Gravel returned to business ventures and went through difficult times , suffering corporate and personal bankruptcies amid poor health . He has been an advocate of direct democracy and the National Initiative . In 2006 Gravel began a run for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States to promote those ideas . His campaign gained an Internet following and national attention due to forceful , humorous , and politically unorthodox debate appearances during 2007 , but he found very little support in national polls or the 2008 caucuses and primaries . In March 2008 he left the Democratic Party and joined the Libertarian Party to compete for its presidential nomination and the inclusion of the National Initiative into the Libertarian Platform . At the Libertarian National Convention of 2008 he failed on both counts . He subsequently became an executive for a marijuana products company and continued to speak out about various political issues and candidates
Libertarian National Convention of 2008
2008 Libertarian National Convention
Mike Gravel