A political novice wants to run with the big dogs

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

Some of you have been asking about the political novice who has filed to run as a Democrat against Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the Democratic Party primary for Congress. I posted in the comments the other day that the Rose Law Group blog had this brief post. Rose Law Group Blog » EarlyBird News for Saturday, Aug. 13, 2011:

Tucson teacher claims he will challenge Giffords

Says he want to make sure there’s a Dem on the ticket

Anthony Gene Prowell, a 48-year-old special education teacher at Liberty Gifted and Talented Magnet Elementary School in Tucson, says he doesn’t want to see the CD-8 race next year handed over to Repblicans Ruth McClung or Jesse Kelly if Rep. Gabrielle Giffords doesn’t run for reelection, The Yellow Sheet [Arizona Capitol Times] reports.

Prowell, a newcomer to politics, said that while Giffords has gone through a horrible experience, she too often is “a slave to the party.”

The Arizona Democratic Party says Prowell is registered independent.

Let's take his explanation first: He "says he doesn’t want to see the CD-8 race next year handed over to Republicans Ruth McClung or Jesse Kelly if Rep. Gabrielle Giffords doesn’t run for reelection." You think pretty highly of yourself, don't you Mr. Prowell?

I can rattle off a list of experienced Democrats who will run for that seat if Gabby decides not to run (I will not disclose their names out of confidentiality). The Democratic Party does not need a political novice independent-cum-Democrat with a "savior" complex riding to its rescue. We're good.

The CNN Political Ticker has picked up the story today. Democrat gets ‘cold shoulder’ in challenging Giffords for seat – CNN Political Ticker:

Elementary special education teacher Anthony Prowell is running for the seat as a Democrat in Arizona’s 8th congressional district, a surprising move against a popular incumbent who’s recovering from a gunshot wound to the head in January.

Prowell, who filed with the Federal Election Commission in late July, decided to run against what he calls the government’s ignorance of the needs of “regular” people. He said he’s tired of simply writing letters and making calls to his elected officials to get his voice heard.

“I always tell my students when we complain about something, we can’t just keep complaining,” Prowell said. “We’ve got to take steps to fix it.”

But he hasn’t gotten off to an easy start. With Giffords becoming a widely-beloved public figure after surviving a mass shooting in Tucson earlier this year, Prowell said he’s already experienced pushback.

Prowell said he got the cold shoulder when contacting leaders of the local and state Democratic parties about a potential run.

“I was totally ignored,” he said. “The only people that would ever talk to me were the people that answered the phones.”

Prowell voted for Giffords in the past and insisted he’s not running to build up a political reputation. Rather, he wants to get his message across of standing up for the “regular people” who lost work in the recession.

The 48-year-old said he’s even thinking about switching to the Green Party, so as not to be “the bad villain guy.”

“I would have run anyway,” Prowell said, when talking about Giffords’ injury. “I don’t have any political ambitions to ruin.”

With little expectations that he’ll raise large amounts of money, his volunteer campaign staff so far consists of his wife, daughter and nephew, a college freshman majoring in political science.

But some local Democrats doubt his campaign will sway many – if any – voters away from Giffords.

Calling Prowell an “unknown,” Pima County Democratic Party Chairman Jeff Rogers said his candidacy is “basically a joke.”

“There really isn’t any serious candidate that is making any sort of intentions known that they‘re going to run,” he said, adding that among local Democrats, he’s heard only one common comment about Prowell: “Who is he?”

According to Arizona’s election laws, Prowell needs about 700 signatures from registered Democrats to get his name on the ballot, another reason why Prowell may switch to the Green Party.

So we have a political novice independent who filed to run as a Democrat but may run as a Green Party candidate. It only takes a few signatures to run as a Green candidate. And you will recall from the Republican voter fraud "Green Scheme" in 2010 that "Under state election law, it only takes one write-in vote for a person to qualify as a Green candidate on the November general-election ballot." Don't strain yourself, Dude.

As the saying goes, "if you can't run with the big dogs, better stay on the porch."