A New Candidate for Governor

          The latest candidate for Washington State governor is Shahram Hadian.  If you have not heard that name before, you are not alone.  While Hadian is a solid conservative who is pro-life, supports traditional marriage and strengthening immigration laws, he is not well known outside of his own Snohomish County community.  Name recognition and the financial stress of being the political outsider may be insurmountable problems for this interesting candidate. 

          Shahram Hadian was born in Iran in 1971, but his parents fled the country seven years later as Islamic fundamentalism spread.  Eventually his family settled in Canada.  As an adult, Shahram legally immigrated to the United States and became a U.S. citizen.  Later he converted to Christianity and currently lives with his wife and sons in Everett. 

          With the endorsement of the Seattle Times, Hadian ran for the 44th Legislative District against veteran state Representative Hans Dunshee in 2010, but lost in the primary. 

          Because of his conservative positions I’ll watch his campaign with interest.  I hope he does well, but he has not yet built the base or achieved the name recognition that would allow him to mount an effective statewide campaign.