Jesus White: Savior Of The Mayor’s Race?

Okay. Milton’s out. And although he’s running for City Council, since many of the signatures are in the same handwriting, he’ll be kicked off the ballot soon enough.

So where does a blogger turn to? Focus again on the foibles of the major candidates? Well, yeah, but I’ve been doing that anyway. Write about actual news, focus on the issues, write about something else? Ha, ha, hahahaha. No, I think I’ve figured it out.

Aww yeah.

Both newspapers profile Jesus White, the surprise candidate for mayor who turned in his petitions on Tuesday without as much as a press release that he would be running for mayor. He listed his address as St. John’s Hospice, but he says that’s only his mailing address, and he’s been staying at the Sunday Breakfast Mission at 13th and Pearl streets recently.

How awesome is this guy? He’s homeless — “in between housing,” he says — and yet he manages to collect 2,000 signatures to run for mayor! That’s only about 1,000 less than Republican candidate Al Taubenberger, which shows the power of the Republican party in this city.

White, who is black but has a campaign slogan of “Vote White”, told the Daily News he was City Council president of DeRidder, La., in the 1980s, but was called to the ministry a few years later. “Only what you do for Christ will last,” he said. The DN also notes he has no campaign headquarters. Gee, thanks. The Inquirer attempted to do a story, but White’s cell phone connection went dead.

Okay, so he’s not as entertaining as Milton. But he’s certainly already looking like a more serious candidate.

Jesus wants you to vote White [Daily News]
Two vying under the mayoral radar [Inquirer]