Under California law, a candidate for governor needs 164,000 signatures to appear as an independent candidate on the ballot.
Carey, who ran in the 2003 recall election that saw actor Arnold Schwarzenegger rise to power, was only able to turn in 40 of the signatures required to put her on the ballot.
Undeterred, Carey used the setback as an opportunity to announce her “shock the vote” campaign, saying that she planned to hit the state’s colleges to reach her target constituency: young men.
“I plan to get college kids to register to vote and raise awareness with people about how important voting is,” Carey told XBIZ.
In the past Carey has identified herself with the Republican Party, attending several fund raising dinners with the likes of Vice President Dick Cheney and other party notables. While she’ll be running as an independent, Carey said that she considers herself fiscally conservative and socially liberal, adding that if elected she would instruct her administration to “leave the adult industry alone.”
According to Carey, whose latest release from Legend Video is “Cash & Carey,” a political victory won’t mean the end of her adult career, although she might have to put filming on hold temporarily.
“Legend is very supportive of me,” Carey said, adding that the campaign is a genuine attempt to change the state, not a publicity stunt.
Carey said a San Diego college student will manage her campaign. Her fiancé, Harry Shevlin, serves as her director of publicity.
Her slogan for the campaign is: “Finally, a politician you want to be screwed by.”