<p>John Ramsey kicked off his campaign for a Michigan House seat vowing not to be deterred by lingering suspicions that he or another family member killed daughter JonBenet.</p><p>Announcing his candidacy Tuesday, Ramsey, a former Atlanta resident, told cheering supporters that some people would never accept his innocence even if the killer of the child beauty queen were caught and convicted.</p><p>"We cannot let that intimidate us," he said. "I cannot let evil win. Our family will go on with its life. We have contributions to make."</p><p>Ramsey, a Republican, said the ordeal had given him "a platform _ one that I did not seek.</p><p>"But my task, I believe, is to use that platform for good."</p><p>He spoke at a rally after filing to enter the Aug. 3 primary election. Ramsey is among six Republicans and two Democrats hoping to succeed Rep. Ken Bradstreet, R-Gaylord, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits.</p><p>The 105th House District includes Antrim, Charlevoix and Otsego counties and part of Cheboygan County.</p><p>Ramsey, his wife Patsy and their son Burke are longtime summer residents of Charlevoix, a popular tourist town on Lake Michigan about 270 miles northwest of Detroit. They moved here full-time last fall after living in Colorado and Georgia.</p><p>JonBenet was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her home in Boulder, Colo., on Dec. 26, 1996, and the case became a tabloid sensation. A cloud of suspicion surrounded the 6-year-old's parents, who insisted the crime was committed by an intruder.</p><p>No one has been charged in her death. A federal judge and the Boulder district attorney said last year the weight of the evidence is more consistent with the intruder theory.</p><p>Ramsey's presence has turned what ordinarily would be a low-profile campaign for a state legislative seat into a national media event.</p><p>Television trucks lined the street outside Patsy Ramsey's newly established Web site development and promotion company, where her husband's rally was held.</p><p>John Ramsey was appearing Wednesday on CNN's "Larry King Live" program, ABC's "Good Morning America" and NBC's "Today" show.</p><p>"It's most unusual to have a celebrity _ however you want to characterize that _ running for the state Legislature in Michigan," said Craig Ruff, a Lansing political consultant. "The national media will have a field day. So will state media."</p><p>Ramsey supporters said they had no doubt of the family's innocence and did not believe the unsolved case would be a political liability.</p><p>"They are incapable of doing what people are accusing them of," said Greg Hughes, whose son is a close friend of Burke Ramsey. "You can see it in their eyes, in their hearts."</p><p>John Haggard, chairman of the Charlevoix County GOP, decided not to wait for the primary to endorse Ramsey.</p><p>"His business background is a huge assset," Haggard said, adding that the media attention would boost the local economy.</p><p>Ramsey, 60, was born in Nebraska and was 12 when he moved with his family to Okemos, a small town just outside Lansing. His father, James "Jay" Ramsey, was a decorated World War II pilot who headed the Michigan Aeronautics Commission until he retired in 1979.</p><p>John Ramsey attended Michigan State University, where he received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1966 and a master's degree in marketing in 1971.</p><p>Another of Ramsey's daughters, Elizabeth, was killed in a 1992 car crash. His wife is undergoing chemotherapy for ovarian cancer.</p><p>Ramsey said the hard times have increased his compassion for people who lose family members and jobs, and for victims of violent crime.</p><p>"I have changed from a person who was very focused on personal success to a person who is now anxious to serve my fellow man," he said.</p>
