Fred Karger was the first to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President of the United States on March 23, 2011.

Throughout his career, Karger has worked on nine presidential campaigns and served as a senior consultant on campaigns for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Gerald Ford.

He retired after 27 years and has since become an activist for gay rights causes, including his organization Californians Against Hate (now Rights Equal Rights) to investigate the LDS Church and the National Organization for Marriage in their campaigns against marriage equality in California and Maine.

Karger is the first openly gay presidential candidate from a major political party in American history.