Andre Barnett

Andre Nigel Barnett (born June 2, 1976) is an American entrepreneur, politician, and model. After founding an information technology company, he was the presidential candidate of the Reform Party in the 2012 United States presidential election, and later sought a New York seat in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican.

Born in Zanesville, Ohio, Barnett attended Austin Peay State University and Western Governors University before serving in the United States Army for four years. After he was injured and discharged in 2000, he became a male fitness model and founded WiseDome, Inc., an IT company.

In May 2011, Barnett announced his intention to seek the presidential nomination of the Reform Party of the United States for the following year's presidential election. He faced several other candidates, and secured the support of 95 percent of delegates at the party's nominating convention the following year. He ran as a moderate conservative, supporting a smaller role for the federal government, and took socially conservative stands on issues like abortion and same-sex partnerships. He appeared on the ballot in one state and was a certified write-in candidate in several others, ultimately receiving just under 1,000 votes nationally. In 2014, he ran for the Republican nomination in New York's 18th congressional district, but failed to submit enough valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Background Barnett was born in Zanesville, Ohio on June 2, 1976, to Terry and Brenda Barnett. He had one sister, LaTanya, and as a child participated in football and track, as well as studying music and acting. He graduated from Zanesville High School in 1994. He then attended Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, where he studied music; he did not graduate, and later completed coursework in information technology through online university Western Governors University. In the following three years, he became a fitness model and founded WiseDome, an IT company for which he is today best known. Barnett's modeling work appeared on websites which drew a primarily gay male readership.

2012 presidential campaign

Campaign

On April 20, 2011, Barnett filed his Declaration of Intent of Candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, and publicly announced his candidacy for the Reform Party presidential nomination on May 6, 2011. At the Reform Party of New Jersey's state convention on April 14, 2012, Barnett defeated former Governor of Louisiana Buddy Roemer in the party's presidential straw poll with 70 percent of the vote. Barnett was officially nominated for President of the United States by the Reform Party on August 12, 2012, at the party's National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the delegate vote, which used approval voting, Barnett received 95 percent approval, approximately five percentage points ahead of the second-place finisher, Kenneth R. "Ken" Cross of Arkansas, the owner of a consulting company and a 2008 presidential candidate. Cross was then made Barnett's running mate.

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. The Kansas Reform Party had also nominated Baldwin for president in 2008 against the wishes of the national party. Barnett was listed as a candidate in a Florida poll conducted by Suffolk University, which found him drawing zero percent support in the state.

Political positions Barnett stated that he considers himself a conservative and that he would considerably downsize the federal government if elected. Barnett has been described as a "conservative with a conscience", while OnTheIssues classified him as a moderate conservative. 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. On foreign policy, Barnett argued for removing the military from abroad and instead using it to address homeland security. He indicated in a questionnaire that he supports expanding free trade, although his platform included the implementation of tariffs on imported goods. This marked an improvement from the national party's vote totals in 2008, when their presidential ticket appeared on the ballot in only Mississippi and failed to attain write-in access in any state; that year, they had received 481 votes nationally.

The Mississippi Reform Party's presidential nominee, Barbara Dale Washer, received 1,016 votes, while the Kansas Reform Party's presidential nominee, Chuck Baldwin, received 5,017 votes. He also signed a term limits pledge from the nonpartisan nonprofit group U.S. Term Limits, vowing not to serve more than three terms in the House and two in the Senate if elected. Barnett initially filed 1,252 petition signatures to appear on the Republican primary ballot. However, 86 of the signatures were found to be invalid, meaning that Barnett fell short of the required 1,250 valid signatures. Hayworth thereby avoided a Republican primary.

Personal life Barnett and his wife Kimberly reside in Poughkeepsie, New York.