From staff reports
Hudson -- A 27-year Hudson resident has announced his bid for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. George Voinovich.
Michael L. Pryce, an orthopedic surgeon running as an Independent, announced his intention to run on Feb. 16 at the Tea Party movement at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Pharmacy.
According to the Ohio Secretary of State office, Pryce has until May 3 to file his petition for office, along with signatures of 5,000 registered voters. He had not filed as of March 8, according to the Secretary of State's office.
Four Democrats are seeking their party's nomination in May to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Voinovich: Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, a former lawmaker and state attorney general; Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a former Franklin County judge; Columbus-area resident Traci Johnson; and Lyndhurst resident Charlena Renee Bradley. The winner would appear on the November ballot.
Former Congressman and Bush administration official Rob Portman is unopposed in the Republican primary and will appear on the November ballot.
Pryce's name would be placed on the Nov. 2 ballot, if he files, said Kevin Kidder, media relations coordinator for Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
Pryce has practiced orthopedic surgery in Kent since 1983.
He is the author of "Anathema! America's War on Medicine: A Veteran Doctor Offers a Cure for What Ails America's Health Care System."
Pryce and his wife Jo Ellen, have two daughters, Meredith and Allison.
Pryce, a Vietnam veteran, spent three years on active duty with naval intelligence. He attended the University of Akron and graduated magna cum laude in 1973.
He earned a doctor of medicine degree from Wake Forest University in 1977.
Following his residency, he was chosen as a Fellow in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at Loma Linda University.
He also started the Marathon Shoe Co. and holds an active U.S. patent for a design of footwear that compensates of the common foot deformity of pronated feet, commonly known as flat feet.