OK, so this Kande Ngalamulume dude is like Alvin Greene, only his scam hasn't been noticed by the media yet.
Look below the fold, dear Kossacks, and find a health insurance industry plant who moved back to Michigan District 8 from his cushy insurance industry job in Pennsylvania, got on the ballot, and then skipped town without properly withdrawing so an actual candidate can run.
I think Lance Enderle can take sleazy Michigan Republican Mike Rogers ... but only if we get him on the ballot.
(Karoli lights up the DCCC for this one over at
Crooks & Liars)
Thus speaks Brainwrap, who has a better diary than mine, but he lacks my inflammatory title writing skills :-)
Actually, there's been some speculation about just what Ngalamulume's situation is. It's very odd, really: He grew up in Lansing and went to MSU, then moved to Pennsylvania and had a lucrative job in the insurance industry.
Then he suddenly felt compelled to quit his job, leave Philadelphia and move back to Michigan specifically to run for Congress. He runs what seems like a legitimate (if long-shot) campaign for a few months...and then suddenly drops out in a very public manner, after the deadline when no one else can file for the primary. He's claimed publicly since then that he "just wants a Democrat to beat Rogers", but at the same time refuses to register out of state (which would allow the district Dem party to replace him on the ballot with Enderle or anyone else).
So, Mike Rodgers, an Abramoff Republican, draws an opponent who blows into town, runs what looks like a real campaign, then he withdraws under mysterious circumstances, and I can't say this loudly enough:
HE FAILED TO WITHDRAW PROPERLY SO SOMEONE ELSE COULD RUN!
So, it's the Jim DeMint playbook in South Carolina, only with the page tore down to the size of a House district.
I talked with Lance Enderle last night. This guy is out shaking hands, standing at grocery stores, going to every Democratic meeting he can find in the district – he wants to be on this ballot bad - I've worked a couple of primary campaigns this year and I've never heard the kind of focus this guy is bringing to this race.
The party machine wants him on the ballot, too. But without media attention legions of good Democrats are going to go in, pull a straight ticket, and give sleazebag Mike Rodgers a pass.
There will be no accountability here unless we MAKE it happen. We raised $130 over night for Facebook ads and we really need about double that to finish the job. A little more would be nice, but mostly this is going to be ground game, so if you're pissed off, but tapped out, contact @Spedwybabs for details on phone banking for this guy.
You can learn more about Lance here:
Lance Enderle campaign site.
You can track progress here:
@lance_enderle on Twitter
And if you've got some shekels in your purse you know what to do with this one ...
Lance Enderle on ActBlue
(Rogers has a million dollar war chest. If we don't pin him down he'll be able to back three or four other House races in Michigan. Yes, we really can influence several House seats for $100/ea.)
(UPDATE: If you like being able to influence House races for small dollars like this I can point out two others who also need that $500/month or so to cover their Facebook efforts.
David Cozad, running against Joe Barton in TX-06, can unlock big donor dollars, pin that guy down, and forever end his Senate seat plans. His ActBlue link is here. Disclosure - I'm helping him organize his online efforts.
Justin Coussoule, running against John Boehner in OH-08 is a military vet, a disciplined operator, and we met his campaign manager at Netroots Nation. I really want to put Boehner on the defensive and keep him and his war chest from influencing other House races. Donate here.
Lance Enderle