Elections 101: Ten facts about Thaddeus McCotter and his run for president

2. Why is he running?

Two reasons: McCotter sees an opening in a weak field and he wants to use his campaign as a mouthpiece for his message.

McCotter himself told Radio Iowa this week that there was little “ardor” in the current field of GOP presidential hopefuls, and he thinks he can bring something new to the race.

Not that he’s necessarily gunning for 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, says Ford O’Connell, director of the Virginia-based Civic Forum PAC.

“Just because someone is running doesn’t necessarily mean they’re in it to win it,” says Mr. O’Connell. “When you run for president, you’re getting a national platform. He sees this as an opening for his platform.… He thinks he can chime in on the issue of the decade, our debt problem.

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