Why Ken Hechler is running

by: heath_harrison

Wed Jul 28, 2010 at 04:43:39 AM EDT

Why should a 95-year-old Democrat suddenly file his candidacy for the U.S. Senate in the August 28 primary?

1. As a long-time opponent of mountaintop removal, I want to give an opportunity to the thousands of opponents of mountaintop removal to register their opposition by casting their ballots for me.

2. I believe it is a violation of our time-honored system of free elections for one individual to anoint himself as an uncontested winner.

3. The voters of West Virginia are entitled to register their choice as the legitimate nominee of the Democratic Party for the November general election.

--Photo added by me

As Alison Knezevich of the Gazette reports, Hechler said at his press conference that Manchin "has turned a deaf ear to the pleas of those people that are adversely affected by mountaintop removal."

Hechler also said a victory for Manchin would not be a victory for MTR, which polls show the majority of West Virginians oppose:

"If I lose, it will not be a defeat for mountaintop-removal [opponents] because there are other reasons for why people will vote for Governor Manchin."

Hechler, whose efforts have already earned the praise of CNN's Rick Sanchez and Huffington Post's Edward Flattau promised an active campaign in his appearance on Hoppy Kercheval's show:

"I may be 95-years-old in my body, but I'm a teenager in my heart, head, and my thinking,"  Hechler said. "I swim everyday.  I eat reasonably.  I exercise and I'm in really good shape for 95 and I will enter this campaign WITH VIGOR!"