Meet the libertarian drag queen running for Congress in northwest Ohio

• David Gedert, a drag queen known as Sugar Vermonte, is running for Congress in Ohio’s 9th District as a libertarian.
• Gedert’s campaign began after he criticized Republican state Rep. Josh Williams, who sponsored a bill to restrict some drag performances.
• Gedert will face the winner of the GOP primary and incumbent Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur in the general election.
• The 9th District seat was recently redrawn to be more Republican in an effort to oust Kaptur, who is the longest-serving woman in the history of Congress.

It started with a Facebook post.

David Gedert − also known as the drag queen Sugar Vermonte − criticized Republican state Rep. Josh Williams on the page for his Toledo food truck, Maybe Cheese Born With It. Williams, who is running for Congress in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District, has sponsored legislation to criminalize certain drag performances.

The Lucas County Libertarian Party responded, “SUGAR FOR CONGRESS!” And a campaign was born.

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Gedert announced that he’s running as a libertarian in the 9th District, which includes Toledo and swaths of northwest Ohio. Current Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the longest serving woman in Congress, faces an uphill battle after lawmakers made the district more Republican in the latest round of redistricting.

Williams, former state Rep. Derek Merrin and Air Force veteran Alea Nadeem will face off in the GOP primary in May.

“The two-party system that pretends to work for us is ridiculous,” Gedert told the statehouse bureau. “We have to stop pretending that it’s working. We all recognize that it’s broken in one way or another, but someone has to stand up.”

Who is David Gedert, a.k.a. Sugar Vermonte?

Gedert grew up in a Detroit suburb, but he moved to Toledo at age 17 after both of his parents died. His resume includes a bit of everything: drag queen, Realtor, McDonald’s corporate manager and paraeducator for children with autism.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Gedert said, he bought a camper and some pink paint and opened Maybe Cheese Born With It. He then landed on the Food Network’s Great Food Truck Race and took second place.

Gedert said he’s always been politically engaged and evolved from a registered Democrat to independent. When the Libertarian Party contacted him about a bid for Congress, he reviewed the platform and said it aligns with much of what he believes.

Gedert also said the people of northwest Ohio deserve a better candidate for Congress, even though he respects Kaptur and her service.

“She came up in politics in an absolutely different world than the one we live in now,” Gedert said. “I think it is absolutely time for a fresh vision and someone who can really speak to the issues we are facing right now.”

Gedert doesn’t think that person is Williams, who reintroduced a bill last year that would restrict drag performances deemed “obscene” to adult-only clubs and bars. As Sugar Vermonte, Gedert has hosted Dolly Parton brunches to raise money for Blood Cancer United and contends Williams’ bill is “ridiculous.”

“Bless his heart,” he said of Williams − with a tinge of sarcasm.

Representatives for Kaptur and Williams did not respond to requests for comment.

This isn’t the first time a libertarian has run in the 9th Congressional District. Business owner Tom Pruss received more than 15,000 votes in the 2024 election that Kaptur narrowly won. The outcome raised questions about whether Pruss siphoned votes from Merrin, who lost to Kaptur by nearly 2,400 votes, according to the Ohio secretary of state’s office.

To Gedert, 2024 showed that 15,000 people in northwest Ohio wanted something different from their elected officials.

“If the two-party system doesn’t like it, too bad buttercup,” Gedert said. “You don’t always get what you like.”

State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at hbemiller@usatodayco.com or @haleybemiller on X.