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Kevorkian Runs For Congress?


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Kevorkian planning run for Congress

 

Royal Oak Daily Tribune (Royak Oak, MI)

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

 

By Charles Crumm, Journal Register News Service

 

Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian, who spent eight years in

prison for second-degree murder, says he's running for Congress.

 

Kevorkian, who will be 80 years old in May, picked up petitions from

the Oakland County Clerk's Office Tuesday to run as a candidate with

no party affiliation.

 

"I plan to," Kevorkian said Tuesday afternoon. "I wouldn't do this

otherwise. We need some honesty and sincerity instead of corrupt

government in Washington."

 

Kevorkian said he would have more to say about his candidacy next

week.

 

"Everything's in a formative stage," he said.

 

Kevorkian, a Pontiac native now residing in south Oakland County, will

have to gather a minimum of 3,000 signatures on nominating petitions

by July 17 to appear as an independent on the November ballot, the

Michigan Secretary of State's office said.

 

He resides in the ninth congressional district. The seat is currently

held by eight-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield

Hills. Democrats currently filed to run include former Michigan

Lottery Commissioner Gary Peters.

 

The district encompasses Oakland, Bloomfield and West Bloomfield

townships as well as parts of Orion and Waterford townships along with

the cities of Farmington, Farmington Hills, Orchard Lake, Keego

Harbor, Sylvan Lake, Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills,

Rochester, Troy, Clawson, Royal Oak, Berkley, Birmingham, Bloomfield

Hills, and Lake Angelus, plus the villages of Franklin, Bingham Farms

and Beverly Hills.

 

Michigan law doesn't prevent Kevorkian from running for office, or

from voting, now that he's been released from prison.Kevorkian was

sentenced to 10 to 25 years for second-degree murder on April 13,

1999, for the assisted suicide death of Thomas Youk, which he filmed

and which was broadcast on national TV.

 

He was paroled June 1 last year and remains on parole until June 1,

2009, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections.

 

Oakland County Prosecutor Dave Gorcyca, whose office was responsible

for sending Kevorkian to prison, was dismissive of Kevorkian's

candidacy.

 

"I would place Jack Kevorkian's candidacy in the same ranking with

(Texas U.S. Rep.) Ron Paul's (presidential run)," Gorcyca said."It's

probably more of a publicity stunt. To call attention to himself is

standard protocol for Jack when he doesn't have the limelight focused

on him. I would not consider his candidacy to be a legitimate one."

 

A Kevorkian candidacy, however, is likely to draw more attention to

what is already expected to be one of the more closely contested

congressional races in the country.

 

National Democrats targeted the district this election after

Knollenberg won re-election in 2006 with 51.5 percent of the

vote. Knollenberg spokesman Mike Brownfield said the congressman has

no immediate comment.

 

"Everybody has the right to run," Peters spokeswoman Julie Petrick

said. "Right now, Gary is focused on bringing real change to Oakland

County. Knollenberg has heaped mountains of debt on our children,

disastrous trade policies that have destroyed our manufacturing

sector, and gotten us into a protracted war with no end in sight. It's

time for real change in Oakland County and that's what we're focused

on."

 

 

http://www.dailytribune.com/stories/031208..._localn04.shtml

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