(Official Senate PhotO)

JEFF FLAKE

Who is he?

The Arizonan, a former U.S. House member, decided not to run for reelection to the Senate in 2019.

Is he running?

No. When he took a contributor role with CBS on January 23, 2019, he said he was not running.

Why did he want to run?

Starting in 2016, Flake was perhaps Trump’s most outspoken critic among elected Republicans, lambasting the president as immoral, unserious, and unconservative.

Who wanted him to run?

Liberal pundits.

Could he have won the nomination?

No. Flake retired because he didn’t even think he could win the Republican Senate nomination.

THIRD PARTIES AND INDEPENDENTS

Public domain

JO JORGENSEN

Who is she?

An activist, a psychologist, and a businesswoman from South Carolina, Jorgensen was the Libertarian Party’s vice-presidential nominee in 1996 and ran for Congress in 1992.

Is he running?

Following Justin Amash’s exit from the race, Jorgensen locked up the Libertarian nomination for 2020.

Why does she want to run?

Jorgensen’s platform is mostly standard Libertarian views: against big federal programs, against mass incarceration, against foreign military operations. She has also said, “It is not enough to be passively not racist; we must be actively anti-racist.”

Who wants her to run?

Libertarians.

What else do we know?

Since she’s the highest-profile woman in the presidential race, Jorgensen has borrowed Hillary Clinton’s 2016 slogan, “I’m with her.” Her running mate, Spike Cohen, previously ran for the LP nod promising a Waffle House on every corner, and if that’s not a winning platform, what has gone wrong in this country?

Getty

HOWIE HAWKINS

Who is he?

A Green Party founder and longtime environmental activist, Hawkins ran for New York governor as a Green in 2010, 2014, and 2018. He did not win.

Is he running?

Yes. On July 11, Hawkins was officially named the Green Party nominee. He’s also the Socialist Party USA nominee.

Why does he want to run?

Hawkins’s platform includes some familiar Green and progressive priorities: Green New Deal, Medicaid for All, and a guaranteed minimum income.

Who wants him to run?

Greens and Socialists.

What else do we know?

“H’20” is a truly great pun, especially for a Green Party nominee.

Lexi Browning / Reuters

DON BLANKENSHIP

Who is he?

The former CEO of the coal company Massey Energy, Blankenship was convicted of conspiracy to violate mine-safety laws over an explosion that killed 29 miners in 2010. He ran for U.S. Senate in West Virginia in 2018.

Is he running?

Yes. Blankenship announced on November 11 that he’s running for the Constitution Party’s nomination, and won the nomination in May.

Why does he want to run?

Blankenship is billing himself as a man who can actually do what Trump promised. The men share many political views as well as a general coarseness and bigotry. “President Trump means well, but he simply cannot get it done because he is too busy mending his self-inflicted wounds and tripping over his ego,” Blankenship said in a statement.

Who wants him to run?

Beats us. For what it’s worth, it took two ballots for him to win the Constitution nod.

(OFFICE OF JUSTIN AMASH)

JUSTIN AMASH

Who is he?

Amash has represented a Grand Rapids, Michigan-area seat in the U.S. House since 2011.

Is he running?

No. On April 28, 2020, Amash announced an exploratory committee to run for president on the Libertarian Party ticket, but he decided against a run on May 16.

Why did he want to run?

Amash has cut a path as a strong libertarian in the House, especially in recent months as a critic of President Trump. On July 4, he announced he was leaving the Republican Party, feeding presidential speculation.

Who wanted him to run?

Libertarians, duh. “There’s a lot of people who consider Amash to be the best congressman from the perspective of a libertarian,” Libertarian Party Chairman Nicholas Sarwark told MLive. “They think he’s the best congressman for our goals since Ron Paul.”

Could he have won the nomination?

Probably.

Gary Cameron / Reuters

LINCOLN CHAFEE

Who is he?

The failson scion of a Rhode Island Republican family, Chafee served in the Senate as a Republican (1999–2007); as governor, as an independent and then a Democrat (2011–15); and then ran for president as a Democrat in 2016.

Is he running?

No. He filed papers to run for the Libertarian Party nomination on January 5, but dropped out on April 7.

Why did he want to run?

It’s time to go metric, baby.

Who wanted him to run?

¯\ _(ツ)_/¯

Could he have won the nomination?

Given that he dropped his bid even without any serious rivals in the race, apparently not.

(JASON REDMOND / Reuters)

HOWARD SCHULTZ

Who is he?

That guy who used to sell you over-roasted coffee. Schultz stepped down as CEO of Starbucks in 2018.

Is he running?

No. Schultz officially ruled out a run on September 6, roughly four months after laying off most of his staff and announcing he’d take the summer off due to health problems. “I have concluded that an independent campaign for the White House is not how I can best serve our country at this time,” he wrote in a message.

Why did he want to run?

Personal pique over Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s support for a 70 percent marginal tax rate. No, seriously. Schultz has offered some vague platitudes about centrist ideas and bringing the country together, but most of it aligns with standard Democratic positions.

Who wanted him to run?

Donald Trump.

Can he have won the nomination?

The great thing about being a billionaire self-funder as an independent is that you don’t have to win a nomination. The downside is that you still have to win votes eventually.

(Darrin Zammit Lupi / Reuters)

JOHN MCAFEE

Who is he?

He’s the guy who made your antivirus program turned international fugitive turned unsuccessful 2016 Libertarian presidential candidate. A typical politician, basically.

Is he running?

He says he’s going to either vie for the Libertarian nomination again or run as an independent, though it’s probably worth regarding what he says with some skepticism.

Why does he want to run?

To promote cryptocurrency, brah. “See, I don’t want to be president,” he told a crypto trade publication in November 2018. “I couldn’t be … no one’s going to elect me president, please God. However, I’ve got the right to run.”

Who wants him to run?

Rubberneckers, disaster enthusiasts.

Can he win the nomination?

“No one’s going to elect me president, please God.”

What else do we know?

You want to see what it’s like as the opposite sex for three hours? What being kissed by God feels like? You want the infinite experience of freedom? Knowledge of yourself? Eroticism that incinerates you? A simple good time? Forgetfulness? He’s your man.