Here’s something I should have noticed in writing last night about campaign finance reports: When Iraq war veteran turned antiwar activist Adam Kokesh filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on July 6, he stated that he will run as a Republican.
Kokesh, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., next year, had not previously announced whether he would run as a member of any political party or as an independent. Many of his beliefs are fairly libertarian and he has been active in Ron Paul’s Campaign for Liberty.
Kokesh announced that he plans to run as a Republican today in a news release. The release states that Kokesh’s platform is “post-partisan,” so he has “been approached my many parties.” Kokesh, the release states, “comes from a long line of Republicans and has been registered as a Republican since he was old enough to vote.”
“Often a critic of the party leadership, he believes the actual platform — limited government and lower taxes — is most aligned with his belief system, even though the Republican office holders have strayed far away from the party platform,” the release states.