YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- Former congressman James Traficant says he's considering a run as an independent, calling it "painful decision" to leave the Democratic party.
Traficant made the announcement Saturday on his talk show on WTAM-AM in Cleveland, two days after he passed up a deadline to run in Ohio's congressional Democratic primary
Traficant spent years in prison for corruption and has vowed he'll return to politics. He did not specify Saturday for what seat he would run, but says he'll see where he has a chance as an independent.
He says it would have been "hypocritical" to have filed as a Democrat because he feels the leadership of the party is headed in the wrong direction. He says he's not referring to President Barack Obama, but to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
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