John McAfee 2020 presidential campaign
The 2020 presidential campaign of John McAfee, anti-virus software pioneer and cryptocurrency investor, was formally launched on June 3, 2018.
| John McAfee 2020 presidential campaign | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Campaign | 2020 United States presidential election (Libertarian primaries) |
| Candidate | John McAfee CEO of Luxcore (2018–2019), Founder and CEO of McAfee Associates, Inc (1987-1994) |
| Affiliation | Libertarian Party |
| Status | Inactive |
| Announced | June 3, 2018 |
| Suspended | May 23, 2020 |
| Headquarters | Havana, Cuba[1] |
| Key people | Rob Loggia (campaign manager) Janice McAfee (director of media relations) Zoe Nawar (director of youth engagement) Xanthe Eriksson (director of merchandising) Amphlux (director of media production) Thai Starkovich (campaign strategist) Bruce Heidelberg (campaign strategist) Tommy Austin (campaign strategist) Eric Dilliard (northwest regional director) Grant Deltz (southwest regional director) Jay Pizzle (northeast regional director) Paul Salerno (west coast regional director) |
| Slogan | "Don't Vote McAfee" |
| Website | |
| mcafee2020hq | |
On March 4, 2020, McAfee ended his presidential campaign and endorsed Vermin Supreme, and begun running for the 2020 Libertarian Party vice-presidential race.[2][3]
The next day, McAfee tweeted that he was re-entering the 2020 Libertarian presidential primary after none of the other Libertarian candidates would “accept [him] as their VP running mate.”[4] At the 2020 Libertarian National Convention, McAfee was not nominated for president or vice-president.
Background
McAfee previously ran for president in 2016. He was initially the candidate for the Cyber Party, a party which he had created. In December 2015, McAfee re-announced his candidacy under the Libertarian Party. During the campaign, McAfee was considered a front-runner for the nomination, and participated in the first televised Libertarian primary debates. At the convention, McAfee came in third place, with 14.1% of the delegates on the second ballot, behind Austin Petersen and the Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson. Following the convention, McAfee declined to endorse the Johnson campaign, and announced that he would not run for office again.
Campaign
Contrary to his assertion at the 2016 convention, McAfee announced on June 3, 2018 via Twitter that he would run for president again in 2020, either with the Libertarian Party or under the banner of a party of his own creation.[5] On January 22, McAfee announced via Twitter that he would be continuing his campaign "in exile", following reports that he, his wife, and four of his campaign staff were being indicted for tax-related felonies by the IRS. McAfee indicated that he was in "international waters", and had previously tweeted that he was on his way to Venezuela.[6] The IRS has not commented on the alleged indictments.[7] On June 29, McAfee tweeted that his campaign headquarters was relocated to Havana, Cuba.[1] Around the same time, McAfee defended Communist revolutionary Che Guevara on Twitter, putting himself at odds with the Libertarian Party, with Libertarian National Committee chairman Nicholas Sarwark saying, "I hear very little buzz about McAfee this time around...making a defense of Che Guevara from Cuba may ingratiate him with the Cuban government, but it didn't resonate well with Libertarians."[8]
In April, McAfee announced that he would be the running mate of Adam Kokesh, a competitor for the nomination, and also endorsed him for president, though McAfee decided to continue his campaign for the presidency.[9]
In May, Jo Jorgensen was nominated at the 2020 Libertarian National Convention,[10] thus suspending McAfee's campaign.
References
- McAfee, John [@officialmcafee] (June 23, 2019). "My "Campaign In Exile", under the banner of the Libertarian Party, is my second attempt running for President of the U.S. My headquarters, since I am being politically persecuted, is now located in Havana, Cuba. I am still fighting. Stay with me America! @CubaMINREX @DiazCanelBpic.twitter.com/KyhuC0YuHu" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Miller, Stephen L. (March 4, 2020). "Farewell, John McAfee — America's light is a bit dimmer today". Spectator USA. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
- John McAfee [@officialmcafee] (March 4, 2020). "I regret That I am ending my campaign for President. I am instead Attempting to run For the Vice Presidential slot. I have asked my Campaign Manager @Loggiaonfire To contact the Campaign of Libertarian @VerminSupreme And offer to be his VP pick. Full explanation in video" (Tweet). Retrieved March 5, 2020 – via Twitter.
- John McAfee [@officialmcafee] (March 5, 2020). "I regret that I must, Once again, Reverse my prior self. No one in the Libertarian Party Would consider me For Vice President. I must return to my run For President. BTW... Accoring to Reason Mag: I came in second In the North Carolina Libertarian Super Tuesday elections:)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- Marinova, Polina (June 4, 2018). "John McAfee Says He Will Run for President in 2020". Fortune. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- Reilly, Claire (January 22, 2019). "John McAfee plans to run for president 'in exile' using thousands of masked doppelgangers". CNet. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
- Cruthers, Brooke (January 24, 2019). "John McAfee is running from U.S. authorities – and running for President. On a boat". Fox News. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- Doherty, Brian (June 26, 2019). "John McAfee, Libertarian Party Presidential Hopeful, Is Running His Campaign-in-Exile from Cuba". Reason. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
- Welch, Matt (April 13, 2020). "Judge Jim Gray To Seek Libertarian Presidential Nomination". Reason. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- Solem, Rick (June 13, 2020). "The other "Jo," wants your 2020 vote, if you're fed up with the two-party system or if you're not". Wizm News Talk. Retrieved July 4, 2020.