Phoenix New Times reports that their former staff writer, John Dougherty, wants to run for Congress:

In the we-really-aren't-making-this-up department, our ex-colleague John Dougherty tells us that he's filed documents today with the Federal Elections Commission as a first step to run in the upcoming Democratic primary for a U.S. Senate seat.

Dougherty, who now lives in Yavapai County, has been working for a think-tank in Las Vegas, as well as doing freelance work for the New York Times and other publications since he left Phoenix New Times in August 2006.

"This will be a great exercise in the regular folks standing up and saying, `Enough of this bullshit,'" Dougherty says. "We're going to try to make the debate more than just about rounding up people and tossing them back across the border and thinking that will solve everything, including our economic crisis."

As a reporter, Dougherty rocks! This could be fun.