?Mark "Coonrippy" Brown is running for governor, in part motivated by the state's seizure of his pet racoon Rebecca.It all begins with a fairly simple story, one that Mark Brown has been telling and retelling for much of the past two years. About how Tennessee wildlife agents seized the orphaned raccoon he saved from certain death and then released her into the wild.
But Brown - or "Coonrippy" as he's widely known - says he still hasn't reached the one person he wants to persuade, his main opponent in the race for governor. Brown has written Gov. Bill Haslam several times, issued public appeals for Rebekah's safe return on YouTube, and protested alone on the steps of the state Capitol.
His hopes now rest on the far-fetched notion that public support for his candidacy will somehow force the governor to discuss Rebekah's injustice one on one. To help voters catch the point, he'll appear on the ballot as Mark Coonrippy Brown.