The Daily Egyptian is published by the students of SIU at Carbondale. Except during vacations and exam weeks, The Daily Egyptian is published Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and TWThF during the summer semester."

Kroger employee runs for U.S. Senate

Kroger employee Scott Doody is dissatisfied with the Illinois candidates for U.S. Senate. People always seem to tell him that Democrat Barak Obama is too progressive and the Republican nominee Alan Keyes is too conservative.

And with latest polls showing Obama towering more than 50 points over Keyes, Doody has come up with a plan that he compares to the story of Goldilocks.

Because "once upon a time," he said, there was an "actual race" for the office.

"We're the three bears," he said. "But my soup's just right."

With just weeks until the election, the Anna resident is trying to encourage other unhappy voters to fill in his name as an independent candidate for the political office.

"Many people have told me, 'I am going to leave it blank,'" Doody said. "And I told them there's no reason to leave it blank now. You have a choice. You can write my name in."

Doody works in risk management for the Kroger grocery store, located on the west side of Carbondale, and is also the host of a morning talk show on WIBH.

He said he went to SIUC 20 years ago but never graduated, which is the biggest mistake of his life. He reasoned that a vote for him would prove the importance of the college student vote to state politicians.

"Here's your chance," he said. "When the election happens and I pick up thousands of votes in Southern Illinois, it only came from one place. College students wrote my name in. Whether you believe in my political views or not, it's about you sending a message that young people vote."

Doody said he believes the political system works best at both the state and federal level only when there is equal balance between the two dominant parties.

"I don't think things are going well at the federal level because the Republicans control the House, the Senate and the White House," he said, "and I don't think things are well in Illinois because Democrats control the House, the Senate and the Governor's Mansion. We need to have debate."

To file for write-in candidacy for the U.S. Senate, Doody had to complete paperwork from each of the state's 102 county courthouses.

Everything was finished and sent Wednesday afternoon, and he said he has already received confirmation from several counties.

Doody is not the only one throwing his hat into the ring. Jackson County Clerk Larry Reinhardt said there are five write-in candidates for U.S. Senate and two for the presidency. The senate list includes three men from the Chicago area and one from Springfield.

Reinhardt said it is common for the courthouse to receive write-in candidates, but the number vying for U.S. Senate seat is "more than normal."

Steven Haynes, who is the store manager for Kroger and a member of the Carbondale City Council, was a little surprised when he heard about the candidacy, but said Doody is someone who focuses on the issues concerning the Southern Illinois region.

"He's a good person whose main objective is to give people a choice in this upcoming election," Haynes said.

Though he knows he's not going to win, Doody said he will consider his campaign moderately successful if he could win at least one Illinois county.

But Doody's career in politics may not end there.

"If things go well, who knows?" he said. " I may run for U.S. Representative in two years."

For more information, log on to www.doodyforsenate.com

 

 

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