--- description: Deez Nuts, running as an Independent, is now putting up some of the best third-party candidate numbers in two decades title: Meet the Top-Polling Independent Candidate Deez Nuts image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt16fc1623daa36e8c/69886032196cf45304037a64/usa-election.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [2016 Election](/tag/2016-election/) ## 2016 Election Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Meet the 15-Year Old Presidential Candidate Who is Polling 9%  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 20, 2015 1:09 PM CUT  Caucasian voter voting in polling place Caucasian voter voting in polling placeGetty Images  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 20, 2015 1:09 PM CUT Many know that Donald Trump’s presence has thrown a wrench in the race for the Republican nomination, stirring up discontent among voters with government and politicians. But there’s another non-politician who has thrown his hat in the ring and is making headlines: the top-polling Independent candidate, Deez Nuts. Deez Nuts, who is actually a high school boy in Iowa named Brady Olson, came in at 9% in a recent [Public Policy Polling poll](http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2015/PPP%5FRelease%5FNC%5F81915.pdf "undefined") of voters in North Carolina that match him up against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. “I am a 15-year-old who filled out a form, had the campaign catch on fire, and am now putting up the best third-party numbers since Ross Perot,” Olson [told the Guardian](http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/20/deez-nuts-independent-2016-candidate "undefined") in an email. “I’ve told my family and some of my friends from school. They still think it’s hilarious.” The name comes from a 90’s rap song by Dr. Dre. There are a host of reasons that Deez Nuts’ apparent zeitgeist isn’t a real factor in the race, including the fact that PPP’s polling often errs on the silly side in terms of questioning, and it’s a Democratic polling company. Jim Williams, an analyst at PPP who conducted the poll, said a segment of voters also are attracted to non-establishment party candidates. ““You could call \[the third party candidate\] anything,” he said to the Guardian, “and they would get their 7% or 8%.” Still, the Deez Nuts momentum is part of a larger trend in the primary season, in which voters are bucking career politician candidates. Trump, neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former tech CEO Carly Fiorina, the three mainstream candidates who haven’t held elected office, have all also seen polling bumps in recent weeks. The PPP poll was a survey of 957 voters in North Carolina, 406 of which were Republican primary voters, with a margin of error of +/- 4.9%. ### See the 2016 Candidates Looking Very Presidential  Sen. Ted Cruz is surrounded by stars and stripes at the 2014 Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C. on September 26, 2014. Mark Peterson—Redux  Hillary Clinton Hillary Clinton gazes pensively into the distance at Iowa Senator Tom Harken'a annual Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa on September 14, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis for TIME  Jeb Bush Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush flashes a power watch before giving his keynote address at the National Summit on Education Reform in Washington on Nov. 20, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Bernie Sanders waves to supporters after officially announcing his candidacy for the U.S. presidency during an event at Waterfront Park in Burlington, Vermont, on May 26, 2015. Win McNamee—Getty Images  Chris Christie New Jersey Governor Chris Christie strikes a presidential power stance at the ceremony for the opening of the 206 bypass in Hillsborough, New Jersey on October 28, 2013. Mark Peterson—Redux  Former Hewlett-Packard Co Chief Executive Officer Carly Fiorina listens to her introduction from the side of the stage at the Freedom Summit in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 24, 2015. Jim Young—Reuters  Rand Paul Sen. Rand Paul works a crowd during a campaign stop on October 24, 2014 in McDonough, Georgia. Jessica McGowan—Getty Images  Rick Perry Texas Gov. Rick Perry looks powerfully patriotic during the National Anthem before an NCAA college football game on Nov. 27, 2014, in College Station, Texas. David J. Phillip—AP  Bobby Jindal Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal looks to the future during The Family Leadership Summit on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. Charlie Neibergall—AP  Martin O'Malley Maryland Governor Martin OíMalley ponders decorating ideas in front of his possible future home on CBS's Face the Nation on Feb. 23, 2014. Chris Usher—AP  Marco Rubio Sen. Marco Rubio looks determined the morning after the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. on January 29, 2014. Melissa Golden—Redux  Ben CarsonBen Carson at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference on March 8, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Jim Webb Retiring Sen. Jim Webb imitates the presidential wave during a rally in Virginia Beach, Va. on Sept. 27, 2012. Steve Helber—AP  John Kasich Ohio Gov. John Kasich practices his presidential victory pose at the Ohio Republican Party celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014, in Columbus, Ohio. Tony Dejak—AP  Rick Santorum Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum looks resolute at CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference on March 7, 2014. Brooks Kraft—Corbis  Scott Walker Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker practices the presidential point on March 3, 2014 in Milwaukee. Jeffrey Phelps—AP  Mike Huckabee Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee fine-tunes his presidential oratory at the Conservative Political Action Committee annual conference in National Harbor, Md. on March 7, 2014. Susan Walsh—AP  Lincoln Chafee, Former Rhode Island Governor, poses for a selfie with a student after announcing he will seek the Democratic nomination for president in Arlington, Va. on June 3, 2015. Jonathan Ernst—Reuters  Lindsey Graham Lindsey Graham announced his plans to join the 2016 presidential race. Alex Wong—Getty Images  George Pataki Former New York governor George Pataki listens to a question at the First in the Nation Republican Leadership Conference in Nashua, New Hampshire, in this April 17, 2015 file photo. Brian Snyder—Reuters _Read next:_ [_Donald Trump Has Landed_](http://time.com/trump/?iid=time%5Freadnext "undefined") [_Listen to the most important stories of the day_](http://time.com/newsletter/the-brief/autoplay/?xid=spl-fullbrief-article "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4004520/deez-nuts-candidate-2016/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4004520/deez-nuts-candidate-2016/"},"headline":"Meet the 15-Year Old Presidential Candidate Who is Polling 9%","datePublished":"2015-08-20T13:09:06.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:59.364Z","description":"Deez Nuts, running as an Independent, is now putting up some of the best third-party candidate numbers in two decades","url":"https://time.com/4004520/deez-nuts-candidate-2016/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt16fc1623daa36e8c/69886032196cf45304037a64/usa-election.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt16fc1623daa36e8c/69886032196cf45304037a64/usa-election.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"American Election","caption":"American Election","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4004520/deez-nuts-candidate-2016/","name":"Meet the 15-Year Old Presidential Candidate Who is Polling 9%"}}]}] ```