Sean Tevis

Sean Tevis
Born (1969-07-22) 22 July 1969
Lawrence, Kansas, USA
Occupation Politician, Web designer
Spouse(s) Michelle Tevis
Website seantevis.com

Sean Tevis (born 22 July 1969, in Lawrence, Kansas, USA) of Olathe, Kansas, was a Democratic[1] candidate for Kansas House of Representatives District 15 representing the city of Olathe against incumbent Arlen Siegfreid.[2]

On June 10, 2010, the Associated Press and local media, including The Kansas City Star, reported that Tevis was one of three candidates who had officially filed for the Democratic Party nomination in Kansas's 2nd congressional district. The filing deadline in Kansas for primary ballot access occurred on June 10, 2010 at noon Central Standard Time.[3][4]

Early career

Tevis attended Shawnee Mission West High School where he was elected Class President for two years before losing the election for Student Body President his senior year to friend and future actor Paul Rudd. Tevis majored in Journalism at the University of Kansas.[5] Subsequently he worked as a journalist for The Palm Beach Post and The Miami Herald.[5] He helped start an internet business in 1999 and worked for three years for the municipal government of the city of Coconut Creek, Florida.[5] He currently works as an Interaction Designer for Cerner Corporation, a Healthcare IT company headquartered in Kansas City. He has been married to his wife for fourteen years.[5]

Political career

Tevis's platform includes abolishing the sales tax on food,[2] raising teacher pay, and protecting an individual's right to privacy.[6] 2008 marked his first run for political office.[1]

Tevis lost his 2008 race for the Kansas House of Representatives in the 15th district against Arlen H. Siegfreid by 425 votes out of 10,103 cast with all 22 precincts reporting.[7] He generated media attention to the campaign with an online ad that pays homage to the web-comic xkcd.[8] He raised $109,581.45[9] between July 16, 2008 and October 23, 2008, mostly from more than 5,700[6] online donors. At the time, this was significantly more than any other candidate for the Kansas House of Representatives had ever raised, with the next highest total being that of fellow Democrat Raj Goyle with $96,104.[10] Possibly in reaction to this fund-raising tactic, Kansas State Representative Scott Schwab introduced a bill that was nicknamed the "Sean Tevis bill" which would have required candidates to report the names and addresses of contributors who give less than $50 to a political campaign.[11]

2009

On May 6, 2009, Tevis announced he would re-run for the State Legislature using another XKCD-style cartoon that chronicled his activities since Election Day the previous year. Posting the new comic to his campaign Web site, Tevis used only his Twitter account to publicize the announcement. In less than three days, Tevis had garnered national headlines and started, in earnest, to once again raise money for his November 2010 campaign against the district's incumbent.

2010 Congressional Race

On June 22, 2010, Tevis officially kicked off his campaign for Congress in Topeka, Kansas. Tevis announced that he had an idea that could "reduce the effects of special interests...and end unhealthy partisanship."[12] The initiative was titled "American Nations". Tevis said this "movement" would require the participation of 2 million people.[13] During his press conference, Tevis touched on health care reform, saying, "I think a public option would work. I just don't necessarily think that it's right. And I probably would not have voted for a public option."[14]

References

  1. 1 2 Sullinger, Jim. "Kansas ballots will feature more Democrats this year". The Kansas City Star. June 20, 2008.
  2. 1 2 Simon, Stephanie (2008-07-29). "Politics Is National in Local Web Campaign". Wall Street Journal. p. A8. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  3. "The return of Sean Tevis"."The Kansas City Star." June 10, 2010.
  4. "Two Democrats Enter Race for Kansas' 2nd U.S. House District". "Lawrence Journal-World" June 10, 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "About Sean Tevis". Sean Tevis campaign. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
  6. 1 2 Huffstutter, P.J. (2008-07-28). "Kansan sticks it to election system". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
  7. "Election Results". 2008-11-05. Retrieved 2008-11-05.
  8. Myers, PZ (July 17, 2008). "Strangely, I find myself wishing I lived in Kansas". Pharyngula. Retrieved July 17, 2008.
  9. "Receipts and Expenditures Report of a Candidate for State Office, October 27, 2008" (PDF). Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  10. State Overview, Kansas 2008. "Kansas 2008 | FollowTheMoney.org". FollowTheMoney.org. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  11. Kendall, Justin (February 12, 2009). "Sean Tevis doesn't like the "Sean Tevis bill"". Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  12. Klepper, David. "Kansas Democrat Sean Tevis kicks off bid for seat in Congress". The Kansas City Star. June 22, 2010.
  13. Carpenter, Tim. "Tevis stingy on campaign detail". The Topeka Capital-Journal. June 22, 2010.
  14. "Sean Tevis: Questions & Answers ". YouTube. June 22, 2010.
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