for president in August 2011, including Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul.

43. All of Puerto Rico's TV stations and newspapers thought Fred was a viable candidate for president

They all covered Fred's San Juan press conference hosted by the Puerto Rico Republican Party in their offices the morning after Fred and his campaign team arrived in San Juan to begin a week of campaigning.

44. The Detroit Free Press thought Fred was a major candidate with this front-page story

Fred was one of the eleven major GOP candidates competing on Michigan's February 28, 2012 Primary Ballot.

45. New Hampshire TV Station WMUR thought Fred was a serious candidate for president

New Hampshire's top TV station WMUR treated Fred just like all other major GOP candidates from his first visit to the Granite State in February 2010 until he finished in eighth place in the January 10, 2012 NH Primary. Fred received more votes than better known candidates Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, Gov. Gary Johnson and Herman Cain.

46. MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he interviewed on his show "The Last Word"

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When Fred was competing in the California Primary, he was a guest on "The Last Word," where he took questions about the firing of openly gay foreign policy advisor Ric Grenell by the Mitt Romney campaign.

47. The Keene Sentinel thought Fred was a major candidate for president

Fred spent more time in Keene, NH than all the other GOP candidates combined. The Sentinel covered his campaign regularly and invited him to meet with the paper's Editorial Board to be considered for its coveted endorsement.

48. Comedy Central thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they invited him to be a guest on its popular show "Indecision"

Fred and host Mary Phillips-Sandy had an hysterical interview on everything from the first likely gay president, James Buchanan, to Fred's funny encounters on the campaign trail.

49. The North Carolina Republican Party Chairman refused to allow Fred's name to appear on the NC Primary Ballot

In a blatant display of homophobia, Robert "Robin" Hayes, the Chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, refused to allow Fred on its GOP Primary ballot. The State Party and the State Election Commission turned down Fred's appeal of Hayes' decision.

50. The Orange County Weekly thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they ran this cover story on his historic campaign

Orange County resident Fred Karger revived a lot of coverage in this popular publication. Its chief political reporter, Scott Moxley traveled with the Karger campaign to Dallas to cover Fred's keynote speech at the Log Cabin Republicans 2011 National Conference.

51. MSNBC's Chris Matthews thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he invited him to play "Hardball" and be a guest on his popular evening interview show

Chris said of Karger, "I like this guy, he laughs at all my jokes." Watch this great MSNBC interview along with former Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) when Fred was competing in the California Primary.

52. Fred's groundbreaking California commercial "Sexy Frisbee" showed he was a serious candidate for president. The ad was the first to feature a kiss by a same-sex couple and the spot "Sexy Frisbee" went viral after YouTube took it down and then put it back up six hours later

Andrew and Michael were two of ten participants in this fun, sexy commercial shot at Venice Beach. The 30-second ad features Fred discussing issues and his door-to-door grassroots campaign. The spot ran in twelve media markets all over California.

53. Dartmouth College thought Fred was a very serious candidate for President when they invited him to speak at the Rockefeller Center during Gay Pride Week in 2010

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Watch Fred's detailed speech to Dartmouth students entitled, "Where have all the moderates gone?"

54. Millions of Michigan voters thought Fred was a major candidate for president when his campaign ad “Let's Make History” aired on TV all over Michigan

Fred was the only moderate Republican running for president in 2012 and this commercial reflects his centrist's positions.

55. FOX News thought Fred was a major candidate for president when he qualified for the second FOX News Debate in Ames, Iowa

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Fred qualified for the debate, but then FOX News wouldn't let him in. Many felt that front runner Mitt Romney gave FOX executives Rupert Murdoch and Roger Ailes an ultimatum, if Fred's in, I'm out.

56. If allowed on the debate stage, Fred would have shown all that he's a serious candidate by reminding them about the American Spirit.

Fred Karger had been shut out of the Republican Debates even though he has qualified for some. Here's how these debates would look if the former aide to Ronald was allowed to be on the stage.

57. On the debate stage, Fred was ready to prove he was a major candidate by sharing his "Jobs Now!" plan

Here's how these debates would look if the former aide to Ronald was allowed to be on the stage to discuss his "Jobs Now!" plan to get people back to work.

