Former presidential write-in, veterinarian vies for seat in the U.S. House

Boardman, Ohio

-- A veterinarian is vying for the Republican nomination for an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives' 6th congressional district.

Donald Allen, DVM, will run against two others in the May 5 race.

Allen practices in Boardman, Ohio, a suburb of Youngstown, roughly 80 miles southeast of Cleveland, Ohio. He also works as a public health officer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He retires from the Air Force this month.

Allen ran for president in 2008 but writes on his campaign Web site that he didn't expect to win.

"I did run ╔ not because of some grand illusion that I was going to go from Boardman, Ohio, to Pennsylvania Avenue, but because neither party was addressing the issues that are important to Main Street," Allen says. "This does not make me weird or insane, but it does show that I am not afraid to stand up and be heard when it comes to defending our country and ensuring that the people's issues are heard."

The 6th U.S. Congressional District includes 12 counties in southeastern Ohio, including Athens, Belmont, Columbiana, Gallia, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mahoning, Meigs, Monroe, Noble, Scioto and Washington.