Two Announce Bids for Senate Primary Race

Two Ventura County residents, who have announced long-shot bids for the U.S. Senate, share a common theme--putting government into the hands of everyday citizens.

“I think it’s time for a change in government, because the government is not actually listening to the people,� said Billy Ellis, a 35-year-old Democrat. “The people have no voice in government.�

Ellis, a lifelong Ventura resident who manages a restaurant in the city, said that if elected, he would call for a 25% pay cut for government officials and an immediate salary freeze that will remain in effect until the federal deficit is balanced.

“I want to get a common voice in the Senate,� said Ellis, who hopes to collect 10,000 signatures to avoid paying a $2,700 filing fee for the June primary ballot. “Basically my whole campaign is going to be about putting common sense back into government.�

Simi Valley resident Dennis Moore, a 43-year-old Republican, also aspires to bring a common voice--and some reason--to a government that he says has outgrown efficiency.

“The federal government has grown in size and scope to the point where independence has been greatly diminished,� said Moore, a self-employed property tax consultant. “Congress has succeeded in achieving and encouraging significant dependence on the federal government and, of course, the more dependent we are, the less independent we are.�

Moore said he considers himself a conservative citizen as opposed to a traditional politician, and hoped voters would make that distinction when casting their ballots. He plans to pay the $2,700 filing fee and only needs 65 signatures to get on the ballot. “If I can get my name on the primary ballot,� he said, “then for the first time that I know of in my lifetime, registered Republicans will have the unprecedented chance to vote for a citizen, instead of a politician.