Thaddeus McCotter 2012 Presidential Campaign

U.S. Representative Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan unsuccessfully sought the Republican Party's 2012 nomination for president of the United States. He announced his intention to run when he filed papers with the Federal Election Commission on July 1, 2011, and officially declared his candidacy the next day at a rock festival near Detroit.

McCotter, who had served in Congress since 2003, was first mentioned as a potential presidential candidate on an April 2011 episode of Fox News' ''Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld''. After entering the race two months later, McCotter based his campaign on "five core principles" listed on his campaign website, and used the slogan ''Seize Freedom!'', derived from the title of his 2011 book. During the campaign, he focused on government reform and Wall Street.

Commentators noted that McCotter's lack of name recognition hindered his chances for nomination. When included in Republican presidential preference polls, he regularly received less than one percent support. Following a last-place finish in the Ames Straw Poll and without an invitation to any candidates' debates, he dropped his candidacy on September 22, 2011, and endorsed Mitt Romney. Thereafter, McCotter reportedly wrote a television pilot, which was released to the media prior to his resignation from Congress in July 2012 amid a fraud investigation surrounding his congressional re-election campaign.

Background

Thaddeus McCotter began his political career upon election to the Wayne County (Michigan) Commission in 1993. Five years later, he left that position after winning a seat in the Michigan State Senate. He remained there until 2002 when elected to serve Michigan's 11th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.

In Congress, leadership assigned McCotter to the House Financial Services Committee. In addition, he joined the moderate Republican Main Street Partnership. In 2006, he attained the chairmanship of the House Republican Policy Committee, and two years later was named head of his party's Fiscal Integrity Task Force. On the task force, he gained a reputation as a leading opponent of pork barrel spending. He voted against the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 and the Affordable Health Care for America Act of 2010, but supported the bailout of the automobile industry in 2009. He also supported an increase in the minimum wage and advocated fair trade with China. Nevertheless, the ''Detroit Free Press'' described him as a "conservative's conservative" and GovTrack labeled him a "far-right Republican".

McCotter was also known as an "oddball" in Congress, displaying a wry sense of humor. Betsy Woodruff of ''National Review'' identified him as "the strangest Congressman." Showing a fondness for rock music, he played lead guitar in the Second Amendments. Moreover, McCotter frequently appeared on Fox News' late night/early morning show ''Red Eye w/ Greg Gutfeld''. ''Bloomberg Businessweek'' described his celebrity as a "tiny cult following of insomniac conservatives."

Campaign speculation

Speculation about a presidential run began several months after the release of his February 2011 book ''Seize Freedom! American Truths and Renewal in a Chaotic Age''. During the April 22 episode of ''Red Eye'', host Greg Gutfeld asked McCotter to enter the presidential race. Five days later, political commentator and fellow ''Red Eye'' frequenter S. E. Cupp listed McCotter as a potential candidate in her '' Daily News'' column. McCotter confirmed in May that he was seriously considering a run for the presidency. He told the newspaper ''Politico'' he felt most Republicans lacked enthusiasm for the current crop of candidates. Commentator Andrew Breitbart expressed excitement at the prospect of a McCotter run. Describing him as "blunt, sarcastic, pop-culture-savvy, constitutionally sound and an authentic voice", Breitbart remarked no one I'd like to see more at a debate than McCotter."

In May 2011, speculation increased as McCotter attacked Republican front-runner Mitt Romney as the latter visited Detroit. He connected Romney to President Barack Obama, arguing that people saw Romney and Obama as running mates rather than as rivals. Later that month, he addressed the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans and entered the event's straw poll. Out of the cast, he received two, last place among those considered. At this time, McCotter remained undecided about a run, according to his aides, though he paid $18,000 for a prime spot at the August 13 Ames Straw Poll. During a visit to Iowa, the first caucus state, McCotter announced he would reveal his campaign plans prior to the straw poll. On June 30, ''Politico'' reported McCotter was ready to begin a campaign.

Campaign developments

Announcement

McCotter filed a presidential campaign committee statement with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and opened a campaign website on July 1, 2011. The website, which warned "your American Dream is endangered" was based on his book ''Seize Freedom!'' and listed "five core principles". These were:
#"Our liberty is from God not the government"
#"Our sovereignty is in our souls not the soil"
#"Our security is from strength not surrender"
#"Our prosperity is from the private sector not the public sector"
#"Our truths are self-evident not relative"

McCotter officially announced his candidacy at the WAAM-sponsored "Freedom Festival" in Whitmore Lake, Michigan on July 2. He declared, "what we need in Washington is someone who understands that the wave of the future is not big government, but self-government". He played with his rock band at the event. Upon his entrance, Charlie Cook of ''The Cook Political Report

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