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Traficant to concentrate on campaigning
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Ex-U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
YOUNGSTOWN
With the saga over Jim Traficant’s eligibility as an independent candidate for the 17th Congressional District seat ending today, his campaign now will focus on actual campaigning.
“We’ll go faster forward than ever before,” said Linda Kovachik, a Traficant campaign adviser. “We’re working on a schedule.”
That means speeches to various groups and organizations, she said.
“Jim Traficant will be glad to speak with anyone,” Kovachik said.
Well, maybe not everyone.
When asked if Traficant would meet with reporters and editors from The Vindicator, Kovachik said she couldn’t commit to that.
Traficant’s supporters have fought to get his name on the November ballot for close to two months.
A former 17-year congressman released from federal prison in September 2009 after serving seven years for bribery, racketeering and tax evasion, Traficant is seeking a political comeback.
Traficant initially had fallen 107 valid signatures short on his nominating petitions to qualify as an independent candidate.
But his supporters pointed out errors in the number of signatures Traficant needed as well as persuaded elections boards in the district to reconsider the validity of some signatures.
The board of elections in Trumbull County, the largest county in terms of residents in the 17th District, was to certify today that Traficant had 2,154 valid signatures. That’s 11 more than he needs to qualify.
In an Aug. 25 letter to Trumbull elections director Kelly Pallante, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner wrote that no state law exists requiring elections boards to permit potential candidates to appeal the invalidation of their nominating petitions.
But boards “routinely and rightly provide the opportunity for hearing of the concerns of such aggrieved individuals,” Brunner wrote.
Though Traficant’s supporters primarily have focused on getting him on the ballot, there hasn’t been much campaigning.
During the past two months, Traficant had two events to raise money for his campaign.
Apparently the events didn’t do much to help. Traficant has admitted in the past few months that raising money was going to be difficult for him.
If a congressional candidate raises or spends at least $5,000, he is required to file a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission, said Christian Hilland, a spokesman for the agency.
Traficant hasn’t filed that one-page document with the FEC that lists the candidate’s and the campaign committee’s names and addresses.
With Traficant returning to the ballot, a Washington, D.C.-based good- government organization, has added him to its Most Crooked Candidates list.
“This was not a hard call to make, said Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “It’s outrageous that Traficant is running again. ... Then again, Traficant hasn’t seemed to live in the reality as everyone else.”
The nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focuses on government ethics, “with a strong focus on congressional ethics,” Sloan said.