58. Puerto Rican voters thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when Fred ran a Spanish language campaign commercial that aired in San Juan for the week before the Primary titled “Hola, Puerto Rico”

Watch this great 30-second commercial that ran in Puerto Rico during the GOP Primary and helped Fred beat established candidate Congressman Ron Paul.

59. The Mormon Church thought Fred was a major candidate for president when he took on the Church in this controversial commercial that ran on television all over Utah titled "Stop the Hate"

When Utah has 6 times the attempted teen suicide rate of any other state, it's time to take on the reason why the homophobic actions of Mormon Church leaders.

60. Watch Fred take on opponent Mitt Romney in this commercial, referring to him as "Pee-Wee Romney" for firing Ric Grenell, his openly gay foreign policy advisor

Ric Grenell is now America's Ambassador to Germany and is doing an incredible job.

61. Texas Governor Rick Perry thought Fred was a major candidate for president when Fred shamed him for his ad attacking LGBTQ service members

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Fred's spoof of Rick Perry and his hateful commercial got thousands of views and lots of news coverage.

62. CNN's Candy Crowley thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when the two met at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference. Watch her on this short video about people's reaction to Fred's historic candidacy

CNN's then chief political correspondent hosts this great video filmed on the day Fred announced his run in New Orleans.

63. "The New Gay" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they interviewed him at Netroots Nation

Fred attended hundreds of political events during his 2 1/2 year run for president. Progressive Netroots Nation was pleasantly surprised that a Republican presidential candidate would come to its annual gathering in Las Vegas.

64. "PATV" of Iowa thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they interviewed him

Fred did thousands of interviews all over the US and the world, but especially in Iowa and New Hampshire.

65. Exxon-Mobil and its CEO Rex Tillerson thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he took them on and Big Oil with this hard-hitting commercial

Watch Fred's popular commercial, "Tyrannosaurus Rex," made when gas prices set a record high and Exxon-Mobil was making record profits.

66. "The Iowa Independent" knew Fred was a major candidate for president when they covered Fred's speech on energy while on a visit to Iowa State University in Ames

Fred was asked lots of policy questions by students ranging from energy to the economy to foreign policy. This video captures Fred's great exchange with students.

67. New Hampshire's WMUR TV thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they interviewed him after a speech he gave at Dartmouth College

New Hampshire has one major television station, WMUR, and Fred was on it probably more than any other candidate running for president in 2012.

68. "The Times of Israel" though Fred was a serious candidate for president when they did a major profile on his historic campaign

Yes, Fred was also the very first Jewish Republican to run for president, and in May of 2011, Fred spent nearly a week in Israel meeting with many of its leaders.

69. Dartmouth College thought Fred was a major candidate for president when the Gay Straight Alliance invited him to speak on campus - watch it here

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https://youtube.com/watch?v=eOrgjVjEpy8

70. Host David Pakman thought Fred was a very serious candidate for president when he interviewed Fred on his radio show

Watch Fred take on opponent Michele Bachmann and her homophobic husband Marcus, whom he refers to as "Lady Bird Bachmann" in this upbeat interview.

71. New Hampshire gay veteran Bob Garon, who had just taken on Mitt Romney on gay rights, thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they met in Manchester and visited on this fun video

Bob became a supporter of Fred's and helped celebrate his historic candidacy with his husband, Bob Leimere. Both attended the election night party held at Fred's New Hampshire White House.

72. Brian Brown and his Hate Group the National Organization for Marriage thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when Fred took on NOM as it tried and failed miserably to repeal marriage equality in New Hampshire

Watch this strong commercial, that ran all over New Hampshire, showing Fred taking on NOM and NOM head Brian Brown for their underhanded opposition to the freedom to marry.

73. Tens of thousands of people thought Fred was a major candidate for president after they saw his documentary, "FRED" which appeared at film festivals all over the U.S.

Now you can watch this very fun, well-made, interesting, how-to-run for president, 60-minute documentary by award-winning filmmaker John Fitzgerald Keitel. It's up on YouTube for free!

74. 500 hundred Concord New Hampshire High School students thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they relived his historic campaign while watching "FRED," the documentary by John Fitzgerald Keitel

Fred and his campaign team returned to New Hampshire to screen "FRED" all over the Granite State during the summer of 2014.

75. CNN i-Reports' Chris Morrow thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when she traveled to New Orleans in 2010 to cover his historic announcement

Chris Morrow was one of the most-watched producers on the newly launched CNN i-Reports format and covered much of Fred's historic campaign for president.

