Posted on 05/06/2004 2:06:44 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
Ex-state employee, political organizer to challenge Rogers
The Associated Press
5/6/2004, 3:57 p.m. ET
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Retired state employee, teacher and political organizer Bob Alexander announced Thursday that he is seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives' 8th District.
Alexander announced his challenge to U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, in a gravel parking lot across the street from the former Wohlert Corp. in Lansing. Citing foreign competition, the automotive supplier went out of business in January, putting 245 employees out of work.
"This spot demonstrates the failures of (President) Bush and Mike Rogers in Washington," said Alexander, of East Lansing. "Five of the six businesses on this block ... were all thriving in January 2001. As a consequence of their wrong policies, five of these six businesses are closed."
Alexander, a candidate for the state House in 1974 and 1992 while living in Ann Arbor, said his campaign would focus on saving and creating jobs, providing health care for all Americans and ending the United States' "ongoing colonialist occupation of Iraq."
Matt Ferguson, a former news anchor and talk show host on WKAR-FM in East Lansing, is also seeking the Democratic nomination to the 8th District, which encompasses Ingham, Livingston and Clinton counties and parts of Oakland and Shiawassee counties.
Rogers, a former FBI agent, won the seat in 2000 by a 111-vote margin over then-state Sen. Dianne Byrum. He was re-elected in 2002 with 67 percent of the vote to 32 percent for Democrat Frank McAlpine and 1 percent for Libertarian Tom Yeutter.
He was McAlpine's campaign manager as well as Kucinich's campaign manager in Michigan. McAlpine was a joke who cost votes everytime he opened his trap.
This district is marginal GOP even with redistricting, but Rogers won big, is a great campaigned, and runs ahead of the ticket every time, especially in Livingston County where he's from.
Alexander is a third rate candidate, as is Ferguson, and Rogers beat a first rate candidate in Byrum back in 2000. The only two I can see causing a problem for him are Virg Bernero(State Senator from Lansing) and Gretchen Whitmer(State rep - East Lansing). Maybe David Hollister(Lansing Mayor) could put up a fight as well.
And I think Rogers would beat all of them as well.
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