Republican McCotter launches longshot 2012 presidential bid (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Thaddeus McCotter, an independent-minded congressman from Michigan, launched a longshot bid on Friday for the 2012 Republican nomination to run for U.S. president.

The conservative from the Detroit suburbs unveiled a campaign website and told a Michigan radio station he would formally announce his candidacy on Saturday.

"There are a lot of people out there worried the American dream is in danger," McCotter told WJR radio.

He said the other Republican candidates are "fine people" but are not prepared to seize the opportunity to challenge and defeat Democratic President Barack Obama.

"I believe I could," he said. "You're never going to know unless you get into the arena."

McCotter, 45, is a rock'n'roll fan and guitar player known to quote song lyrics and at times challenge his own party leaders. He is a strong supporter of the car industry and backed the industry bailout.

He enters the Republican campaign with little name recognition or money and will be a heavy underdog to rivals like former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and his fellow member of Congress, Michele Bachmann of Minnesota.

But McCotter, who has been traveling the country to gauge the potential for his candidacy, said he senses Republican voters are open to new candidates getting in the race. Bigger names like former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin and Texas Governor Rick Perry are still considering bids.

The congressman said he will continue to serve in the House of Representatives while he runs for office.

McCotter's website lists five core principles for his candidacy, including "our liberty is from God, not from government" and "our prosperity is from the private sector not the public sector."

(Editing by Xavier Briand)

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GOP Mich. US Rep. McCotter running for president (AP)

DETROIT – U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, a guitar-playing five-term congressman from Detroit's suburbs known for his eccentric sense of humor and independent streak, said Friday that he plans to seek the Republican nomination for president.

The 45-year-old attorney said he will officially announce his candidacy — and join a crowded early field of GOP candidates — on Saturday at an Independence Day festival at Whitmore Lake, about 30 miles outside Detroit. He is expected to play guitar with his band at the event.

McCotter said he would push for a fundamental restructuring of government and for Wall Street banks that received federal bailout money to free up credit.

"We're not seeing credit flow down to entrepreneurs, innovators and workers that will grow the economy and shape it for the 21st century," he said. "To me that has to be a linchpin of any economic policy that goes forward."

He'll join a Republican race that already includes former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, pizza magnate Herman Cain, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota.

McCotter said there's "room for another message or another candidate ... Now whether or not it's me, that remains to be seen, but that's why we have campaigns."

His biggest battle may be getting his name out.

"The first time I heard about him was today when I received a news alert," Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie said Friday. "My general reaction to this is this is a long-shot candidacy."

McCotter, of Livonia, was elected to his fifth consecutive term in Congress in November. Before running for Congress, he was a lawyer, a state senator, a Wayne County commissioner and a community college trustee.

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Michigan Rep. McCotter to run for president (The Ticket)

(J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Little-known Rep. Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan on Friday called on Americans to "Seize Freedom" via his newly unveiled presidential campaign website following reports the conservative Republican is planning to officially enter the 2012 race.

Advisers to McCotter told USA Today Thursday that the lawmaker will kick off his presidential campaign Saturday in his home state of Michigan. He will make his plans official today, Politico reports, by filing presidential paperwork with the Federal Election Commission and other reports indicate the announcement will be made Saturday in his home of Livonia.

As The Ticket has reported, McCotter has been inserting himself into 2012 discussions, even going so far as to offer some less-than-friendly advice to members of the burgeoning 2012 GOP field.

His representative made a scene at last week's preparation for the Ames Straw Poll in Iowa. Kellie Paschke, an Iowa-based conservative lobbyist working informally with McCotter, attempted to participate in the traditional "buy-in" for the poll (an auction where campaigns bid on plots of land on which to host straw poll supporters) without identifying for whom she was bidding.

After participants stormed out in protest, Paschke identified herself and successfully bid $18,000 to secure a plot for the Aug. 13, 2011 event for McCotter.

In the run-up to his campaign rollout this weekend, McCotter has been talking to the press about themes he hopes the build his campaign around: fiscal discipline, challenges created by globalism, and core Republican principles including smaller government.

McCotter pledged on ABC's politics webcast "Top Line" last week to offer blunt honesty to the American people. "I have no doubt that if I run I will be reviled across the country in many quarters," he said, arguing that unlike other candidates he won't change his position to suit a particular audience. The lawmaker said voters "have to hear an honest difference of opinion."

McCotter has served as a Michigan congressman since 2003 but holds virtually no national profile--a major obstacle for his projected presidential run. He is known for holding staunchly conservative positions as well for his willingness to buck his party on issues of importance to his home state and on proposals he believes defy his core principals, such as the financial bailout.

And for all those lamenting the absence of bass player Mike Huckabee from the 2012 race, take heart--McCotter is an avid guitarist.

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Who is Thaddeus McCotter? (ContributorNetwork)

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) has announced he is running for the GOP nomination for president in 2012. The relative unknown will make an announcement July 2 in his hometown of Livonia, Mich., to tell the nation he will be running for president. While most Americans will be barbecuing and watching fireworks this Independence Day weekend, McCotter will be trying to get enough gumption and financing to start a nationwide campaign for office.

Who is McCotter, and why haven't we heard much about him until now?

Political Career

McCotter first sought office as a Schoolcraft Community College Trustee around 30 years ago. He served as a Wayne County Commissioner starting in 1992 before moving up to the State Senate in Michigan. McCotter finally was able to run for Congress in 2002, serving residents in suburban Detroit for almost 10 years.

The conservative currently sits on the House Committee on Financial Services . He recently made comments regarding Palestinian statehood. McCotter filed House Resolution 2261, which would delay any payments made to the United Nations until they recognize an independent Palestine in the Middle East. That piece of legislation was made public June 22.

Versus Mainstream Republicans

Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) will probably not even bring McCotter's issue up for a vote. His stances are more pro-Israel as he felt Palestine needs to stop funding terrorists. In 2009, Boehner differed with President Barack Obama over how to handle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and sided with Israel's right to defend themselves.

McCotter has his own stances and frequently bucks with his own party. He's also unabashedly working hard for his home state as he tries to keep manufacturing jobs plentiful for Michigan. Instead of calling it the "War on Terror," McCotter refers to it as the "War for Freedom."

The man is relatively unknown in national politics, probably because he has gone out on his own. He has no novel approaches as he quietly files legislation without much fanfare. Many American politicians have backed away having a Palestinian state, even as President Obama said Palestine should have a free , independent state based upon 1967 borders.

Straw Poll

The Iowa Republican reports other candidates were so surprised by McCotter's introduction to national politics, they didn't know who it was who paid $18,000 for a place on the Iowa Straw Poll. His money got him the second-highest total behind Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas). The event is held in Ames and candidates buy booth space depending upon how much they pay. The Iowa Straw Poll happens Aug. 13, 2011.

The straw poll is far from binding, but it does give Iowa Republicans a chance to gauge candidates early on in the election process. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), Herman Cain, Rick Santorum and Tim Pawlenty all paid to participate in the Iowa Straw Poll alongside McCotter.

Americans will find out just how serious the man from Michigan is when Iowans get a look at him in mid-August. He's a relative unknown who's already caused a few stirs in the past week in terms of running for president.

William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics. Born in St. Louis, Browning is active in local politics and served as a campaign volunteer for President Barack Obama and Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill.

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