76. President Jimmy Carter thought that Fred was a serious candidate for president when the "Big Think" interviewed him about the possibility of an openly gay president like Fred Karger

President Carter's interview and all the news coverage from it led to Fred's interview on "Big Think." President Carter said that "it was likely that America would elect a gay president."

77. Michael McIntee of "UpTake" thought Fred was a major candidate for president with this early interview of Fred at Netroots Nation

Fred attended the very progressive NetRoots Nation annual conference in Las Vegas in 2010.

78. "Crypto Corner News" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president with this interesting interview

Fred was always accessible and was grateful for the chance to share his views on the important issues of the day.

79. "San Diego County News" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they interviewed delegates to the California Republican Convention about his candidacy

Fred wasn't even invited to attend his home state GOP semi-annual convention but preserved and finally was invited to speak by the Party Chair.

80. Spanish Language "AFP-ES News" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they covered him during a day of campaigning in Laguna Beach

Fred campaigned aggressively all over California when he was competing in his home state Primary.

81. The "New York Times" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when it made sure to set the record straight in 2019 reaffirming the fact that Fred was the first openly gay major-party candidate to run for president

"Truth Squad 2020" was established to keep LGBTQ history accurate.

82. California Secretary of State Debra Bowen thought Fred was a major candidate for president when she included Fred as one of only six candidates to appear on the June 5, 2012 GOP Primary ballot

Fred did very well in the California Primary and campaigned in over half of the state's 58 counties.

83. The Florida Republican Party thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when Fred followed through with a national Boycott of Florida Orange Juice after Florida moved its primary ahead of New Hampshire's

This modern-day boycott was reminiscent of the famous LGBT Boycott of Florida Orange Juice from the 1970s, that begun after their spokeswoman Anita Bryant crusaded all over the country spewing her hate toward LGBT Americans.

84. "The Times of London" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when it ran a feature story on his historic campaign and Pete Buttigieg's tribute to Fred

Ben Hoyle did a great job of keeping LGBTQ history accurate. Click on link the to read his story.

85. "FOX News" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they regularly included him on their newscasts and in their polling

Fred was the first Republican to officially file for president with the Federal Election Commission on March 23, 2011.

86. "The Georgia Voice" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they included his “Sexy Frisbee” commercial in it's weekly video

The "Sexy Frisbee" commercial that ran only in California, featured the first gay kiss ever in a presidential campaign commercial and was covered by news organizations all over the world.

87. "Think Progress" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they interviewed Fred about his historic campaign

Watch this great interview with Fred by the highly respected "Think Progress," a progressive news website founded over a decade ago.

88. Veteran CBS Newsman and "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when the two first met in his office at CBS News in Washington, DC

Fred attended Bob's 25th Anniversary celebration as the host of "Face the Nation" in Washington, DC.

89. Voice Actor Ben Patrick Johnson thought Fred was a major candidate for president when he called New Hampshire voters asking them to vote for Fred

Fred's campaign enlisted volunteers all over the country to make get-out-the-vote calls for Fred.

90. AOL's national news organization "Patch" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when reporter Rich Kane covered his campaign fundraiser in Laguna Beach

Fred held many fundraisers all over the country. This one was attended by Hollywood celebrities, the Mayor of Laguna Beach and several other dignitaries.

91. "Iowa Watch" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they interviewed him after his Des Moines press conference

Watch this insightful interview with Fred right after he screened his new Iowa commercial to a packed Des Moines press conference.

92. Opponent Newt Gingrich thought Fred was a major candidate for president when Fred was tied with the former Speaker of the House in several national polls

Newt and Fred crossed paths a lot on the campaign trail, especially when both were competing in the 2012 New Hampshire Primary.

93. Billionaire Sheldon Adelson thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he hosted Fred and the other GOP candidates at the Republican Jewish Coalition's Annual Conference in Las Vegas

Fred was also the very first Jewish Republican to ever run for President of the United States.

94. "The Hollywood Reporter" knew Fred was a serious candidate for president when they covered his historic campaign and Fred's support for 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg

Entertainment reporter Chris Gardner wrote this interesting piece for The Reporter that included Fred's television, film and commercial credits from the 1970's.

