Former Rep. Paul "Pete" McCloskey, who helped write the Endangered Species Act, plans to run in California's Republican primary against Rep. Richard Pombo.
McCloskey, 78, has not run for public office for a quarter century. He represented San Francisco for eight terms and is best-known for running against President Richard Nixon in the 1972 primaries to protest the Vietnam War.
"This is no Republican Party I recognize today," McCloskey told the Los Angeles Times.
The lawyer and ex-Marine said he disagrees strongly with Pombo's environmental policies and is tired of the corruption in Washington.
McCloskey challenged Pombo to take him on in at least 12 debates in what he called "a battle for the soul of the Republican Party." But Pombo's campaign manager, Wayne Johnson, said he does not view McCloskey as a serious candidate and said Pombo has not intention of debating him.
© Copyright 2006 by United Press International
