WASHINGTON – As president, Tyrese Ross Lloyd says, she would make sure people get more leisure time.
“We don’t have enough fun,” the preschool teacher says.
“More fun” could be an enticing presidential platform. Trouble is, the Clinton, Md., resident probably does not have the time, money or political background to win the presidency.
Nevertheless, like hundreds of others, she has filed as a presidential candidate. Most of them, however, are about as likely to move into the White House as comedian and perennial candidate Pat Paulsen.
As of January, 232 people had taken the plunge, filing statements of candidacy and organization with the Federal Election Commission, said spokeswoman Kelly Huff.
Nine were from Maryland.
Among the 232 were a furniture restorer, a college professor and Lloyd, the preschool teacher. All three have plenty of ideas on what to do as president but have done little to get there.
They are unlikely to appear on the general election ballot in November. The ballot will only include primary winners from the two major parties and any third-party or independent candidates who have met their state’s ballot-access requirements, such as submitting petitions.
Supporters of other candidates would have to write their names in.
Lloyd, a teacher for M.V. Leckie Elementary School in the District, said she filed partly because she did well on a test in a 1994 women’s magazine. The test was aimed at determining if readers were capable of becoming president, she said.
Her high score confirmed her belief that she could help solve the country’s many problems.
“I said, `Oh my goodness, I’m the one.’ I went around telling people and they said you should run,” said Lloyd, a Republican who said she may switch her registration to a third party.
Lloyd said the work week should be limited to 40 hours and parents should have more flexible work hours in order to spend more time with their children.
These policies would help reduce stress, said Lloyd, who declined to give her age, but did say she is “old enough to run for president.”
Lloyd, who said she can beat President Clinton, is reluctant to talk about her ideas. She said she is concerned about people leaking her agenda to others, including Clinton.
She said there has already been such a leak. Shortly after discussing her ideas on world peace with some associates, Lloyd noticed that Clinton traveled to Ireland in an effort to end the long conflict between the North and the South.
“All of a sudden he started to work on peace,” she said.
Lloyd said she has neither raised nor spent any money on her campaign.
Huff said only 28 of the applicants, including the mainstream candidates, have raised or spent more than $5,000.
Ronald W. Williams, a furniture restorer from Baltimore, also has not raised or spent any money in his presidential bid.
And, like Lloyd, he said he has not campaigned.
Williams, 38, said he had originally intended to campaign.
“Back in November, I was really pumped up,” the Democrat said. “Then I lost it.”
Nevertheless, he has ambitious goals.
Williams said he thought he could eliminate poverty and homelessness as president.
In addition, in a Williams administration, he said the budget would be balanced in nine months as opposed to the seven years proposed by the Republicans.
He would give everybody a home and a free college education.
All debt – domestic and international – would be forgiven, he said.
Williams, who did not attend college but spent four years in the Army, said soldiers should be paid a lot more than they are now.
He did not specify how he would pay for this largesse.
Samuel B. Hoff, 38, an independent candidate from Dover, Del., knows how much money is needed to run for president.
A Ph.D, he teaches political science at Delaware State University.
“I have always protested the amount of money it takes,” said Hoff. “You’re talking about $200 million for one candidate to become president.”
This is the third time he has run for the nation’s highest office – despite the fact that in previous attempts he would have been too young to hold the seat. In each of his earlier campaigns, Hoff spent $2 – payment to his wife for being his treasurer.
Hoff said if his wife votes for him this year, he will double his result of one vote – his own – from 1992. His wife did not vote in that election, Hoff said.
In 1988 he was shut out. Hoff did not vote for himself because he had moved from the state in which he registered to vote.
He said he first became interested in running for president when he helped arrange a forum for third-party candidates. “I was really taken by it,” Hoff said. “I sort of got the Potomac fever and I’ve kept it.” -30-