Purdue professor runs for office

Researching retro viruses, Ebola and gene therapy have led Purdue University biology Professor David Sanders into the political sphere. Sanders, a Democrat, decided to run for representative of District IV, which encompasses over 600,000 residents. This will be Sanders' second campaign, after an unsuccessful attempt to win a seat in the Indiana State Senate.\nDistrict IV encompasses the area containing Purdue.\nSanders hopes to use his expertise in the biology field to reduce the risk of bioterrorism and to find alternate means of warfare. Sanders has put national security at the forefront of his campaign, advocating cooperation methods to reduce weapons of mass destruction in every country, including the United States.\n"Integrity and accountability must be the most important goals of our country. It is essential to defend with dignity, and we have lost the respect of our allies because we bribed and arm-twisted them into this war," Sanders said.\nAlong with security, Sanders' platform addresses fiscal responsibility and long-term accountability regarding a balanced budget and spending at the national level. Sanders accuses the current Republican representative, Steve Buyer, of endangering the credibility of Indiana and the nation with his support of Bush's economic plan.\nRoberta Schonemann has worked closely with Sanders in the area of campaign finance and has served on the Common Cause Board, a non-government organization which lobbies for finance reform. She sees Sanders as a candidate who would strive to lessen the influence of money in politics.\n"Sanders will go into office with a commitment to the American people and not to corporate interests. He will run a good, clean campaign which will be as money free as possible," Schonemann said.\nSanders said he hopes to encourage young voters to participate in a democracy he feels is being threatened by the current structure of campaigns and the extent to which elections determine policy decisions. \n"Students should be concerned about the ballooning debt and the corporations who are controlling the Congressional committees through lobbying," Sanders said. "To preserve democracy, people have to make voting a habit."\nAlan Friedman, also a professor at Purdue, is the treasurer of Sanders' campaign and an advocate for his ideals. \n"The biggest challenge we face right now is getting Sanders in front of as many people as possible," Friedman said. "His interest in important causes must be made known to the people of the district because once they know him, they will love him."\nSanders has participated in many environmental and political organizations, although not in any administrative positions. \n-- Contact staff writer Allison Ricket at aricket@indiana.edu.