Andre Barnett

في 20 أبريل/نيسان 2011، قدّم بارنيت إعلان نيته الترشح إلى لجنة الانتخابات الفيدرالية، وأعلن ترشحه رسميًا لنيل ترشيح حزب الإصلاح للرئاسة في 6 مايو/أيار 2011. ^{[ 8 ] [ 9 ]} وفي المؤتمر السنوي لحزب الإصلاح في ولاية نيوجيرسي ، الذي عُقد في 14 أبريل/نيسان 2012، فاز بارنيت على حاكم لويزيانا السابق بادي رومر في استطلاع رأي رئاسي غير رسمي للحزب، وحصل على 70% من الأصوات. ^{[ 10 ]} وفي 12 أغسطس/آب 2012، رُشِّح بارنيت رسميًا لرئاسة الولايات المتحدة من قِبَل حزب الإصلاح، وذلك خلال المؤتمر الوطني للحزب في فيلادلفيا، بنسلفانيا . ^{[ 11 ] [ 12 ]} في تصويت المندوبين، الذي اعتمد على نظام التصويت بالموافقة ، حصل بارنيت على نسبة موافقة بلغت 95%، متقدمًا بنحو خمس نقاط مئوية على صاحب المركز الثاني، كينيث ر. "كين" كروس من أركنساس ، صاحب شركة استشارية ومرشح رئاسي سابق لعام 2008. ^{[ 13 ] [ 14 ]} ثم تم اختيار كروس نائبًا لبارنيت. ^{[ 8 ]} بين 1 أبريل و31 ديسمبر 2011، سجلت حملة بارنيت إيرادات بلغت 1808.20 دولارًا أمريكيًا ونفقات بلغت 2208.20 دولارًا أمريكيًا. ^{[ 15 ]}

Although Barnett secured the party's nomination, two state parties filed to grant their nominations to other candidates: the Kansas Reform Party awarded their nomination to pastor and 2008 Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin, while the Mississippi Reform Party nominated Barbara Dale Washer.^[16][17] The Kansas Reform Party had also nominated Baldwin for president in 2008 against the wishes of the national party.^[16] National party officials testified to the Kansas State Objections Board to argue that they, not the state party, has the right to determine which candidate appears as the party's nominee on the ballot, but the board concluded that the state party has the final authority.^[16]

On October 4, 2012, Barnett appeared at a third-party presidential debate hosted by the Huffington Post with Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Justice Party candidate Rocky Anderson.^[18] Barnett was listed as a candidate in a Florida poll conducted by Suffolk University, which found him drawing zero percent support in the state.^[19]

Barnett stated that he considers himself a conservative and that he would considerably downsize the federal government if elected.^[20][21] Barnett has been described as a "conservative with a conscience", while OnTheIssues classified him as a moderate conservative.^[22][23] Barnett proposed restructuring the Department of Education and giving states most control over schools; he also indicated support for prayer in schools and opposition to school voucher programs.^[23][24] On foreign policy, Barnett argued for removing the military from abroad and instead using it to address homeland security.^[25] He indicated in a questionnaire that he supports expanding free trade, although his platform included the implementation of tariffs on imported goods.^[23][25] In a January 2012 OnTheIssues questionnaire, Barnett indicated that he opposed same-sex domestic partnerships, a position which some political commentators felt was in opposition to his audience during his fitness modeling career.^[2][5][6]

The Frederick Douglass Foundation of New York, a conservative public policy and educational organization, praised Barnett in an October 2011 article, deeming him a true conservative and commending his political positions; however, the article did not formally endorse Barnett, and urged him to consider running with the Republican Party instead.^[22] In October 2012, The Sword, a gay porn website, issued a humorous endorsement of Barnett, stating that they were "proud to endorse him because his body is insane" but calling him "a complete and total asshole" on actual policy.^[6]