Mannix's Changing Choices

Kevin Mannix says he was faced with two options prior to U.S. Rep. Darlene Hooley’s announcement that she would not be seeking re-election: to do nothing or to run for Attorney General.

The two options have since changed. Doing nothing is no longer on the table for the long-time legislator, and has been replaced by a potential run for the CD 5 seat.

“With Hooley’s announcement, because of my situation in the district, it became a whole new possibility,” Mannix said of running for Congress.

“I will say I’ve pretty much dropped the option of doing nothing.”

While speculation has swirled around Mannix’s plans, he claims he has not made a decision as of yet. He is planning on making a definitive announcement within the next couple of weeks, and notes that he has not yet formed an official exploratory committee.

Recently, Mannix took the possibility of a compromise on his crime initiative off the table, an action which has only fueled the conjecture of his candidacy for Congress. For his part, Mannix maintains that had he been certain that he would run for Congress, he would not have gotten involved in the compromise discussions in the first place.

“The negotiations tied up a lot of time,” he said. “I was open to agreeing with a position I didn’t fully support. I believe this reflects my legislative spirit, which it to try and work things out.”

Questions have also arisen over the fate of his ballot measure in November should he run for federal office. Strict federal rules govern fundraising for statewide issues, such as ballot measures, while a candidate is running for Congress.

Mannix, however, is not worried about the effects of spending limits on his initiative, noting that there is always a PAC that will take on campaigning and fundraising for the measure. But don’t count on financial limitations to dampen his support.

“Certainly as a chief petitioner, I would exercise my First Amendment rights to offer my opinion,” he continued.