95. "The Rubin Report" on The Young Turks thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when host Dave Rubin had Fred as a guest on his show

Dave interviewed Fred many times during his historic campaign when he was the co-host of the "Ben & Dave Show" on Sirius XM Radio.

96. "That's So Gay Live" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they interviewed him at the California Republican Party Convention

Fred was not even embraced by the Log Cabin Republicans, with the exception of a few local chapters, because of his more centrist views.

97. "News 8" in Michigan thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they interviewed Fred right before the Michigan primary

Fred campaigned full time in Michigan for the three weeks leading up to the February 28, 2012 Michigan Primary and traveled all over the state where the Karger Family first settled in the late 1800s.

98. "The Orange County Register" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they interviewed him in Laguna Beach

Watch this great video interview with Fred. The O C Register spent a day with Fred in Laguna Beach.

99. Willie Billings, Utah's Washington County Republican Party Chairman, thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when the two men met in St. George over frozen custard

Then his wife, Nanette Billings emailed Fred and called him a "radical idiot" whose life "goes against the values of god." Yahoo News broke the story and many other news outlets ran with it.

100. "New Hampshire Primary News" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they interviewed Fred while he campaigned at Portsmouth's Market Square

They spent several days covering his campaign and marched with Fred and his supporters during the Occupy New Hampshire March, just days before the January 10, 2012 Primary.

101. German Language "AFP-DE" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they profiled Fred in this video biography

Fred received a tremendous amount of international news coverage because of his historic candidacy. He was thrilled that the LGBTQ community all over the world was hearing about his campaign for U.S. President.

102. "NJ Politics Unusual" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they interviewed Fred at CPAC in Washington, DC

Fred enjoyed the give and take with reporters at the very conservative annual CPAC meeting held each February in our nation's capital.

103. Brazilian News "AFP-BR" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they profiled Fred in this video in Portuguese

Fred did a tremendous number of foreign language interviews, often working through translators.

104. "Gay USA" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they invited Fred to be a guest on their popular long-running show

Co-hosts Ann Northrup and Andy Humm conducted this wonderful interview with Fred in New York during a campaign stop.

105. "LFDA News" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they interviewed Fred about his tax plan

Fred, his policy advisors, and campaign team developed positions and creative ideas on a host of issues that are still up on his campaign web site fredkarger.com

106. Puerto Rico thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they placed Fred on their March 18, 2012 GOP Primary ballot as one of only six candidates

Fred campaigned full time in Puerto Rico for the week leading up to the Island's Primary and beat top tier candidate, Congressman Ron Paul, by 300 votes in a stunning upset.

107. "Crime, Justice in America Magazine" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they interviewed Fred

Listen to this interesting interview by clicking on the red arrow above.

108. Bill Mahoney of "The Bill Show" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he endorsed Fred on his cross country drive from California to New Hampshire to volunteer on the campaign

After interviewing Fred on his show in Los Angeles, Bill packed up his car and headed East for a several week stint helping out the campaign in New Hampshire and later in Utah. There were so many people who volunteered on Fred's historic campaign.

109. Cary Harrison of the "Go Harrison Show" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when he interviewed Fred on his show in Los Angeles

This was the first of several times that Fred was a guest on this bright and witty show hosted by the one and only Cary Harrison.

110. The New Hampshire Institute of Politics thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they invited him to speak at campaign forums and to students at this prestigious institute located at St. Anselm College in Manchester

From Fred's first meeting in early 2010 with NHIP Executive Director Neil Levesque, Fred was always welcomed at this epicenter of politics in New Hampshire.

111. Schoolcraft College thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when it welcomed him to campus while Fred was competing in the February 28, 2012 Michigan GOP Primary

Fred spoke to several classes at this suburban Detroit college when he was hosted by the Schoolcraft College Republicans.

112. Senator John McCain thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he wished him well after hearing that Fred the first major-party openly gay candidate to run for president

Fred was honored to meet the 2008 GOP nominee for president at a Washington, DC reception.

113. Host Alyona Minkovski of "The Alyona Show" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when she interviewed Fred about the Affordable Care Act on RT Television

Fred was live from the RT studios in Washington, DC discussing that day's Supreme Court arguments on President Obama's signature health care law.

