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Sunday, August 26, 2012

Zombie Candidate Crashes Republican Convention

By EMMARIE HUETTEMAN

And they say President Obama and Mitt Romney can be stiff.

A. Zombie, billed as the nation's first Zombie presidential candidate, will appear in Tampa, Fla., Sunday, headlining the “Zombie Convention within a Convention” to kick off the weather-delayed Republican National Convention.

With his finger on the pulse of the people, he is running on a platform that emphasizes job creation (“I'll strive to increase America's workforce… even if it kills me again,”) and health care (“I am pro-Zombiecare. Don't be caught dead without it.”)

But like many third-party candidates, Mr. Zombie is focused on one issue: getting AMC's post-apocalyptic drama “The Walking Dead” back on Dish Network.

The publicity stunt comes after Dish cut ties with AMC Networks this summer in the midst of a contract dispute, which Dish said had nothing to do with the decision to drop the network's channels: AMC, IFC, WE t v and the Sundance Channel. Dish said it came to its decision by comparing AMC Network's high renewal cost to its low ratings.

While the ratings for IFC, WE tv and the Sundance Channel aren't strong, “The Walking Dead” is basic cable's highest-rated drama of all time among 18- to 49-year-olds, according to The Nielsen Company.

With the third season of the popular drama starting Oct. 14, the A. Zombie campaign is urging Dish customers to push back against the decision and find a new television provider before the series returns.

The stunt is well-choreographed, with a Web site, a campaign ad, a Twitter feed and a cross-country bus tour that kicked off with Mr. Zombie declaring his candidacy - with the help of his human wife, naturally, because zombies can't talk - in San Diego, Calif., last week. Coming up on the schedule is a pro-Zombie rally at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Sept. 3.

Mr. Zo mbie isn't the only candidate who planned on crashing the Republican National Convention. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. originally planned a campaign stop in Tampa on Monday, but changed his plans, citing the approach of Tropical Storm Isaac.