| Sean Tevis | |
|---|---|
| Born | 22 July 1969 Lawrence, Kansas, USA |
| Occupation | Politician, Web designer |
| Spouse | Michelle Tevis |
| Website | |
| seantevis.com | |
Sean Tevis (born 22 July 1969 , in Lawrence, Kansas, USA) of Olathe, Kansas, was a Democratic[1] candidate for Kansas House of Representatives District 15 representing the city of Olathe against incumbent Arlen Siegfreid.[2]
On June 10, 2010, the Associated Press and local media, including The Kansas City Star, reported that Tevis was one of three candidates who had officially filed for the Democratic Party nomination in Kansas's 2nd congressional district. The filing deadline in Kansas for primary ballot access occurred on June 10, 2010 at noon Central Standard Time.[3][4]
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Tevis attended Shawnee Mission West High School where he was elected Class President for two years before losing the election for Student Body President his senior year to friend and future actor Paul Rudd. Tevis majored in Journalism at the University of Kansas.[5] Subsequently he worked as a journalist for The Palm Beach Post and The Miami Herald.[5] He helped start an internet business in 1999 and worked for three years for the municipal government of the city of Coconut Creek, Florida.[5] He currently works as an Information Architect for SPX Cooling Technologies, a manufacturer of cooling towers. He has been married to his wife for fourteen years.[5]
Tevis's platform includes abolishing the sales tax on food,[2] raising teacher pay, and protecting an individual's right to privacy.[6] 2008 marked his first run for political office.[1]
Tevis lost his 2008 race for the Kansas House of Representatives in the 15th district against Arlen H. Siegfreid by 425 votes out of 10,103 cast with all 22 precincts reporting.[7] He generated media attention to the campaign with an online ad that pays homage to the web-comic xkcd.[8] He raised $109,581.45[9] between July 16, 2008 and October 23, 2008, mostly from more than 5,700[6] online donors. Possibly in reaction to this fund-raising tactic, Kansas State Representative Scott Schwab introduced a bill that was nicknamed the "Sean Tevis bill" which would have require candidates to report the names and addresses of contributors who give less than $50 to a political campaign.[10]
On May 6, 2009, Tevis announced he would re-run for the State Legislature using another XKCD-style cartoon that chronicled his activities since Election Day the previous year. Posting the new comic to his campaign Web site, Tevis used only his Twitter account to publicize the announcement. In less than three days, Tevis had garnered national headlines and started, in earnest, to once again raise money for his November 2010 campaign against the district's incumbent.
On June 22, 2010, Tevis officially kicked-off his campaign for Congress in Topeka, Kansas. Tevis announced that he had an idea that could "reduce the effects of special interests...and end unhealthy partisanship."[11] The initiative, which he is set to unveil in coming days, is titled "American Nations". Tevis says this "movement" would require the participation of 2 million people.[12] During his press conference, Tevis touched on health care reform, saying, "I think a public option would work. I just don't necessarily think that it's right. And I probably would not have voted for a public option."[13]
