FRED WHO - PART 2

Fred Karger

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Politics

TK

1d ago

The Kooky Campaign Ads That Put Fred Karger on the Map

How does a presidential candidate get noticed when he can’t get on the debate stage? For Fred Karger, the first openly gay major-party presidential candidate in U.S. history, the answer involved memorable TV ads, a little humor, and a knack for turning a small advertising budget into a much bigger news story. In this conversation with Matthew Breen, Karger revisits his 2012 Republican presidential campaign and shares the stories behind the commercials that helped introduce him to voters. He explains how carefully placed airtime, press events, YouTube, and targeted cable advertising gave his campaign a way to reach people, even when doors were closed to him. The two watch and discuss ads ranging from the upbeat “Good Morning New Hampshire” to “Independence Day,” which introduced Karger’s “independent Republican” message in Iowa. Karger also recalls the making of “Demon Frisbee,” the parody that earned attention from Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, and explains how he used innovative commercials to challenge his exclusion from Republican debates. Along the way, Breen and Karger explore Spanish-language outreach in Puerto Rico, ads aimed at Michigan and California voters, parodies of Rick Perry and Mitt Romney, and confrontations with ExxonMobil and the National Organization for Marriage. It’s a candid, often funny look at political advertising, LGBTQ+ political history, and an unconventional presidential campaign, told by the candidate who kept finding ways to make himself heard. For more about Fred go to fredkarger.com Follow him @fredkarger
Oct 28

Fred Karger on His 2012 Presidential Run—and Refusing to Be Erased

What happens when an openly gay candidate walks into hostile territory with a presidential run in mind? Fred Karger has the stories. In 2010, Fred took his long-shot bid for the 2012 Republican nomination to the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans. Conference organizers pushed back, he scrambled for meeting space, and he had to persuade a room full of party insiders to take seriously a candidate they’d never heard of. Then came the press conference, a packed suite party, and a few encouraging encounters he didn’t see coming. In conversation with Matthew Breen, Fred recalls what it felt like to step into that room, why he believed his voice belonged in the Republican race, and why this chapter of LGBTQ political history deserves to be remembered. It’s a candid look at taking risks, finding allies in unlikely places, and insisting on being heard. Subscribe for more conversations with the people who shaped LGBTQ history. For more about Fred go to fredkarger.com Follow him @fredkarger
Oct 20

Fred Karger’s Underdog Campaign: Small Budget, Big Headlines

Margarita town halls. An anti-gay email that made national news. A presidential campaign with no headquarters. Fred Karger’s run through Iowa was anything but typical, and that was the point. Karger, the first openly gay Republican to run for president, joins Matthew Breen to talk about his 2012 campaign and how a long shot got noticed in a crowded field. New Hampshire was his priority, so why did he keep coming back to Iowa? He explains his crash course in the caucuses and how he turned every campaign stop into press and supporters, aided by strategically-deployed margaritas. He also revisits the email from Iowa GOP leader Steve Scheffler that put his campaign in the national conversation and landed him repeated spots on conservative talk radio. Other stories: the Iowa State Fair, a meeting with RNC chair Reince Priebus, and a viral clash with Michele Bachmann. Behind the headlines was a virtual team, hard fundraising lessons, and a low-budget TV ad (and numbers mixup) that got Karger into The New York Times. He also talks about hiring Iowa state director Nathan Treloar. A candid look at LGBTQ political history, Republican primary politics, and what it takes to run for president when most people are asking, “Fred who?” For more about Fred go to fredkarger.com Follow him @fredkarger
Oct 14

Testing the Waters: Fred Karger’s First Steps Toward the White House

In this episode of Fred Who?, Fred Karger sits down with Matthew Breen to discuss how he went from quietly considering a run for president to testing the waters for a historic 2012 campaign as the first openly gay presidential candidate. Fred shares how coming out publicly in 2006, his activism against Proposition 8, and his legal fight with the National Organization for Marriage helped push him toward national politics. He explains how subpoenas, legal defense fund campaigns, and early fundraising efforts became an unexpected test of whether a real campaign could be possible. The conversation follows Fred’s early campaign checklist: building a team, getting family approval during a meeting in Hawaii, writing a candid memoir, studying campaigns like Shirley Chisholm’s and Barack Obama’s, and making early trips to Washington, D.C., New York, and New Hampshire. Fred also reflects on the challenges of building credibility as an outsider candidate, including pushback from political organizations, early media strategy, college campus events, grassroots organizing, the Saint Anselm straw poll win, a major Washington Post profile, and the first town halls that helped give the campaign momentum. This episode is about visibility, risk, strategy, and what it takes to turn an impossible idea into a national campaign. For more about Fred go to fredkarger.com Follow him @fredkarger
Oct 7

Before Marriage Equality: Fred Karger on the Battles That Changed America

In Episode 2 of this 10-part series, Fred Karger, the first openly gay U.S. presidential candidate, sits down withMatthew Breen for a powerful conversation about identity, resilience, politics, and the long road toward LGBTQ+ equality. From coming of age as a gay man in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s to finding his voice in politics, Fred reflects on the personal experiences and public battles that shaped his life. He shares stories of early campaign work, Hollywood detours, the fight against California’s Briggs Initiative, saving queer spaces in Laguna Beach, and taking on major Prop 8 donors through Californians Against Hate. This episode is a vital chapter in a larger series exploring LGBTQ+ history, activism, visibility, and the people who helped change what was possible for future generations. For more about Fred go to fredkarger.com Follow him @fredkarger
Sep 27

Fred Karger’s Historic 2012 Presidential Campaign: Utah, “Stop the Hate,” and the Final Stop

Fred Karger made history as the first openly gay candidate for president of the United States. In this first episode of a ten-part series documenting his groundbreaking 2012 campaign, Matthew Breen interviews Karger about the final stop of that historic run: Utah. Karger explains why Utah became both a symbolic and strategic battleground, not only in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, but in his long fight against the Mormon Church’s role in anti–same-sex marriage efforts. He recounts getting on the Utah GOP ballot, campaigning statewide by bus, and using the moment to challenge Mitt Romney, church leaders, and the political forces behind marriage equality opposition. The conversation centers on Karger’s provocative “Stop the Hate” ad, released after a study reported alarming mental-health disparities among Utah LGBT teens, including dramatically higher rates of depression and attempted suicide. The ad drew backlash from the church and criticism from some LGBT leaders, but Karger says it also brought messages of gratitude from young people who felt seen. Karger also reflects on speaking at a Log Cabin Republicans dinner at the Utah governor’s mansion, receiving explosive “MormonGate” documents, drawing media attention after an anti-gay email surfaced, and ultimately ending his presidential campaign while continuing the activism that powered it from the beginning. Join us each week as we share a new chapter from Karger’s historic campaign, from long-shot strategy and headline-making moments to the personal risks, political fights, and lasting impact of a candidacy that broke barriers. For more about Fred go to fredkarger.com Follow him on Instagram @fredkarger

6 Episodes

TK

Creator

Fred Karger
Years Active

2026
Episodes

6
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© 2026 FRED WHO - PART 2
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FRED WHO - PART 2