Summary
Herbert H. Shaw (February 16, 1930–c. January 2016) was an American independent politician, a prominent perennial candidate from North Bergen, New Jersey who ran for elected office more than 75 times over five decades as an Independent under the "Politicians Are Crooks" banner.[1] Over the years, Shaw ran for United States Senator, U.S. House of Representatives, State Senator, Assemblyman, Hudson County Executive, Hudson County Sheriff, Hudson County Freeholder, North Bergen Commissioner, and the North Bergen Board of Education.[2] He never received as much as 5% of the vote.[3] "My motive is revenge," Shaw told a reporter in 2011.[2]
His most recent campaign was in 2014, when he challenged Congressman Albio Sires. He received 921 votes, 1.5%.[3]
He ran for the United States Senate in 1978, finishing third in a field of seven candidates, running more than 1 million votes behind the winner, Bill Bradley. He received 4,736 votes, a little less than one-quarter of one percent.[3]
Shaw ran against six Congressmen: Henry Helstoski, Harold Hollenbeck, Frank Guarini, Robert Torricelli, Bob Menendez, and Albio Sires.[3]
In 2012, he went to a public meeting of the North Bergen Board of Commissioners to complain that police had not yet located a bathtub stolen from his backyard.[4] He said the backyard of his house "is packed with junk, including a rusty school bus, old tires, several cars, an unused van, tables, and a variety of other items." Shaw: "I'm one of the original hunter gatherers. Call me a hoarder, collector, whatever you want, but I have a lot of antiques."[4]
Shaw died around January 2016.[5]
References edit
- ^ Zane, J. Peder. "ON THE MAP; Politics, North Bergen-Style, Through the Eyes of a Gadfly", The New York Times, May 28, 1995. Accessed January 1, 2015. "In North Bergen, a gritty Hudson County township of 48,400 people, politics is a blood sport, dominated by deep, interconnected feuds that go back decades. For 25 years, Herbert H. Shaw, a resident who is a maintenance worker for the Newark Public Library, has watched it from a singular perspective, partly inside the action and partly outside: he's a gadfly. Mr. Shaw, who's 65 years old, runs for office under the label 'Politicians Are Crooks.'"
- ^ a b Jackson, Sharyn (November 8, 2011). "Longtime N.J. candidate Herbert Shaw loses again, after trying for 5 decades". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Our Campaigns". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved December 4, 2014.[self-published source]
- ^ a b "Perennial candidate Shaw claims that bathtub was stolen from North Bergen home". Jersey Journal. April 26, 2012. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- ^ Staff (January 15, 2016). "HERBERT SHAW Obituary". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved February 16, 2019.