What’s a White Republican to do when he can’t seem to win an election??The congressional hopeful formerly known as Scott Fistler thinks he may have the answer. Fistler has officially changed his name to Cesar Chavez, and is now running as a Democrat.
Chavez, 34, has run for office twice as a Republican. Now he’s?vying for?retiring Rep. Ed Pastor’s seat in Phoenix, which has a substantial Hispanic population. Pastor himself was the first Latino in Arizona to be elected to Congress, where he remained for nearly 40 years. With the name change, Chavez may garner some of the Latino vote based on name recognition alone.
In fact, name recognition may be the only thing Chavez has going for him in this election.
“The candidate has no money, no endorsements and no paid campaign staff,” according to AZ Central.
The Arizona Republic?tracked Chavez down for some answers.
“It’s almost as simple as saying Elvis Presley is running for president,” the ex-Republican said,?”You wouldn’t forget it, would you?”
The original?Cesar Chavez was a civil-rights activist who fought for fair labor practices, and both of neo-Chavez’s?main opponents tout their ties to him.?Mary Rose Wilcox marched with Chavez for farmworkers’ rights and helped him start a local radio station. The other top contender, Ruben Gallego, earned the endorsement of Dolores Huerta, who co-founded?the National Farm Workers Association with Chavez.
While the politician once known as Fistler has little hope of winning, he could sway the outcome of the election. With Wilcox and Gallego polling less than 1 percentage-point apart, taking even a small number of votes from either candidate could have significant impact.
And if Chavez does manage to win?
“I think I’ll just show up there and act presentable,” he said. “It’d be kind of like the first day of kindergarten.”
Here is a video:
Nina Kate is a progressive journalist living in Los Angeles, CA. She’s passionate about human and animal rights, as well as preserving the environment. Visit her blog at LadyFreethinker.com
