John Putnam, Long-Distance Swimmer

"I'm Committed To Running"

ALSO: Reps. Schoeller & Wasson OUT

Jasper County Republican Chair John Putnam said he's committed to running for Roy Blunt's open U.S. House seat, but is in no rush to make an official announcement.

Putnam, who was in Springfield Friday attending one of the "nationwide Chicago Tea Party's" to protest the government's recent bailouts, said he's making plans to get the infrastructure in place to launch a Congressional bid.

Earlier Friday, Sen. Jack Goodman became the first official Republican to announce his candidacy in the 7th Congressional District. (More on that coming on KY3 News @ 5 & 6)

After Goodman's announcement, Putnam told The Notebook he's not concerned about being the first out of the gate. "I'm not to worried about being at the front end of the announcement," Putnam said. "I was a long-distance swimmer in college at the University of Missouri. I swam distance mostly because nobody else wanted to," he said.

Putnam, who is state director of the Fair Tax initiative, will be able to tap into that grass-root network for support, but acknowledged he isn't a GOP "party insider."

"The party regulars typically get together to back somebody. I've done a lot of work for candidates over the years, but I haven't been in the smoke-filled rooms. I'm not a sophisticated politician. I just think we need the grassroots people to decide who will best represent our values," Putnam said.

At Goodman's event, Nixa Rep. Jay Wasson also said he was out of the race for Congress. "I'm out," he told me in a brief encounter after Goodman's announcement. He said he intends to run for State Senate instead. "That's all I've ever said," Wasson said, with a smile.