DALLAS - “Literally, nice to meet you,” says one presidential hopeful, who many voters might feel sums up their feelings about American politics this election year.

“My name is ‘Literally Anybody Else’, and I’m running for president of the United States,” explains the 35-year-old teacher from Texas.

The wannabe politician, formerly known as Dustin Ebey, legally changed his name to express his frustration over the 2024 White House rematch between elderly foes Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

It is an eye-catching stunt that presents a lot of bureaucratic challenges, but he does have serious issues to raise – he and his wife cannot afford to buy a home on their teacher’s salaries.

“As it stands right now, my generation and younger, we struggle with finding housing. We struggle with these basic things that 20, 30 years ago weren’t really a concern,” he told AFP while on the campaign trial.

“When I looked at American politics, I didn’t feel like it was an accurate representation of not just me as an individual, but of America as a whole.

“You cannot tell me that those two are the best that we can do.”

‘I’m voting for this guy’

Mr Literally Anybody Else, a middle-school maths teacher, has policies on education, healthcare, crime and tax, but said he was really looking for a way to show the need “to hit reset on American politics”.

So he legally changed his name in court, and is collecting signatures in a long-shot bid to get himself on the ballot.

Last weekend, at a park in downtown Dallas, he set up a table and arranged pens and paper to gather signatures. Wearing a T-shirt promoting his campaign, he brandished his driver’s licence to prove his name change was for real.

Some people eyed him with curiosity, others laughed and took photos. He tried to address them, though he was not always lucky.

Once in a while, he meets an instant fan.

“He’s just a voice to say ‘yeah, we want anyone else besides these two’. That’s why I’m voting for this guy,” said Mr Brandon Rios, 28, who works in the financial sector.

“Anybody could get up there and do a better job than Donald Trump or Biden at this point. That’s my take.”

Mr Vincent James, 68, who is retired, was more downbeat, saying: “I appreciate what he’s doing, but I don’t think it’s going to be very effective.”

In Texas, it takes more than 113,000 signatures from voters who have not taken part in party primaries to add a candidate to the presidential ballot.

If he does not make the cut in Texas or elsewhere, it will not be for lack of trying. And there is a Plan B.

Many US states let voters write the name of the person they want to elect onto the paper ballot.

Then, conceivably, it is on to victory, inauguration and life in the White House. AFP