Traficant to run for Ohio US House seat

[Optimus]

Traficant files petitions to be candidate for Akron congressional district
http://www.ohio.com/news/break_news/92681999.html
By Beacon Journal staff

POSTED: 12:50 p.m. EDT, May 03, 2010

According to the Youngstown Vindicator, former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. filed nominating petitions Monday as an independent candidate for the 17th Congressional District on a platform of repealing the 16th amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The 17th District includes Akron and the seat is currently held by former Traficant staffer and Democrat U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles.

The Vindicator reported that after he filed his petitions in the 17th District, Traficant said he was going to to the Columbiana County Board of Elections.

When asked if he was also going to file petitions to run in the 6th Congressional District as an independent, he said, "You never know with me. I might run in West Virginia."

An Ohio secretary of state spokesman said later there was nothing in state law to prohibit Traficant for running for both seats in the same election, they reported.

The Vindicator report said that after filing his petitions for the 17th District in Warren, Traficant said his main goal, if elected, is to repeal the 16th amendment, which he said would eliminate the IRS.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, D-St. Clairsville, holds the 6th District seat.

Read the full Vindicator report at here.

According to the Youngstown Vindicator, former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. filed nominating petitions Monday as an independent candidate for the 17th Congressional District on a platform of repealing the 16th amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The 17th District includes Akron and the seat is currently held by former Traficant staffer and Democrat U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles.

The Vindicator reported that after he filed his petitions in the 17th District, Traficant said he was going to to the Columbiana County Board of Elections.

When asked if he was also going to file petitions to run in the 6th Congressional District as an independent, he said, "You never know with me. I might run in West Virginia."

An Ohio secretary of state spokesman said later there was nothing in state law to prohibit Traficant for running for both seats in the same election, they reported.

The Vindicator report said that after filing his petitions for the 17th District in Warren, Traficant said his main goal, if elected, is to repeal the 16th amendment, which he said would eliminate the IRS.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson, D-St. Clairsville, holds the 6th District seat.

Read the full Vindicator report at here.

[donnay]

This is great news!!!

I have donated to his efforts!

[hardrain77]

No if only Lebron James could endorse him...

[canandy]

Ex-con Traficant to run for Ohio US House seat

(AP) – 1 hour ago

WARREN, Ohio — James A. Traficant Jr., who served nearly two decades in Congress and seven years in prison for corruption, filed petitions Monday to run as an independent in his northeast Ohio home turf.

Trumbull County elections board director Kelly Pallante said Traficant came to the board's offices around 9:30 a.m. to file the paperwork, which will be reviewed by a July 15 deadline.

The seat is currently held by Democrat Tim Ryan, who once worked for Traficant and beat Traficant when the incumbent ran for re-election from prison. There was no immediate comment from Ryan, whose campaign said it was preparing a response and agreed to pass along an interview request.

The 68-year-old Traficant was elected to nine terms in Congress as a Democrat from Youngstown before serving time for racketeering, bribery, obstruction of justice and tax evasion. He left federal prison in September. His conviction does not bar him from running for Congress.

Traficant told The Associated Press on Monday that he believes he can win in the Democratic stronghold even though he has no money or campaign staff.

"Maybe it's time money doesn't dictate an election," he said. Though he has made recent appearances at tea party events throughout northeast Ohio, Traficant said he is not a tea party candidate.

The 17th Congressional District borders were redrawn before Traficant's loss to Ryan. It is now split in two, represented by Ryan and Rep. Charlie Wilson.

Traficant was one of Congress' most colorful members. He was known for a distinctive toupee and hairstyle — Jay Leno called it Washington's worst haircut — and a penchant for Star Trek references, including brief floor speeches typically punctuated with the phrase, "Beam me up."

He routinely railed against America's rivals, imported goods and the Internal Revenue Service, an agency that Traficant has long sought to eliminate.

"If you work for the IRS, start looking for a job," he said Monday.

He was convicted in 2002 of accepting bribes from businessmen and taking kickbacks from staff members. He then was expelled from Congress, only the second House member since the Civil War to be ousted for unethical conduct.

The trial marked the third time Traficant had represented himself in court. He won acquittal on mob payoff charges in 1983 but lost a U.S. Tax Court case on similar issues in 1987.

Copyright © 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.         http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j7A-e9AbJbMhkJG5MDsS4W8rW1BAD9FFHAV80

[larsonstdoc]

  It will be nice to get a straight shooter in Congress and someone that is not bought and paid for by scum lobbyists.

[PhoenixJunta]

I'm a direct inhabitant of his district. Hope he wins it!
Glad to see him waking up.

[Valerius]

Is there a donation site? I'll kick in a sawbuck.

[votewritein]

I hope he runs in the 6th district, as a lot of my family could then vote for him!

[Geolibertarian]

On balance, Traficant is clearly far better than either of his two opponents -- Tim Ryan (D) and Jim Graham (R). So the voters of Ohio's 17th Congressional District would obviously be well advised to choose Traficant over the other two candidates.

That said, I can't resist mentioning that Traficant is sadly and horribly wrong in supporting the so-called "Fair" Tax:

       http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=160421.msg992184#msg992184

[Dig]

On balance, Traficant is clearly far better than either of his two opponents -- Tim Ryan (D) and Jim Graham (R). So the voters of Ohio's 17th Congressional District would obviously be well advised to choose Traficant over the other two candidates.

That said, I can't resist mentioning that Traficant is sadly and horribly wrong in supporting the so-called "Fair" Tax:

       http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=160421.msg992184#msg992184

agreed

[PhoenixJunta]

On balance, Traficant is clearly far better than either of his two opponents -- Tim Ryan (D) and Jim Graham (R). So the voters of Ohio's 17th Congressional District would obviously be well advised to choose Traficant over the other two candidates.

That said, I can't resist mentioning that Traficant is sadly and horribly wrong in supporting the so-called "Fair" Tax:

       http://forum.prisonplanet.com/index.php?topic=160421.msg992184#msg992184

I second that. This is why, I read this article: http://mises.org/daily/3389

[donnay]

I second that. This is why, I read this article: http://mises.org/daily/3389

Great article!

[Overcast]

  It will be nice to get a straight shooter in Congress and someone that is not bought and paid for by scum lobbyists.

Yep.

His mouth landed him in jail because he wouldn't stop bashing on people who deserved it in there. If we had 50 more like him, we'd be doing alright.

[PhoenixJunta]

Jim Traficant is running against Jim Graham, a cousin of Jim Graham that is the UAW President for GM's local UAW union, and Tim Ryan. Tim Ryan is playing the globalist's game. Traficant would put an end to it.
I'm sure the majority of folks who voted in the recent elections will vote Traficant back in.

[Rebelitarian]

Wasn't he running on the Constitution Party ?