Less than one week after announcing he would run for the District 8 alder position, Madison Area Technical College student Michael Johnson withdrew his candidacy Sunday.
Because of a number of different factors, mainly a developing family situation, I have decided the best course of action is to cease campaigning for the position,"" Johnson said in a statement. ""Thank you for all of your support and energy for my campaign. This was a difficult decision to come to, but I believe this is best for not only myself, but my campaign team and my family.""
Johnson, who is a co-founder of Student Progressive Dane, announced his candidacy last Wednesday. The current District 8 alder, UW-Madison senior Eli Judge, announced Dec. 1 he would not seek re-election, citing his decision to attend law school as a significant factor in not running.
Johnson said any financial contributions made to his campaign will be returned, and asked those who considered contributing to make a donation to the non-profit Madison Tenant Resource Center instead.
Chynna Haas, Johnson's campaign treasurer, said she could not elaborate on Johnson's withdrawl, calling it a private matter. She said she is unsure if another member of Student Progressive Dane will run for the position.
""There's some preliminary discussion going on trying to identify if there is anyone else potentially who would be interested in running in the race,"" Haas said. ""It's really too early to tell for sure if anyone is going to declare or not.""
Candidacy forms for the 2009 election, which will be held April 7, are due Jan. 6.
