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Man Jailed for Threatening to Kill President Considers Run for Office

Nathan Daniel Larson served 16 months in federal prison for his threats

Nathan Larson and his wife Meshelle Larson. (larsonfordelegate.com)
Nathan Larson and his wife Meshelle Larson. (larsonfordelegate.com)

Nathan Daniel Larson, who was once jailed for making threats against the president, is now considering a run for Virginia’s House of Delegates.

Larson has submitted the minimum number of required signatures in Fauquier and Prince William counties to qualify, WUSA-TV reported.

Larson was convicted in 2009 after sending an email to the Secret Service expressing his intention to physically harm the president. The message was sent in December 2008 just after the election of Barack Obama but while George W. Bush was still in office. Larson never specified which president his message was meant for. He was sentenced to serve 16 months in a federal prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Larson is eligible to run for political office only because of recent action taken by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe that restore the right to vote to ex-convicts. According to the Virginia Department of Elections, all prospective candidates for state office must “be qualified to vote for and hold the office sought.”

This isn’t the first time that Larson has run for office in the state. In 2008, he ran as a Libertarian in Virginia’s 1st U.S. House district against incumbent Rob Wittman. Larson lost with Wittman winning nearly 57 percent of the vote.

Though Larson still identifies as a libertarian, he has unusual political views that put him at odds with the party in Virginia, which intends to work to oust him.

One of those positions is that women’s rights should be rolled back including the right to vote. 

“I think women want male leadership, and so men have to be strong,” Larson told WUASA9. “Men have to take the stances they believe are right, and women will respect that.”

Larson intends to run as an independent. 

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