Given that I am the major source for this Kalamazoo Gazette story, I think I am justified in quoting more of it than I normally would:
KALAMAZOO — The 6th District Democratic Party will continue to look for a candidate to run against Congressman Fred Upton in November.
“I wouldn’t call it a set back, in the sense that we had other people who were interested and may come forward now,” said Mark Miller, chair of the party.
Today, John Waltz, who announced we would run against Upton in August, issued a release that he would not continue to run because of a life-threatening illness.
Miller said he was absolutely caught off guard when Waltz’s wife called him today with the news. Miller said he sent out an e-mail to the county democrats this afternoon asking them to pray for Waltz and his family.
Miller said there were four potential candidates late last summer that were interested in running against Upton. There will be a party meeting on March 3 where members will evaluate the situation and take suggestions on where to go. The party will talk to those four people and anyone new who might run.
Miller would not say who those four people are.
The 6th District Democrats have not made an endorsement in the race. No other Democrat has declared candidacy.
With Jack Hoogendyk running against Upton in the Republican primary, there are “interesting possibilities” to what it could do the general election, Miller said.
Not a whole lot to add, other than you never expect things like this when you agree to run as District Chair!
