‘Worst Elvis Impersonator’ advertising presidential bid on San Diego billboards

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A La Jolla millionaire who at one time was voted the “ Worst Elvis Impersonator ” at an Elvis Presley convention is now running for president as the King of Rock and Roll — at least that’s what his billboards in San Diego are claiming.

Marc Paskin, 75, has bought up two advertisements — one in Kearny Mesa and another in Miramar — to announce his longshot candidacy as an independent. The display is accented by his slogan in large bold letters “We don’t need another president. We need a king,” referring to Presley’s “The King” moniker.

The real estate mogul and former radio host is also pictured in the sign dressed up as Presley with cartoon versions of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris — the two leading presidential candidates in the upcoming election — on either side of his shoulder.

Some San Diegans may already be familiar with Paskin, as this is not the first time that he has taken out space on a local billboard. Back in 2012, he made national news for putting up an advertisement in Barrio Logan soliciting a “Latina girlfriend” for Christmas.

This time around, his billboard has been supplemented by colorful campaign video posted to YouTube last week, featuring footage from his 2012 performance at the LakeGeorge.com “Elvis Festival” in New York where he was named “Worst Elvis Impersonator.”

Paskin’s only campaign promises in the video? Changing the name of the White House to the “Heartbreak Hotel” and letting Trump do the “Jailhouse Rock,” an apparent nod to the former president’s conviction on 34 felony charges as well as the iconic song by Presley.

However, it’s unclear what exactly the intentions are of the millionaire’s seemingly farcical campaign. There is no record of his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, nor is there any call to action in his video for voters to write-in his name when they cast their ballot.

In an emailed response to questions from FOX 5/KUSI after publication, Paskin confirmed he is seeking to be a write-in candidate and is financing the bid from his own coffers.

According to Paskin, he plans to have billboards posted in 15 “of the largest markets in the United States” over the next two months and will be airing advertisements like his campaign announcement video in television slots across the country.

“Many people decide who they vote for at last minute, and many are looking for someone different. I am a successful businessman, and spending a huge amount of money on my campaign,” he said. “As a side note, there are 50 million Elvis fans in the United States.  If they all vote for me, I will be the next president!”

Paskin added that he has “strong views” on issues like immigration, gun control, taxes and the justice system, but did not specify what those views were.

Paskin’s 2012 advertisement similarly appeared to be genuine, saying in a statement at the time that he was looking for love after losing his wife of 28 years to diabetes complications in 2002. He further claimed that he received thousands of emails from the attention it garnered.

Aside from his history of large-scale promotion, Paskin is quite the philanthropist, donating over $1 million to the UC San Diego Shiley Eye Institute. In 2011, he was also featured on an episode of ABC’s reality show “Secret Millionaire,” where he donated $125,000 to families in need in Detroit.

“Not everybody has money they can give away, but everybody can give some of their time and some of their love to people and it would be a better world if everybody would do that,” he said, reflecting on the experience at the end of the episode.

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