RJ Harris (politician)
| RJ Harris | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | November 16, 1972 |
| Residence | Norman, Oklahoma |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of Oklahoma |
| Occupation | Army National Guard officer, air traffic control administrator |
| Political party |
Republican Party Libertarian Party (2011-present) |
| Spouse | Jennifer Friend Harris |
Richard Jason "RJ" Satawk Harris (born November 16, 1972) is an United States Army National Guard officer, politician, law student and former Air Traffic Controller. He was a candidate for the Libertarian Party's 2012 nomination for President of the United States. In 2010, he unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Tom Cole for the Republican Party nomination in the primary election for Oklahoma's 4th congressional district. He is running as an independent candidate for the same congressional seat in 2012.
Background
Harris was born November 16, 1972[1] at March Air Force Base near Riverside, California, where his father, Richard Michael Settainte (White Bear) Harris[1] was stationed. His father, a member of the Kiowa Nation, was in the military and currently serves as a physician at the Indian Health Services clinic in Carnegie, Oklahoma. Because of his father's lineage, Harris has a Certificate of Indian Blood. His parents split while he was still young, and he settled with his mother, Deborah Jill[1] in Arizona, where she remarried and renamed him Jason Sam Barnes after his stepfather.[2]
In the early 1990s, Barnes married Jennifer Friend, with whom he has five children.[3] After learning about his name change early in life, Barnes decided to adopt his birth name and permanently moved to Oklahoma, where he currently resides. His wife and children changed their names as well.[2]
Harris has worked as a Sergeant in the Army National Guard since 1989, and has had tours in South Korea, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He worked as an Air Traffic Controller from 1997 to 2006,[1] and opened two gaming stores in Gilbert, Arizona, which closed in 2001, a fact Harris attributes to the post-9/11 recession. As a result, he was forced to file for bankruptcy, which was cleared by 2004.[2]
Harris has an undergraduate degree in Philosophy from the University of Oklahoma, and is currently pursuing a Law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law.[1]
Political career
2010 U.S. congressional campaign
The Republican Liberty Caucus endorsed Harris in his 2010 campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. In that race, he received 9,592 votes for 22.7% of the vote in the Republican primary against incumbent U.S. Representative Tom Cole, who won the nomination.[4][5][6][7]
2012 presidential campaign
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Wikinews has related news: Wikinews interviews U.S. Libertarian Party potential presidential candidate R.J. Harris |
In August 2011, Harris announced his candidacy for the nomination of the Libertarian Party (LP) for President of the United States in the 2012 election.[8][9][10]
He ended his presidential campaign in April 2012, citing a lack of sufficient fundraising as well as his decision to run for Congress again in 2012.[11][12]
2012 U.S. congressional campaign
On April 11, 2012, the same day he withdrew his candidacy for the LP presidential nomination, Harris announced that he would make a second bid for Oklahoma’s 4th District Congressional Seat in the 2012 Congressional election, again challenging incumbent Tom Cole.[11] Harris is running as an independent in this race.[13]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Richard Jason 'RJ' Satawk Harris". Project Vote Smart. 2011. http://www.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/134775/rj-harris. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ a b c "LP-Pres: Allegations from 2010 concerning RJ Harris’ past, and Harris’ response". Independent Political Report. November 23, 2011. http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/11/lp-pres-allegations-from-2010-concerning-rj-harris-past-and-harris-response/. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
- ^ "Wikinews interviews U.S. Libertarian Party potential presidential candidate R.J. Harris". Wikinews. June 17, 2011. http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Wikinews_interviews_U.S._Libertarian_Party_potential_presidential_candidate_R.J._Harris. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- ^ "Republican Liberty Caucus 2010 Endorsed Candidates: Oklahoma". Republican Liberty Caucus. http://www.rlc.org/endorsements/endorsed-candidates-2010/#5. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
- ^ Associated Press (April 12, 2010) "Congressional candidate to deploy to Afghanistan", Times Record News. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- ^ Miller, Ken (July 21, 2010) "Okla. guardsman wants to unseat incumbent rep.", Associated Press. Army Times. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- ^ "Summary Results: Primary Election — July 27, 2010". Oklahoma State Election Board. http://www.ok.gov/elections/support/10pri.html. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- ^ "R.J. Harris – Libertarian for President in 2012". Independent Political Report. August 26, 2011. http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2011/08/r-j-harris-for-president-in-2012/. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- ^ Davis, Chris (August 30, 2011) "Oklahoma man running for president", KRMG. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- ^ McNutt, Michael (October 1, 2011) "Norman man seeks Libertarian Party's presidential nomination", NewsOK.com. The Oklahoman. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
- ^ a b "RJ Harris Ends Campaign for LP Presidential Nomination". Independent Political Report. April 11, 2012. http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2012/04/rj-harris-ends-campaign-for-lp-presidential-nomination/. Retrieved April 12, 2012.
- ^ McNutt, Michael (April 13, 2011). "Norman man changes goal from president to congress". NewsOK.com. The Oklahoman. http://newsok.com/norman-man-changes-goal-from-president-to-congress/article/3665889. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
- ^ Rolland, Megan (April 13, 2012). "Independent RJ Harris files for House District". NewsOK.com. The Oklahoman. http://blog.newsok.com/politics/2012/04/13/independent-rj-harris-files-for-house-district-4/. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
External links
- Harris U.S. Congress 2012, official campaign site
