COMING OUT SWINGING

John Akouri

Anyone who thought election season was over is looking in the rear view mirror. Candidates are lining up for 2020 which is only 20-some months out. For the 11th Congressional district, where Democrat Haley Stevens is just getting comfortable, Republican John Akouri, a former conservative talk radio host, former councilman and former senior advisor to late Rep. Joe Knollenberg, announced “the formation of an exploratory committee to consider the notion of my possible candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives next year.” And he announced on the most 2019 format – Facebook. Akouri's most recent Republican credo was serving as the 2016 Michigan co-chair of Trump's Presidential campaign, which then led Trump to consider nominating him for an ambassadorship to Lebanon – Akouri is the founder, president and CEO of the Lebanese American Chamber of Commerce. That came to naught – the ambassador position for Lebanon remains unfilled. Stevens is taking the challenge seriously, sending out a fundraising email the same night Akouri announced.