114. The Utah Republican Party thought Fred was a major candidate for president when he was one of only five candidates invited to be on the Utah June 26, 2012 GOP Primary ballot

Fred and presumptive nominee Mitt Romney were the only two candidates still in the race when Utah held its GOP Primary. Karger headed to the Bee Hive State in his "Utah Express" campaign bus for three weeks of campaigning leading up to the last primary contest of the 2012 campaign.

115. Log Cabin Republicans thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they invited him to give the keynote address at their 2011 National Convention in Dallas

Fred spoke to the delegates about opening up the Party and his historic campaign for president.

116. "CTNS News" in Sacramento, California thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they interviewed him as one of only six candidates competing in the California Primary

Fred blitzed his home state of California in the campaign's "California Express" bus for a month leading up to the June 5, 2012 Primary.

117. Several Fraternities at the University of California, Davis thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they invited him to speak to their members

During the California Primary, Fred campaigned at many colleges registering new voters and working to get out the vote.

118. New Hampshire's "Seacoast Online" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they covered Fred campaigning door-to-door in Portsmouth

Fred and his team of volunteers campaigned the old fashioned way all over New Hampshire giving away Fred Frisbee's and hearing from voters.

119. Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he met with Fred in their offices and extended all the resources of the RNC to the Karger for President campaign

After their March 22, 2011 meeting, the RNC recommended that Fred's name appear on all GOP Primary ballots along with the other 10 major GOP candidates running for president.

120. Maryland Secretary of State John P. McDonough thought Fred was a major candidate for president when he included Fred on the 2012 Primary ballot as one of only eight GOP candidates

Fred campaigned all over Maryland and was honored to be invited to be on the state's April 3, 2012 Primary Ballot.

121. Los Angeles voters thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he and his supporters blitzed the city handing out thousands of Fred Frisbee's

Replete with a bagpiper, the Karger campaign went door-to-door all over California talking to voters ahead of the June 5, 2012 California Primary.

122. "The St. George Spectrum" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when it ran two front-page stories on his challenge to Mitt Romney in Utah’s last in the nation GOP Primary on June 26, 2012

The Utah Express campaign bus started out in St. George and worked its way up I-15 to Salt Lake City and points North when Fred was competing in the Utah Primary.

123. Fred’s supporters in St. George, Utah thought he was a serious candidate for president when they came out to support him during Utah’s June 2012 Primary

Everywhere Fred campaigned in Utah he received a tremendous reception. Fred had many friends in the Bee Hive State because of all his actions against the Mormon Church over many years.

124. "New York Magazine" thought Fred was a major candidate for president with this article profiling his historic candidacy

Journalist Noreen Malone did this wonderful story on Fred and his historic campaign for president.

125. The media in Utah thought Fred was a major candidate for president - they came out in full force to all three of his Salt Lake City news conferences

Fred screened his commercial "Stop the Hate" at this press conference in Salt Lake City addressing the LGBTQ out of control youth suicide epidemic in Utah. Click on the link to watch it.

126. "Al Jazeera Television" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they had him as a guest on several newscasts in their Washington, DC, New York, and Los Angeles studios

Fred was a frequent guest and pundit on "Al Jazeera TV" during his historic campaign and afterward.

127. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when the fellow Californian congratulated him on his historic firsts at the Republican Jewish Coalition Annual Conference in Las Vegas

Fred, along with the campaign's Jewish Outreach Director Brad Hertz, attended two of the RJC's big conferences in Las Vegas along with all other major GOP candidates running for president in 2012.

128. Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson thought Fred was a major candidate for president when she included him as one of only eleven candidates listed on Michigan's February 28, 2012 Primary ballot

Fred and his team campaigned all over Michigan during the month of February leading up to the Primary. He met with thousands of voters in over 20 counties seeking votes from Republicans and Democrats alike.

129. "The Young Turks" network thought Fred was a major candidate for president when he was a panelist on several shows including "The Point" hosted by Ana Kasparian after his historic presidential campaign

Here's Fred with TYT's Ana Kasparian and his fellow panelists after a taping in Los Angeles.

130. The Gay-Straight Student Alliance (GSA) at New Trier High School in Winnetka, IL thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they invited him to speak about his campaign for president

It was a very emotional day for Fred (New Trier class of 1968) when he went back to his high school to meet with the incredible students in the GSA and their faculty sponsors.

131. "Huffington Post" journalist Sam Stein and "Huffington Post Live" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they had him on as a guest and pundit many times in their Washington, DC and New York studios

Right after the Maryland Primary, Fred was interviewed about appearing on the ballot that day and the prospects of the other candidates running for president.

132. The Smithsonian National Museum of American History thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they requested all of his archival materials and papers documenting his life, career, and activism for its LGBTQ Archives

Fred donated four cubic feet of archival material with more to come for the Museum's LGBTQ Archives.

133. Marc Ambinder, Politics Editor of "The Atlantic" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he interviewed him on CBS News' "Washington Unplugged”

Fred's first interview on "CBS News" took place on December 2, 2010 with Marc Ambinder. Fred discussed his #1 campaign priority which was to get into the 2012 GOP Debates. The show was taped in the "Face the Nation" studio in Washington, DC.

134. AIPAC thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he attended its 2011 annual Policy Conference as the first Jewish Republican to ever run for president

Fred was featured at The American Israel Public Affairs Committee 2011 Annual Policy Conference in Washington, DC.

135. The Chisholm Hills Michigan Republican Club thought Fred was a viable candidate for president when they hosted Mitt Romney and Fred as speakers at their candidate's breakfast

When Fred was competing in the 2012 Michigan GOP Primary, he spoke all over the state, and regularly appeared on the same dais as his then eight opponents.

136. The Maryland State Board of Elections thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they placed him on the April 3, 2012 ballot as one of eight major GOP candidates

Fred was well-received as he campaigned all over Maryland in advance of the state's Primary.

137. AOL's New Hampshire "Patch" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when their team of reporters interviewed him along with all other major GOP candidates appearing on the New Hampshire ballot

Fred was interviewed by this panel of journalists in front of a live audience in Concord, the state's capital.

138. Franklin Pierce College thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they invited him to speak at an all-students candidate's forum

It was a cold and rainy night, but Fred was warmly received at this liberal arts college in Rindge, New Hampshire.

139. The Federal Election Commission thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he became the first major 2012 GOP candidate to file for president on March 23, 2011

Fred made history when he filed to run for president as the first openly gay major-party candidate to do so in American history.

140. Fred was a very serious candidate for president and his historic campaign never when into debt

Throughout Fred's 2 1/2 year-long, full-time campaign, he always said: "if we can't afford it, we can't do it." Unlike many of his GOP opponents, when the Karger campaign ended in June 2012, there was no debt. All the bills were paid and the campaign never missed a payroll.

141. New Hampshire's AIDS Services for Monadnock Region thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they hosted him in Keene, NH throughout his historic campaign

ASMR Executive Director the Amazing Susan MacNeil, believed in Fred and his historic campaign. Susan organized Fred's first New Hampshire Town Hall when he was just getting started in the Spring of 2010.

142. The Michigan American Legion thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they hosted Fred as a speaker at its weekly dinner in Detroit

Fred was honored to speak to several hundred veterans on his very first stop when he began campaigning for the Michigan Primary.

143. Former Louisiana Governor and Congressman Buddy Roemer thought Fred was a major candidate for president as the two men campaigned for the Republican nomination

Sadly neither Gov. Roemer nor Fred were invited to participate in any of the Republican Debates, but they campaigned all over the country. Here they are at a Saturday picnic in New Hampshire.

144. "Playboy" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when the magazine invited him to write a guest column during LGBTQ Pride Month as the first openly gay major-party candidate to run for president

Fred's piece entitled, "Where's the Outrage," took on the opponents of LGBTQ civil rights like the Mormon Church, in his first-ever 2017 column for the "Playboy."

145. The Karger campaign's bus dubbed the "California Express" was not as big as the Romney bus, but it served the campaign well

Fred and his team logged thousands of miles on the "California Express" as they campaigned all over the West.

146. Fellow candidate Herman Cain thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when the two would run into each other all over the USA

Fred had hoped to join the only other outsider running for president on the debate stage, but Fred was not invited to any of the GOP debates even after he qualified for them.

147. Fred showed he was a serious candidate for president after his volunteers blitzed the Ames, Iowa Straw Poll

Fred had a strong base of support in Iowa after campaigning there for over two years.

148. Puerto Rico knew Fred was a serious candidate for president when his campaign sound truck blanketed San Juan the weekend before the Puerto Rico GOP Primary

Fred and his team campaigned all over the Island earning him a surprise upset on election day when he beat top tier candidate Congressman Ron Paul.

