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

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