A longtime inmate who was discharged by the Kansas Department of Corrections on Sept. 11, 2015, is running for Kansas governor.
JoeLarry Hunter, 52, Lawrence, recently named a campaign committee chairperson and filed a document with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission.
“I have decided to run,” Hunter told The News on Wednesday.
Hunter said he was running as an independent and would have to collect signatures from 5,000 voters to qualify for the Nov. 6 general election ballot.
Online offender records for Hunter dating back to 1989 show prior criminal convictions that include: theft, forgery, burglary, aggravated burglary, aggravated battery of a law enforcement officer, unlawful use of a credit card, and giving a worthless check. He was incarcerated at various state prisons, including Hutchinson Correctional Facility. While in prison here, Hunter was disciplined for misuse of state property, work performance and violation of published orders.
Hunter declined to elaborate on his campaign platform in a phone interview.
The Kansas statute does not spell out qualifications for governor.