The Beacon Journal says in an article from Thursday Candidates might not be so independent "Is a Republican running as an independent candidate illegal or just good political strategy?"
For example, we have Traci Kennedy, a Repub who apparently worked with/for incumbent Jim Laria supposedly to take votes away from the Dem challenger in a 2005 race for Akron clerk of courts. It looks like the Dems' cultivation of identity politics backfired -- Kennedy is a black woman, and the Repubs counted on that to take votes away from the Dem. Her 10% in that race wasn't the margin of victory, however.
We also have Repub Charles Morrison going up against Repub incumbent Deborah Pryce and Dem challenger Mary Jo Kilroy for US Congress in the 15th District. Repubs are now protesting Morrison's independent run saying he's really a partisan, and there's a legal hearing scheduled for Wednesday. Morrison says he's been an outsider for years....
Call me old-fashioned, but I come from a tradition that says there's not a dime's worth of difference between the Dems and the Repubs. All candidates -- Dems, Repubs and independents -- should be put to the test - they should be asked if they support opening up the process for independent, grassroots and insurgent candidates, and for the inclusion of independent voters in the process. And it's independent voters who can put them to that test.
--NH
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