Jimmy McMillan, the New York man who ran for governor on the "Rent is Too Damn High" ticket, says he is being thrown out of his Manhattan apartment because the rent is too low, the New York Post reported Friday.
McMillan — known as much for his trademark white wraparound moustache and goatee as he is his populist political views — told the newspaper he pays $872.96 for a rent-controlled apartment he's had since the 1970's.
"I've been here since 1977, and they want more money!" McMillan told the Post. "It's about 'My Rent is Too Damn Low.'"
Not being one to stand down in the face of a challenge, McMillan, with the assistance of his lawyer, is reportedly waging a legal battle to fight the eviction.
"I told him [his lawyer] to file a counter-claim for $70,000," McMillan told the Post. According to the report the case is now pending in housing court.
"Maybe the landlord doesn't know, but he can't bulldog me because I know the law," McMillan reportedly proclaimed in court.
According to the report, the building's owner claims the East Village apartment isn't McMillan's actual residence. Lisco Holdings reportedly claims in court documents that the ex-candidate lives in Brooklyn. McMillan disagreed, and dismissed the claim as "baseless."
"That's my apartment. It is my residence. My name is on the lease," he said of the East Village apartment.
McMillan had previously told the New York Times that he lived in a Brooklyn apartment, but now insists the residence is just his party headquarters. According to the report, McMillan said that in the 1980s, the landlord agreed to let him live in the building if he did maintenance work around the facility.
The former gubernatorial candidate claims the eviction is an attempt by his landlord to rent the apartment at a higher rate.
"It's a trick they all play. I'm not going to let them get away with it. You don't tell an American how to live," McMillan told the Post.