Three Trojans Eye the White House

Reggie Bush was nicknamed "The President" while in college, but there are some USC alums with aspirations for the real job.

Plenty has been made over potential Republican First Lady Cindy McCain being a Trojan (husband John turned a few heads when publicly referring to the school as the University of Spoiled Children). Fewer people realize that a pair of third-party candidates also got their undergraduate degrees near downtown Los Angeles.

Bob Barr and Cynthia McKinney both graduated from USC in the 1970s and later were elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from districts in Georgia. Both are running for president this November. Barr, a former Republican, is the Libertarian Party nominee and McKinney, a former Democrat, is the Green Party nominee.

Similar to other recent elections, there is concern that Barr and McKinney could split voters in key states and tilt the election in favor of a candidate with a drastically different political outlook than their own. In particular, Barr's prominence in Georgia could give Democrat Barack Obama (who studied at nearby Occidental College) a shot to win that traditional Republican stronghold.

To keep up with all the latest election news, keep an eye on the L.A. Times' Top of the Ticket blog.