Everyman for President

Everyman for President


Hillary and Donald are running for President. But so are more than 1,500 others.

One of them is Michael Petyo from Hobart, Indiana, a small town near Chicago.

. Highland, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Jim Young

He is not a household name, nor does he have millions of dollars in backing.

But he has filed his Federal Election Commission paperwork like everyone else running to be the next President.

Petyo is a building contractor by day, a father, a husband and a U.S. Navy veteran.

. Portage, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Jim Young

Back in May, Petyo had handed me his card and told me he was running for president.

He was standing outside the Lincoln Dinner, an event held in Des Moines, Iowa that was attended by the leading potential Republican candidates.

The carpenter by trade said the party would not let him in to join the other mainstream potential contenders.

We only spoke for a minute but I took his card.

. Hobart, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Jim Young

Several months later, I read a story about a few hundred people having already signed up to run for president. They were from all walks of life: businesspeople, teachers, bartenders.

Then I remembered Petyo from Iowa. He only lives about 75 miles from me in Indiana so I arranged to meet at his house, where we spoke for a couple hours at his dinner table with his wife.

. Portage, UNITED STATES. Reuters

This is my fourth presidential election campaign and I have always been fascinated by what drives a person to run for the Presidency.

I have logged countless miles on the road and been to hundreds of events - but always with top-tier candidates with massive financial backing and support from an army of volunteers.

. Milwaukee, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Jim Young

Petyo doesn't have any of that. He has some business cards, his van and what he believes in.

He speaks about the working class - his website includes images of a lunch box and a hardhat - faith, and like most candidates looking for votes, the military.

. Hobart, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Jim Young

In his spare time, he bakes to raise money for his Orthodox church where he is a cantor. Religion is an important part of his life and he speaks passionately about it.

Over the next several months we would meet up while he campaigned and went about his daily life.

. Hobart, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Jim Young

Barbershops, lumberyards, local restaurants.

Petyo drove up to a Republican debate in Milwaukee in November, but the door was shut on him there too. Still he works the long lines of attendees waiting to get in. Smiling, shaking hands.

. Milwaukee, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Jim Young

Later that month, he campaigns on the streets of Chicago. People brush by on a cold, windy day, heads buried in their phones as he tries to introduce himself, extending his hand holding his card.

Some stop and are curious and ask about his policies. He shakes hands with tourists and workers, who wish him luck.

. Valparaiso, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Jim Young
Petyo speaks to a worker as he campaigns at a restaurant in Valparaiso, Indiana.

For candidates like Petyo, the important thing is finding Americans who will listen to them, said Bart Rossi, a political psychologist.

"They want to get their thoughts and ideas out there," said Rossi. "They want to be on the playing field even if they're not going to win the game."

It wasn't any one aspect of his story that I was interested in. He is not a full-time politician, just a regular guy but facing what many would call insurmountable obstacles.

. Highland, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Jim Young
Petyo speaks to a patron while campaigning at the American Legion.

Will he be the 45th President of the United States? It’s quite the understatement to say that the odds are stacked against him.

But that shouldn’t stop him or anyone else from trying.

(Additional reporting by Mary Wisniewski, editing by Brian McGee)

. Chicago, UNITED STATES. Reuters/Jim Young