Fred Karger Ramps Up Run for President

Fred Karger said that he would make a decision in the next few months whether to be the first openly gay person to run for president despite sharp criticism from some quarters of the Republican party.

In an interview with CBS News, Karger, who already has run ads and made visits to the key early states of Iowa and New Hampshire, said that Iowa Republican national committeeman Steve Scheffler had harsh words for him.

Karger told CBS News that Scheffler told him, “‘You and the radical homosexual community are not welcome in Iowa. I'm going to work overtime’ — and this was an interesting choice of words — 'to abort your candidacy.’

“I've tried to meet with him, I've tried to reach out to him,” said Karger. “He's never even met me."

Karger, a former campaign consultant to President Ronald Reagan, said that he would grade President Barack Obama with a D at best for his work thus far on gay rights.

"I think he's not happy," said Karger. "He seems depressed to me. His wife seems very depressed. I don't think they're having a very good time in this."

Watch the interview.