Deez Nuts Drops Into The State Fair Crush
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The 2016 presidential election is still more than one year away, but dozens of political candidates take advantage of the State Fair every year to meet voters.
One Independent presidential hopeful who has been grabbing headlines for his unconventional name stopped by the fair on Saturday.
Brady Olson, 15, threw his name into the race last month, running under the name Deez Nuts. Since then, early polls show Deez Nuts nearing double-digit numbers behind major party frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in key primary states.
He kicked off his appearance at the fair with a nut roll -- pecan.
As the Independence Party of Minnesota showed Deez Nuts around, fans made the Iowa native feel right at home.
Olson has heard all the jokes by now. He signed up to be a candidate online about a month ago along with about 500 people across the country.
"My brother mentioned it in a joke," Olson said. "I said that sounds better than anyone running now."
Suddenly, the teenager from Wallingford, Iowa -- population 200 -- was coming in third in early polls of states like Iowa, Minnesota, and North Carolina.
Minnesota's Independence party says it's the strongest presidential polling result for an independent candidate in more than 20 years.
This presidential hopeful travels with his mother, not a campaign manager.
"Anything to get people interested in the political system and get people to register to vote," Nuts' mother Teresa Olson said.
He also talks about some very grown-up issues, like campaign finance reform and changing a two-party system he says is flawed.
"Deez Nuts are better than any of those nuts running for president," fairgoer Troy Basco, of Hugo, said.
Brady Olson can't actually be president until the 2036 race, as you have to be 35 years old to qualify for office. But he doesn't know if he's really interested in becoming a politician. He's also not a huge fan of the limelight, and has turned down a number of major talk show appearances.
Mostly, Deez Nuts says he hopes to get people talking about more than just a name.
"They don't really know but they have a big voice. Every age group has the power to change the outcome," he said.
