Kevorkian run for Congress moves ahead

DETROIT, July 8 (UPI) -- Assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian is one step closer to running for Congress from Michigan this fall, Oakland Country officials said.

Oakland County's elections director, Joe Rozell has verified 3,200 signatures on petitions supporting Kevorkian's candidacy. He legally needed only 3,000 names to run, the Detroit Free Press reported Tuesday.

Kevorkian has announced plans to run for the Ninth Congressional District seat as an independent, seeking a position currently held by Republican Joe Knollenberg. Democrat Gary Peters, a former Michigan Lottery Commissioner, is also in the race.

Kevorkian was convicted of second degree murder for one of an estimated 130 assisted suicides he allegedly participated in during the 1990s and spent more than eight years in prison.