This Candidate's Name Is Very... Unusual

No other candidate is creating as much excitement or media buzz as Iowa citizen Deez Nuts, who is running for president and currently polling well in three states. Nuts, who filed with the FEC to run for president in late July, is currently running as an Independent and was included on a recent Public Policy Polling poll, which pit him against Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. In North Carolina, Nuts received 9 percent of the vote.

He faired similarly well in the candidate's home state of Iowa, bringing in 7 percent of the vote, while receiving 8 percent in Minnesota. Unfortunately for Nuts, however, in all three states, the candidate still polled lower than the "I'm unsure" option. But even being included in a Public Policy Polling poll is a big deal and is way more than any other fringe candidates have achieved.

But there's one question we're all dying to have the answer to. Who is (are?) Deez Nuts? According to multiple news sources, Nuts is the legal name of a man from Wallingford, Iowa. But no one has been able to get in touch with Nuts. The International Business Times couldn't find anyone by the name of Nuts associated with the address listed on the candidate's FEC filing forms, and calls made by BuzzFeed News went unanswered. People were growing desperate.

But there is definitely someone behind the Nuts campaign, and that person, according to the Daily Beast, is 15 year-old Brady Olson, an Iowa teenager. According to the outlet, Olson was inspired by the story of Limberbutt McCubbins, a cat from Kentucky who was registered by a 17-year-old high school student. Although Olson and the Nuts campaign have been slim on details, they have been vocal in their appreciation of McCubbins and have expressed a desire to see the cat join Nuts' team as vice president. "The Nuts/McCubbins ticket sounds amazing," Olson told The Daily Beast.

But while it might have started as a joke, Olson is treating Nuts' campaign seriously and has rolled out some platforms. According to the campaign's site, Nuts is strict on illegal immigration (he believes illegal immigrants should all be deported), is also pro-choice, and has no problems with same-sex marriage. "I feel that as equal human beings that we should be allowed to choose how to live our lives without being discriminated by one another," said Nuts.

In terms of the economy and budget, Nuts is in favor of incentives to create American job opportunities and advocates restricting the government to spending only what they make in tax revenues. Nuts also believes all federal officials should cut their salaries in half. Nuts appears to be in favor of the Iran deal, as well as in favor of working to find green initiatives.

However, the subject that Nuts seems to be most passionate about is electoral representation for U.S. territories.

I support giving citizens in our American territories voting rights. I also support giving American Samoan citizens automatic US citizenship. I would give Puerto Rico 3 electoral votes since Puerto Rico is bigger than many states. Guam, the US Virgin Islands, and the Northern Marianas all get 2 since they are smaller, but still incorporated territories. Finally, American Samoa would only get 1 since it is still considered an "unincorporated" territory. This would bring the total of electoral votes from 538 to 548. I also support giving all 5 territories plus Washington, D.C. 1 seat in the House of Representatives instead of non-voting delegates. This would bring seats in the House from 435 to 441.

Even though the Nuts campaign's Facebook page has little more than 300 fans, the candidate's inclusion on the Public Policy Polling poll launched the campaign into headlines overnight. On Wednesday, Deez Nuts was trending on Twitter. According to Jim Williams, a specialist at Public Policy Polling, Nuts was included in the poll because he thought it would be humorous. After Nuts requested to be polled, Williams told The Daily Beast, "I thought, 'Let's put this out. This'll be funny.'"

Despite using a fake name and being underage, Olson followed all the proper procedures required to fill out FEC paperwork. Although the FEC only considers those who have raised at least $5,000 as viable or "real" candidates, anyone who goes through the process of filling out the paperwork properly is included as a contender.

The next step for Nuts' campaign is to be included as an official write-in candidate on state ballots. Then, the campaign will have to figure out how a 15-year-old with a fake name can run for president. After Olson was discovered as the mastermind behind the Nuts campaign, a Rolling Stone reporter asked, "How far are you willing to take this practical joke?" Olson answered, "As far as America wants to take it."

Image: ABC7 News