149. Puerto Rico's Spanish language newspaper "Conexion" knew Fred was a major candidate with this front-page story

Fred's week-long campaign blitz in Puerto Rico garnered tremendous news coverage all over the Island.

150. Puerto Rico's "The Sun" knew Fred was a viable candidate for president when they covered his historic campaign, even after he was snubbed by the governor, who had endorsed Mitt Romney

From his arrival in this Island territory, Fred was constantly covered by all the media. He was always accessible and delighted to talk about being the first openly gay major-party candidate to run for president. Puerto Rico is a place where the LGBTQ community still faces so much discrimination.

151. Des Moines' "WHO Radio" talk show host Simon Conway thought Fred was a major candidate for president when Fred was the first 2012 presidential candidate that he interviewed

This very conservative radio host had Fred as a guest on his show for a full hour discussing a wide range of issues important to Iowans and the nation.

152. New Hampshire Voters thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they got to vote for him in the "first in the nation primary"

And Fred went on to get more votes than former GOP front-runner Congresswoman Michele Bachmann in the January 10, 2012 primary.

153. "WSMN Radio" in Nashua, NH thought Fred was a viable candidate for president when they interviewed him during morning drive time

WSMN's "The People's View" guest host Kevin Smith, who led New Hampshire's failed effort to repeal gay marriage, interviewed Fred, the first openly gay major-party candidate for president and active gay marriage proponent in this lively interview.

154. Florida Republican Party Chairman Lenny Curry made the unilateral decision not to allow Fred on Florida’s Primary ballot just because he was gay. Fred challenged his decision, but was unsuccessful and then shot back at Curry with this ad showing Curry as the Ayatollah and released this photoshopped photo of him

Florida was one of five states that turned down the Republican National Committee's recommendation to include Fred on its GOP primary ballot.

155. Mary Kaye Huntsman thought Fred was a major candidate for president when she gave him a hug seen 'round the world "NBC News" caught the whole thing on camera

Mary Kaye Huntsman gave Fred a big hug when he bought husband Jon Huntsman's (looking on) tie at a GOP auction in New Hampshire. Jo King Kent of "MSNBC" covered the happening in this great report.

156. "Salt Lake City's City Weekly" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they ran this cover story on his campaign's controversial commercial "Stop the Hate"

After a new study came out showing Utah had 6 times the attempted suicide rate by LGBTQ youth of any other state, Fred went after the primary cause, the leadership of the Mormon Church, in a hard-hitting commercial that ran all over Utah.

157. "OutSports and SB Nation" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they ran this story about his "Sexy Frisbee" commercial going viral

This was the most viewed of all Fred's campaign commercials and featured the first gay kiss in a presidential campaign commercial between boyfriend's Andrew and Michael.

158. The Southern Republican Leadership Conference thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when Fred announced his intention to run for president at their 2010 conference in New Orleans

After initially refusing to rent Fred a meeting room for his historic announcement press conference, the SRLC relented after Fred's attorney got involved.

159. Popular Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when he profiled his historic campaign

With millions of followers, openly gay Perez Hilton was excited about America's first openly gay major-party candidate to run for president.

160. "Roll Call" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they covered his meeting with the top three RNC leaders

Washington's prestigious "Roll Call" broke the story of this historic meeting.

161. "The Capitol Weekly" thought Fred was a serious candidate for president when they covered his campaign

Greg Lucas covered Fred's historic campaign for as the very first Jewish Republican to run for president.

162. Courses.com thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they included Fred's Dartmouth speech in their lecture series

Fred considered his first major speaking invitation from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire a true honor. It's where Fred's maternal grandfather, Alfred K. Foreman (for whom he was named) attended a century earlier.

163. "The Fresno Bee" knew Fred was a major candidate for president when they corrected their story from 2019

Truth Squad 2020 reached out to the Bee and they quickly fixed their mistake.

164. "Variety" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when they recognized him in a story about Pete Buttigieg's 2020 campaign

Veteran political/entertainment reporter Ted Johnson covered Fred's historic campaign in 2012 and beyond.

165. Michel Martin, host of NPR's "All Things Considered" thought Fred was a major candidate for president when she interviewed him for her national broadcast

NPR covered Fred and his historic campaign regularly between 2010 and 2012.