Guess Who's Throwing His Hat Into Kentucky's Gubernatorial Race?

Over the last couple of decades it seems like we’ve had more than our fair share of non-traditional office seekers. Kentucky voters can add one more name to that list: Drew Curtis, founder of the snarky aggregate news site Fark.com.

Curtis announced his candidacy – where else – on his blog at Fark.com on Monday. He also announced his wife Heather for lieutenant governor. He promises a completely different paradigm – completely removing the influence of so-called “special interests” from governance.

The 41-year-old Curtis is part the Citizen Candidate movement in which members pledge to make “data-driven” choices without party affiliation, which they argue makes them not beholden to special interest money.

Though political history is full of candidates who tried to win office by playing outside the prescribed rules, Curtis insists he’s unlike many of them.

“I’m not some wealthy person who calls himself an outside candidate,” he told FoxNews.com on Monday.

At his blog, Curtis laments the influence of big money in politics and proposes himself and other independent candidates as the answer.

The only way to fix this is from within.  So I’m taking my shot.  I’m running for Governor because if I get elected, the vicious cycle of influence money in politics grinds to a halt.  Corporations are remarkably predictable – they won’t spend money on politics unless it has a chance of creating a beneficial return. Why would any corporation spend money on legislation in a state where they can’t buy the Governor? The game would be completely disrupted.

So that’s what this is about – trying something new.  And proving that normal people can run for elected office and win.  If one million people can call the FCC and back Net Neutrality, surely I have a chance. The best part is, win or lose, I’m going to help produce the blueprint to allow other people to run for office and win without party support.

In terms of where Curtis stands on issues – well, he’s made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t really stand on any issues at all.

One thing that people have been asking is where I stand on “the issues”.  I’m still working up a response to that, mainly because I think it’s the wrong question.  Political parties use “the issues” as weapons of mass distraction.  If any of the really difficult political questions were solvable we’d have done it already.  Besides, I’ll be an unaligned Governor with no ability to submit legislation.  And Kentucky’s Legislature is currently split, which I think is a great thing.

I really want people to think in terms of solutions.  For example, someone asked me where I stood on the issue of equal pay for women.  Who would be against that?  However the problem there is what’s the mechanism?  What law could we pass that would solve that problem?  I would much rather people provide me with solutions – preferably ones that have worked in other states.

I don’t have “beliefs” on issues of economics.  I’m more or less agnostic on social issues.  And I’m far more excited about retooling the executive branch to better interface with customers than anything else. The boring stuff is the most important stuff.  It doesn’t grab headlines but it’s the part of being Governor I really want to sink my teeth into.

The only fringe idea I have is that Government could work better.

Curtis talks a good game, but the question that remains to be seen is whether his data-driven, third-way political style will work. Will voters buy his apparent pragmatic approach, or will they find themselves turned off by a candidate with little-to-no stance on issues? It looks like Kentucky may become the first big test of a whole new approach to politics.