The race to represent northwest Ohio’s 9th Congressional District just got a whole lot sweeter with a robust dose of sugar sprinkled on the field.
David Gedert – often known by his drag alter ego Sugar Vermonte – announced his candidacy on Tuesday to challenge incumbent Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur and GOP candidates Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Twp.) and former state Republican Derek Merrin.
Gedert is running under the banner of the Libertarian Party.
“I see an opportunity in No. 9 Ohio State [District] make a few waves and I lunge forward,” Gedert told The Buckeye Flame.
Gedert is a miniature business owner and community activist who gained national recognition by driving his macaroni and cheese truck, “Maybe Cheese Born With It,” to second place on Season 15 of Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race.” He said he approaches the congressional race with the same spirit that led to the success of food trucks.
“I started the food truck after a stimulus check and a smile,” Gedert said. “For days I didn’t know what I was doing, but I jumped in and the universe did everything in its power to make it happen. I see that same momentum building here for this race.”
In addition to his entrepreneurship, Gedert is well known in Northwest Ohio for his community service, including winning the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (now Blood Cancer United) Advocacy Mission Award and continuing to serve on the organization’s leadership committee.
He said the Libertarian Party approached him about running for Congress and he immediately knew it was a great alternative to the two-party system, which he felt wasn’t working for Ohioans. He explained that the Libertarian Party focuses on defending personal freedoms and that it is “the most pro-LGBTQ+ party in the history of the United States.”
“We have to protect the elderly, we have to protect children, we have to protect disabled and vulnerable people,” Gedert said. “Besides, the government really needs to get out of everyone’s way.”
Gedert also does not appear as an intersex person, a general term used to describe a variety of conditions in which a person is born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not appear to fit typical definitions of female or male. He believes he may be the first intersex person to run for Congress.
“I always stood out as the exception to every rule, so throughout my life I had to forge my own way,” Gedert said. “I have faced all this and it has built in me the determination to solve any problem and I am ready to start the fight.”
Part of that fight now involves the drag queen artist taking on Rep. Williams, one of the co-sponsors of Ohio’s version of a ban on drag queens and gender-specific performances in public places. Gedert says Williams represents what is wrong with the Republican Party.
“Williams is repugnant to the values of anyone in the great state of Ohio,” Gedert said. “Nobody wants a malicious little man to legislate through control and anger. It doesn’t look good for him or Ohio.”
As Sugar Vermonte, Gedert expressed a much more rational view of Williams: “Bless his heart.”
As he begins to gain recognition as a stern candidate, Gedert has a clear plan for approaching his campaign.
– What would Dolly do? Gedert laughed.
Gedert said he is constantly inspired by Dolly Parton: her glitz, glamor and insightful words spoken with truth and love. He plans to apply this philosophy to his run for Congress.
“I want to grab your attention, but then people will be intrigued the more they hear what I have to say,” Gedert said. “I feel like I’m the right person at the right time, with the right ideas.” 🔥
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- More information about David Gedert’s candidacy can be found on his campaign’s Facebook page Here.
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