Drew Curtis, the founder of news aggregation site Fark, launched a campaign for governor of Kentucky on Friday, according to Business Lexington.
Curtis, a Kentucky native, said in a Monday statement on Fark that he decided to run instead of continuing to complain about the state of politics. His wife, Heather, will run for lieutenant governor on the ticket.
“I never wanted to run for office. Like most of us, I have a pretty strong dislike for the political process,” he said. “I don’t remember who it was or when it happened, but about a year ago I was complaining about the lack of good candidates one night when a friend challenged me. People who are capable of running for office and winning have no right to complain about the system when they have the ability to change it. If I sit back and do nothing, I’m at least partially complicit.”
He also said he was inspired by a friend in Kentucky who recently ran for local office for the first time and won her election.
Curtis said he would run as an independent in the 2015 election, and he railed against money in politics and the power of political parties.
“Thanks to the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, the amount of influence money in politics has increased exponentially. It’s a windfall for the two political parties, but the effect on government has been catastrophic,” he said. “If elected officials make decisions that go against their campaign donors, they risk being blacklisted by their own party – and their entire political future.”
“I’m running for governor because if I get elected, the vicious cycle of influence money in politics grinds to a halt,” he continued.
Curtis said he will continue to serve as CEO of Fark during his campaign.
