A man who legally changed his name to Literally Anybody Else and ran for president in 2024 is making a political comeback. This time, Else has thrown his hat into a much smaller ring: the contest for mayor of North Richland Hills.
The question is will Else, formerly Dustin Ebey — a North Richland Hills resident who works as an animal technician at a university lab in Dallas — garner the same kind of media attention for this race that he collected during months of coverage in publications such as Fortune, USA Today, People, Barron’s and The Guardian two years ago? This remains to be seen.
Else, 37, said he disagreed with the way Mayor Jack McCarty and the City Council handled a dispute last year with then-member Blake Vaughn, ultimately reprimanding and stripping him of his position as deputy mayor pro tem. Else is challenging McCarty in the May 2 general election; early voting is April 20-28.
“I decided to cast my hat just to see if there’s anybody else in North Richland Hills who wishes to express themselves,” Else said. “As it was, (McCarty) was going to run unopposed.”
Literally Anybody Else, nee Dustin Ebey, poses for a photo during a play date with his 5-year-old daughter at North Richland Hills' Adventure World Playground. (Scott Nishimura | Fort Worth Report) Two years ago, Else, an Army veteran who said he “leans Republican,” announced his presidential candidacy after the final Republican primary debate.
“That was kind of like the leaf that broke the camel’s back as far as me being fed up,” Else said. “And so I decided to take an idea that had been festering for a while and make it a reality. We only had two options that were considered serious. And I wanted literally anybody else.”
In that election, Else didn’t go through Texas’ process for becoming an official write-in candidate, and doesn’t know how many votes he won for president in 2024.
Some news accounts nationally suggest he might have snagged some votes when voters wrote in “literally anybody else,” but it wasn’t clear they were choosing his candidacy.
“I did find a few votes,” he said.
McCarty, a former two-term Birdville ISD board president who was elected mayor in 2024, said he’s ready for the campaign.
“I get to live off results, not rhetoric,” he said in an interview.
McCarty touted the City Council’s approval of a property tax rate below the no-new-revenue rate for two straight years, substantial increase in roadwork, studying of needs for the city’s next bond election, limiting new apartment development, increasing the police and fire budgets, fully staffing the fire department, and pushing for more restaurants that appeal to families.
“It’s a really super long list,” McCarty said. “A lot of it has to do with transparency.”
Else said he took notice last year when the City Council unanimously disciplined Vaughn, who later left the council. Vaughn had accused McCarty of “lying to the people” during a dispute over carport regulations and whether the council had proper input into questions the city staff sent out to residents about the matter.
“We have a few differences between us, but at the core of it, I agree with the way that the government should be a reflection of the people, not just the insiders who can have a slate,” Else said.
McCarty views the dispute as “ancient history.”
Else, who has an undergraduate degree in combined sciences and was teaching in middle school when he ran for president, said he’s trying to position himself to seek a master’s degree and go into research. His wife is a teacher, and the couple share a 5-year-old daughter.
Friends and family still call him “Dustin.” He plans to eventually change his legal name back to Dustin Ebey, he says.
“My name is legally Literally Anybody Else,” he says. “That name is more about branding, and I use it for government interactions and documents and social personal. I think the only other time, like in a social setting that people call me Literally, is my neighbor.”
He doesn’t plan on fundraising for his campaign or spending much money, but he has been sought out for his perspective since he filed to run, he said.
“I do plan on going to the meetings just to kind of create pressure for anybody who has something they need help on,” he said.
Scott Nishimura is senior editor for local government accountability at the Report. Reach him at scott.nishimura@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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