Libertarians Nominate 'Compulsive Groper,' Boogaloo Boy As Nominees

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 08/21/2026) The Michigan Libertarian Party this year nominated at least two candidates with criminal records – one convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and another who served a year in federal prison for firearms offenses.

One was described by prosecutors as a “compulsive groper" who was hammered online for a recent encounter inside a Marshalls. The second is a former “Boogaloo Boy,” who did time for lying about his past drug use when he tried to purchase a Glock 34, 9-mm pistol in 2022.

Kevin Vayko, the Libertarian nominee in the 9th Senate District, pleaded no contest in 2015 to fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct after being charged with groping two University of Michigan students.

“He can’t restrain himself,” then-Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eric Gutenberg said in 2014 about Vayko, according to a story in The Ann Arbor News. “This is a pattern of misconduct.”

Vayko, whom prosecutors described as a compulsive groper, subsequently pleaded no contest to one count and was sentenced in June 2015, to 231 days in jail, time served and five years of probation, according to MLive.

Kevin Vayko

A person using the name “WhitePeacock7343” posted on a Lapeer news Facebook page, noted on Aug. 6 that while shopping at the Lapeer Marshalls a man “in black leggings/a tight white crop top” approached with a compliment before following her in the store. She said the man, who claimed he was wearing Lululemon leggings, also tried to spray her hand with perfume, and showed her his leggings before he eventually left the store.

Social-media users have circulated posts alleging encounters involving Vayko approaching women and discussing leggings. One 2022 TikTok video described a man the poster called “legging guy” and accused him of touching women. An Aug. 16 Facebook post identified the man in the video as Vayko. MIRS could not independently verify the allegations.

WhitePeacock’s description of the leggings conversation echoes that of a Sept. 24, 2022, TikTok post by Isabella Demaj. In that 19-second video, the poster said the guy in the video “is known by all of the girls in my area as ‘legging guy,’” because he comes up to girls wearing leggings and touches them.

An Aug. 16 Facebook post indicates the guy in the TikTok video is “Kevin Vayko, Libertarian candidate for Michigan’s 9th District.”

In response to this post, Vayko posted on his LinkedIn last week, “I'm actively dealing with this right now with people publicly attacking me for engaging in conversation with other people on specific topics. One post on facebook went viral in a very bad way for people accusing me of trying to make conversation about clothing. Currently facing death threats and threats of violence if I appear in public.”

In May 2024, Vayko sued Oakland County Sheriff’s Department and four officers alleging they were “in collusion with the Lululemon” security director to destroy “store surveillance video evidence.”

Vayko alleged the destruction of that evidence led to him being improperly prosecuted between February 2020 and September 2021, for fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

He also alleges the destruction of the video evidence led to him being “wrongfully incarcerated and subsequently physically tortured via adulterated food while caused a debilitating and catastrophic food-borne illness from gross food malnutrition in addition to personally suffering sexual abuse (April 2021-July 2021) while in Oakland County Jail.”

The federal judge dismissed Vayko’s suit with prejudice, which means Vayko could not bring the suit again, in September 2024.

Lapeer County Circuit Court records show Vayko was charged in August 2024 for failing to register as a sex offender. A pretrial hearing is set Sept. 25, according to court records.

Vayko, who was salutatorian of Almont High School Class of 2007 with a 3.98 GPA, also ran for the SD-9 in 2024.

The second Libertarian candidate with a questionable background is Timothy A. Teagan, who the party heralds as having a “strong background in militia and activism.”

A supporter of the Boogaloo movement, Teagan was sentenced to a year in federal prison in 2023 after pleading guilty to being a drug user in possession of firearms and ammunition and lying about his marijuana use while purchasing a Glock 34 pistol. Federal agents later found a Diamondback Arms DB-15 rifle, ammunition, body armor, gas masks and Boogaloo flags and patches during a search of his father's Plymouth home.

Timothy Teagan

Boogaloo refers to a movement that is loosely organized by far-right anti-government extremists who attend protests and rallies around gun rights, pandemic restrictions and police-related killings, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Other notable developments from the third party filings include:

- Former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Anthony Hudson is on the ballot as a Libertarian and former 2022 Republican candidate Donna Brandenburg is running as a Green Party candidate.

- Jim Casha is running as a Green Party candidate in the 8th Congressional District. He also ran in 2024 with the Detroit News reporting that he lived full-time in Canada. He said he only has to live in the district if he's elected and would move if he won.

The U.S. Constitution reads that Members of the House be at least 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and live in the state they represent (though not necessarily the same district).

The Green Party candidate also shared with another outlet his affinity for President Donald Trump.

- Destiny Clayton, a Port Huron Green Party candidate running in the 9th Congressional District also appears to be an OnlyFans model based on the link on her Facebook account. OnlyFans is a website primarily known for adult entertainment and pornography.

- Kwabena “Cubby” Nkromo, the Green Party candidate in the 10th District, has a public footprint that also raises questions about his current Michigan ties. His Facebook profile says he lives in Texas, while other posts show civic activity in Georgia.

-Shelby Campbell, who is running as an Independent in the 13th Congressional District, has made her past encounters with the criminal justice system part of her campaign biography rather than shying away from them. Campbell's campaign website tells voters, “I've been to jail. I've been judged. And I've gotten back up,” framing her past around accountability and people's ability to change. She also includes all four of her mugshots.