SAVANNAH, Ga., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Allan Levene says he is a Republican congressional candidate in his home state of Georgia, as well as in Michigan, Minnesota and Hawaii.
Levene, 64, admits running for four congressional seats simultaneously is unorthodox, but nothing in the Constitution forbids it -- and he wants to be a member of Congress as a way of saying thanks.
"I have such a debt to this country, a debt of gratitude to the United States for taking me in and letting me become a citizen about 40 years ago that I have to repay it," the naturalized citizen originally from Britain said.
The Constitution states a person elected to the House of Representatives must be a resident of the state he or she will represent when elected, so Levene will choose one race if he wins a primary election, Fox News reported Friday.
The Founding Fathers "didn't really understand you could fly from state to state ... times have changed so I am running in four states," he said. "I can represent the public no matter where I live."
If he does not win a Republican primary in May in Georgia's 11th District, he will turn his attention to the other states, he said.
K. Mark Takai, a Democrat and Hawaii state representative running in Hawaii's 1st District, a race Levene has targeted, said he is skeptical and unsure if Levene's strategy will resonate with Hawaiians.
"The heart of representative democracy (is that) you want someone to represent you who represents your community and its people," Takai said.
