Norman man seeks Libertarian Party's presidential nomination

Many Americans are frustrated with federal spending and are looking for someone with common sense to save the country from economic turmoil, R.J. Harris said.

“The republic is in one of the most dire straits it's been in since before its founding,” he said. “We've got a Washington, D.C., full of career politicians and that doesn't seem to help.”

Voters are “totally fed up” with Democrats and Republicans, he said.

Also, by using social media venues on the Internet, such as Facebook and Twitter, candidates can recruit and stay in touch with supporters at relatively little cost compared with earlier times when contenders needed money for travel and advertising to get their views known, said Harris, of Norman.

U.S. Rep. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, a political newcomer elected last year in a crowded field for Oklahoma's 5th Congressional District seat, pulled out a surprise victory as the GOP nominee after a relatively low-budget campaign that relied heavily on social media, such as Facebook and Twitter.

Social media programs make it possible “for individual citizen statesmen to get out there and compete in the arena of ideas,” he said.

“This is definitely a David and Goliath story, but it can be done,” Harris said.

Harris, 38, a 20-year Oklahoma Army National Guard officer, faces a struggle just getting his name on Oklahoma's ballot for the November 2012 general election.

The Libertarian Party needs to get 51,739 signatures of registered voters, which amounts to at least 5 percent of the total votes cast in the last general election. The deadline is March 1.

Signature collection efforts have been under way since May. About 20,000 signatures have been collected so far, Harris said; he expects they will be gathered at a faster clip now that cooler weather is here and more people will be attending events, such as football games.