Posted on 04/24/2004 8:17:57 AM PDT by Theodore R.
Torrington man stages another run for House
By Jessica Lowell rep5@wyomingnews.com Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
CHEYENNE - Al Hamburg, notorious in Wyoming for his bids to seek federal elected office, has filed papers with the Federal Election Commission signifying his intent to run for Wyoming's lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
This year the Torrington man is running as a Democrat; he changed his party registration last week. He also has run as a Republican, an independent and as a member of the New Alliance Party, under whose banner he won his greatest success.
"I made it to the general election in 1988," Hamburg said.
That's when presidential candidate Leonora Fulani got her party - whose philosophy is based on therapy - on state ballots across the country.
Hamburg, 72, suffered two heart attacks in January. The health scare, he said, gave him time to reflect on past mistakes.
"I am still wanting to run for office, but I don't know about doing anything different," he said.
His main issue is stopping the flow of illegal immigrants to the United States.
"They have all these illegal aliens they let in," he said Thursday from his home, which he calls "Hell Town." "They (illegal aliens) work cheaper, so people don't have a job and can't take care of their family. If you can't do that, what do you care about law and government?"
Hamburg doesn't agree with foreign policy under President Bush, and the two-time U.S. Army veteran said the war in Iraq is wrong. And he added that incumbent Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., goes along with Bush on everything and that they are ruining the country.
One thing he will do differently is not run as an Independent, which requires collecting signatures on petitions.
He earned a felony conviction - he says he was framed - for forging names on petitions to appear on the ballot as an independent. State officials said some names were forged and others were taken off cemetery headstones.
His brushes with the court system are not limited to politics.
Acting as his own attorney, Hamburg brought a breach of contract case to the Wyoming Supreme Court.
Court papers say Hamburg agreed to sell a 1970 Pontiac for $100 and 100 sex acts. The car was transferred before either part of the contract was fulfilled.
The court found that an agreement to pay money or transfer property for sex is contrary to law, morality and public policy.
As for this run, Hamburg said he is going to try to get his opinions out to the voters, even though he tends to make people mad at him.
He said he also hopes to raise some campaign money, although he has had mixed success in the past.
"Remember when my dog ran for president?" Hamburg asked. "He was in People magazine. He raised $800. The most I ever made was $500."
If elected, Hamburg would supplement his Social Security income with the congressional salary of $158,100.
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