U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan will officially join the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination during a Fourth of July festival in his home state on Saturday evening, according to the Detroit News. McCotter’s announcement wasn’t entirely unexpected.
McCotter, 45, who has been flirting with a possible presidential candidacy for the past few months, filed paperwork with the FEC earlier today.
Last week, the Michigan congressman paid $18,000 for rental space at the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa — a clear indication that a presidential candidacy was in the immediate offing.
Most political pundits give the little-known congressman virtually no chance of winning the GOP’s nomination — a view the folksy, guitar-playing lawmaker doesn’t necessarily dispute. “I’m under no illusions as to the difficulty of it,” he told the Detroit News. “If you’re talking about challenging the American people, then you have to challenge yourself. But it’s certainly worth doing.”
The five-term congressman is the third Republican member of the House to enter the race, joining Texas Rep. Ron Paul and Minnesota’s Michele Bachmann, the latter of whom officially declared her candidacy on Monday.
McCotter’s campaign website is already up and running.
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