Iraq Vet Fanning announces run for Cravaack’s 8th District seat
Iraq War veteran and former staffer for Sen. Al Franken, Daniel Fanning, announced on Tuesday that he’s adding his name to the growing list of candidates vying for the DFL nomination to take on Rep. Chip Cravaack in 2012.
The Duluth News Tribune reports that Fanning made the announcement at the Duluth City Hall and that he’s running because he doesn’t like the direction Cravaack is taking the district.
Fanning joins former congressman Rick Nolan, Duluth City Councilor Jeff Anderson and former state Sen. Tarryl Clark. All are vying to unseat Chip Cravaack, a Republican who won the reliably DFL district in an upset against Rep. Jim Oberstar.
“The three other candidates are all good people, and I think that any one of them would be a better representative for the 8th District than what we have now. But there seemed to be an enthusiasm gap on the DFL side,” Fanning said.
Fanning enlisted in the Army National Guard after September 11 as a result of a “sense of patriotism.” He served in combat in Iraq in 2003 and 2004, and has been outspoken against the war since.
Here’s video of his story:
