John Dennis was born in Jersey City, N.J., and currently resides in San Francisco. He earned a bachelor's from Fordham University. Dennis is a real estate investor. He is the CEO and founder of San Francisco-based Foundation Real Estate, which he started in 2001. He was also a partner in the ergonomics design firm Humanscale. Dennis and his wife, Heather, have a daughter. A self-styled "Ron Paul Republican," Dennis supports legalizing marijuana, opposes the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and supports gay marriage - positions he hopes will help him win over independent voters. He also calls for dramatically reducing federal spending and shrinking the government's role domestically and overseas. He advocates phasing out the income tax, repealing the Patriot Act and auditing the Federal Reserve. He made national headlines in 2010 with an online ad featuring a Pelosi look-alike as the Wicked Witch of the West from "The Wizard of Oz." In the spot, Dennis ultimately defeats Pelosi by dousing her with water from a bucket labeled "Freedom."