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Economics

A Real Economist With Long Odds Joins the Presidential Fray

Larry Kotlikoff is a Social Security expert who wants to fix what he calls a $199 trillion “fiscal gap.”
A photograph from professor Larry Kotlikoff’s website.

A photograph from professor Larry Kotlikoff’s website.

Photograph: Laurence J. Kotlikoff
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Move over, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. There's an economist running for president. Laurence J. "Larry" Kotlikoff is jumping into the race as a write-in candidate. The co-author of a best-selling book on how to maximize your payment from Social Security is hoping to apply the principles of economics to fix what ails the United States.

Kotlikoff, 65, is running as a conservative on fiscal issues and arguing that the U.S. faces a $199 trillion "fiscal gap" while taking liberal positions on abortion, gay marriage, legalization of marijuana, incarceration, and gun control.