In years like 2010, you get candidates like Dale Peterson. The 64-year-old retired businessman has never run for public office, but he’s one of three GOP candidates in the June 1 primary for Alabama agriculture commissioner. His ad “We are Better Than That!” has gone viral, with more than 470,000 views on YouTube. Bloggers are calling it the best campaign commercial of the year (so far!). He’s been on Glenn Beck’s radio show. The ad aired on Hardball with Chris Matthews. There is even a Dale Peterson For President Facebook group. I reached Peterson by phone as he drove to a TV interview at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.
Peterson says his campaign is a grassroots effort–“And you’re talking to half of it.” The former Marine, police officer, and small businessman got into politics this year because, like a lot of people, he’s fed up. “This is the year that this state and my country needs me,” he says. “We’re in a mess. We’re limited in the time we have to fix this, and if we don’t start turning something around, a lot of people will say, ‘Well, it’s too late.’ More than anything else, this state’s been real good for me, and it’s payback time.”
