Online Activist Steps into Politics

May 10, 2008 - PRLog -- T.J. Templeton, editor of the Project for the Old American Century online news portal, has formally announced that he will seek his district's seat in the Iowa House of Representatives.

Templeton says the transformation from online activist to real-world politics was a natural one.

"I'm enjoying the transition from encouraging people to vote for ethical legislators to becoming an ethical legislator myself," Templeton said. "It's time someone in our district stood up. My campaign presents the first time in 12 years that voters have had a Democratic choice on our ballot for the House seat.

"I think voters are ready for change, and I want to bring that change by representing the people of Iowa instead of the interests of a few top campaign contributors."

Templeton admits that he doesn't have the kind of campaign funding his opponent enjoys.  

"My opponent's campaigns are heavily funded by business interests, many of which, aren't even headquartered in Iowa. The incumbent, himself, is the Vice President of Legislative Planning for a utility company. His business connections put me at a real disadvantage in regards to fund raising."

"Gaining popular support could overcome fund raising issues, but that could prove to be an uphill battle as well," states Templeton.

"Registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats in my district two to one. If I can get the voters to get past the team mentality and vote on the issues before us, I think I'll be a shoo-in."

Templeton feels that the incumbent puts the interests of his employer above the interests of the voters that elected him.

"My opponent, Chuck Soderberg, is a global warming denier who has openly stated on the House floor that he would never vote for any legislation intended to address global warming. That's a quote. It seems crazy to take that stance in a state where investment in renewable fuels poses such a boost to our economy, but when you take into consideration that the parent company of his employer also owns coal mining interests, it begins to make sense."

Templeton's full-time job is running his Web site "The Project for the Old American Century" on the Internet at http://www.oldamericancentury.org -- and he defines his job as keeping people informed.

"I've been hosting it for a little over seven years now," he said. "I choose news stories that focus on government and corporate corruption and maintain discussion forums for a few thousand members."

He started the website in the time leading up to U.S. military involvement in Iraq.

Templeton will face incumbent Chuck Soderberg in the general elections on November 4. To learn more information about candidate T.J. Templeton, please visit his campaign Web site, http://www.templeton4staterep.com.