“We all are Americans first.”

FYN confirmed a new Ninth District candidate today. White County Principal Roger Fitzpatrick said he will enter the Ninth District Congressional Race as an Independent. He said he plans to retire this year from Mossy Creek Elementary School. All candidates must qualify by for elections by May. Fitzpatrick said his job and subsequent retirement would not conflict with any qualifying requirements.

Fitzpatrick is the fifth candidate so far to throw his hat in the ring for the Ninth District Congressional seat. The principal and new candidate will contend with a combination of well established names and lesser known but effective businessmen and leaders. So far in the race are Rep. Doug Collins (R-Gainesville), Conservative Talk Show Host Martha Zoller, Jackson County Commissioner Hunter Bicknell, and Community Development International CEO Clifton McDuffie. Fitzpatrick will campaign against seasoned political know-how, immovable conservativism, evident job creation, and economic development skills. Will this mix make room for an Independent? Why enter the fray?

When asked why he entered the race, he commented on the contentious relationship between the two parties, where

“one party blames the other.”

He said that, as an Independent he feels he can bridge voters of the two parties.

“After all,”

he said,

“We all are Americans first.”

This approach, however, may prove problematic for voters in the most conservative voting district in the nation. Conversely, though, Fitzpatrick acknowledges this component of the race. Although he is running as an Independent, he said he is conservative, emphasizing that his “ideas match very closely with those of Tom Graves, the current Ninth District Representative seen by many as a paragon of conservative values.

Mr. Fitzpatrick said he is in the process of filing his federal paper work for his candidacy, adding that he will not start campaigning until Spring. Since he is running as an Independent, he will not be on the July ballot, so he still has some time, he said. FYN will continue to bring Election 2012 coverage as it happens.