Dr. Vogel plans to run in the Democratic Primary on May 20. Collins is a Republican.
At age 72, Vogel is retired and lives in Hull, Georgia, which is in Madison County.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Earlier, we reported, in error, that Madison County is not in the 9th District when, in fact, it is. We regret the error.)
Vogel opened the rally by emphasizing four goals for his campaign, saying he will build local Democratic Party organizations; demonstrate that evidence-based policy can be more persuasive than slogans; help to elect Democratic candidates to state-wide offices; and run a creative campaign that can compete against the flood of corporate campaign contributions unleashed by the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United vs the FEC.
Vogel expressed concern about the rapid transfer of wealth to the super-rich. Claiming that the richest 1% of Americans are not a problem, he pointed out that the richest 0.01% of Americans are accumulating wealth so rapidly that they will own "everything that matters" in a few decades. According to Vogel, "Even if you are now among the moderately rich, you can expect your grandchildren to rent whatever they have for a house or car from the super-rich."
Dr. Vogel was raised in a series of small towns near Bakersfield, California that were settled by migrants from Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas during the Dust Bowl. He received a BA in Chemistry from the University of Colorado, and a Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Iowa.
This will not be Dr. Vogel's first run for public office. In 2012, he ran an unsuccessful campaign for the 33rd District in the Georgia House of Representatives, losing to Republican incumbent Tom McCall.
Dr. Vogel
http://accesswdun.com/article/2014/1/270006