Published January 14, 2015
JonBenet Ramsey's father said Monday he is seriously considering running for the Michigan House and hopes voters will focus on his ideas and experience rather than the unsolved murder of his daughter.
John Ramsey (search) and his wife, Patsy, said they are ready for a new chapter in their lives after moving last fall from Atlanta, Ga., to Charlevoix, where they have long had a summer home.
"I'm not doing this for an ego trip or publicity or to see my name in the paper - I've already had my fair share of that," Ramsey said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Ramsey, 60, is interested in the seat of Rep. Ken Bradstreet (search), a fellow Republican who cannot run for re-election because of term limits.
Ramsey said his many years as a businessman had equipped him to help create jobs in the mostly rural district in northern Michigan. He said he probably will not make up his mind until May.
The Ramseys were living in Boulder, Colo., when JonBenet (search), a 6-year-old child beauty queen, was found beaten and strangled in the basement of their home on Dec. 26, 1996, and the case soon became a tabloid sensation. A cloud of suspicion hung over the girl's parents, who insisted the crime was committed by an intruder. The parents were never charged.
Ramsey said "the controversy ought to be behind us," but he acknowledged that some people will always suspect him and his wife, even if someone else is convicted.
The Ramseys said they were somewhat reluctant to draw more attention by getting into politics.
"There were certainly times in our lives when we thought it would be nice to buy an island somewhere," Ramsey said. But he said the loss of JonBenet and the aftermath helped him to realize that other people were suffering as well and he wanted to make a contribution to society.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/jonbenets-dad-may-run-for-mich-house-seat