McCotter's odd exit leaves House seat up for grabs
doofiegirl POTL~PWCM~JLA
2012/06/12 13:34:33
BIRMINGHAM, Mich. (AP) — All had their reasons for seeking the congressional seat in the wealthy Detroit suburbs where Mitt Romney grew up. But none could have expected to win — until now.
As the result of the shocking political collapse of a veteran Republican congressman, four unlikely contenders — a Lyndon LaRouche admirer, a little known school teacher who raises reindeer, a Democratic longshot and a new write-in candidate— find themselves competing for a prize long seen as spoken for and safely Republican.
The prospect of losing a safe seat has left leading Republicans scrambling to contain the damage just as they were mustering for the fight to retain control of the House in the November.
"It was an unnecessary blunder that put us all into overdrive," said Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, referring to the election irregularities that prompted Rep. Thaddeus McCotter to drop out of the race a week ago. On Thursday, Patterson and other GOP officials enlisted a former state senator, Nancy Cassis, to join the campaign as a write-in candidate.
Cassis called the developments "a total shock."
Dave Zimmer, a 65-year-old business consultant from Bloomfield Village, said he's among those inclined to vote Republican, but he doesn't know how Cassis can pull it off.
"Anyone (already) on the ballot has a better chance," he said.
Retired mechanical manager Kenneth Johnson, browsing at the upscale Laurel Park Place mall in Livonia, said he's still stunned by McCotter's implosion.
"He was running for president one minute," the 65-year-old said, "and the next minute he's not running for anything."
In bowing out, the often-quirky McCotter apparently ended a political career that started when he won a county commissioner's seat at age 27.
"To those who unhappy at this news, I'm sorry; to those happy at this news, you're welcome," he said.
As the result of the shocking political collapse of a veteran Republican congressman, four unlikely contenders — a Lyndon LaRouche admirer, a little known school teacher who raises reindeer, a Democratic longshot and a new write-in candidate— find themselves competing for a prize long seen as spoken for and safely Republican.
The prospect of losing a safe seat has left leading Republicans scrambling to contain the damage just as they were mustering for the fight to retain control of the House in the November.
"It was an unnecessary blunder that put us all into overdrive," said Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, referring to the election irregularities that prompted Rep. Thaddeus McCotter to drop out of the race a week ago. On Thursday, Patterson and other GOP officials enlisted a former state senator, Nancy Cassis, to join the campaign as a write-in candidate.
Cassis called the developments "a total shock."
Dave Zimmer, a 65-year-old business consultant from Bloomfield Village, said he's among those inclined to vote Republican, but he doesn't know how Cassis can pull it off.
"Anyone (already) on the ballot has a better chance," he said.
Retired mechanical manager Kenneth Johnson, browsing at the upscale Laurel Park Place mall in Livonia, said he's still stunned by McCotter's implosion.
"He was running for president one minute," the 65-year-old said, "and the next minute he's not running for anything."
In bowing out, the often-quirky McCotter apparently ended a political career that started when he won a county commissioner's seat at age 27.
"To those who unhappy at this news, I'm sorry; to those happy at this news, you're welcome," he said.
Read More: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5...
Sort By
- zbacku 2012/06/12 13:39:53
+1McCotter's fall from politics was the most shocking string of events. He was my Representative and we communicated many times. I was and am devastated that somehow his people threw his career down the drain.reply
