Ex-Gov. Kirk Plans Bid for President--as Iacocca Stand-in
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former Florida Gov. Claude R. Kirk Jr. said Monday he will seek the Democratic nomination for President as a stand-in for Chrysler Corp. Chairman Lee A. Iacocca, who has denied any interest in seeking the presidency.
“I have filed on Friday for the New Hampshire primary and have already taken steps to be placed on the Florida ballot,” Kirk said. “We also will move as quickly as possible to qualify in at least 20 states in order to obtain matching federal campaign funds.”
Iacocca, a popular business executive courted by many political leaders as a presidential candidate, repeatedly has denied any interest in seeking either party’s nomination.
Kirk was elected the state’s first Republican governor since Reconstruction in 1966, but switched parties in 1979.
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