One man's long road to the White House

March 1, 2000
Web posted at: 12:37 p.m. EST (1737 GMT)

ATLANTA (CNN) -- With the political campaign season seeming to grow longer each election, candidates have to look farther and farther ahead -- but a 27-year-old former Michigan accountant is looking farthest.

Brian Anderson already is running for president of the United States in the year 2020.

Well, not so much running as walking.

CAP: Anderson says he plans on traveling the world, then getting involved in "lower level" politics before running for president ( 123K/10 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

Anderson, of Muskegon, Michigan, is too young to run for president this year -- a U.S. president must be at least 35 years old -- so he's getting to know the country he hopes to lead one day. He has embarked upon a 1,000-day quest that would do Don Quixote proud.

Anderson hit the road in June to travel the country, listening to voters while doing day-labor jobs to pay for his low-key campaign.

Like any political candidate, he can be found on the streets pressing the flesh and trying to get his name into the public mind. But unlike some candidates, Anderson doesn't claim to have all the answers. He says his journey is about listening to people as much as it is about building support.

Anderson has no party affiliation, pollsters, campaign promises or experience in public office. He was visiting business schools around the country when he got the idea to run for president.

During his planned 1,000-day trip across America, Anderson stops to introduce himself to potential voters of the year 2020

"I had a huge advantage, which was I didn't know what I was supposed to do," he told CNN's Leon Harris. "I didn't know I was supposed to run to Washington and work for a senator, or run for local office."

But the 1,000-day journey is only one step in Anderson's plan to get himself into the White House.

"I want to go back to school, I need to get involved in the reserves. I want to learn about that capacity. I have got some writings that I want to work on and I need to do some international travel ... and then I definitely start to run for office at a lower level."

He says his low-key campaign is winning support.

"People can tell that I'm sincere and it's a process that is beginning to resonate. A lot of people across the country have already heard about this."

Anderson says he will join one of the major parties in the future. And he plans to study political science.

But for now, he's trying to win support one handshake at a time.