The Vietnam veteran who spotted an SUV packed with explosives while selling handbags in Times Square last year is now running for Congress. Duane Jackson was one of the street vendors who first noticed the Nissan Pathfinder parked on Broadway by 45th Street with its motor running and smoke coming out of it. He alerted police immediately, and was soon hailed a hero, feted by government officials and even receiving a phone call from President Obama. "Kind of going back to that whole May 1st (2010) incident, as I step back, it kind of changed my perspective of where I am in my life right now," Jackson tells LoHud.com. "This is my time to get involved and I’m going to."
Jackson, a former city planner who resides in the Westchester County village of Buchanan, is one of several Democrats who want to unseat U.S. Rep. Nan Hayworth, including a Cortlandt Councilman and the mayor of Wappingers Falls. Sure, the other candidates may have political experience and a lot more money, but have they ever saved a crowd of people from dying in a "significant fireball"? Jackson says his history can energize the Democratic base "by being a common guy" and tells the Associated Press, "I had people from all over the world come and thank me for, you know, seeing something and saying something. I can tell people, especially young people and people in the minority communities, it’s OK to get involved in the running of this country."
