Narcisse won’t file for Democratic primary

[ccharles000]

Jonathan Narcisse will not file nomination papers to challenge Gov. Chet Culver in the Democratic primary, he told me today. He is continuing with plans to run as an independent in November.

Narcisse says he collected enough signatures to get on the ballot (the deadline is Friday), but he said his changed his mind about filing based on what he heard from Iowans as he’s traveled around the state. “They really want an independent voice,” he says, someone not tied to either party.

I asked Narcisse if he would be willing to release the signatures, because otherwise people will be skeptical that he was able to collect them. He didn’t outright refuse but he also didn’t say he would release them. He said he’s used to dealing with skepticism from the media but he’s focused on making his case to voters around the state. But if he’s going to say he’s collected them, he should prove it.

He says he’s had to spend a lot of time explaining why he’s a Democrat, when he doesn’t necessarily support the party platform. That gets in the way of his efforts to position himself as an independent voice. But this wavering on whether to run as a Democrat won’t build confidence that his campaign is more than a seat-of-the-pants operation.

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/03/18/narcisse-wont-file-for-democrat-primary/