J.T. Wilcox, who used to be chief financial officer for Wilcox Farms, made it official today by announcing that he is running to replace state Rep. Tom Campbell, R-Roy, in the 2nd Legislative District.

Campbell is running for the 9th Congressional District seat now held by U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, D-Tacoma.

I say, "made it official" because I was told during the past legislative session that a candidate with a very prominent name was toying with a bid for Campbell's legislative seat. And the word then was "Wilcox," but I didn't know which one.

Wilcox, 48, is getting an early start. It's only August 2009 and the election isn't until 2010. I guess he wants to work on his name familiarity 'cause probably nobody in the 2nd District has ever heard the name "Wilcox."

We did a big spread on Wilcox Farms a few weeks back. You can read all about them 700,000 chickens and their eggs. J.T. Wilcox is no longer with the "family" business -- he left in 2008 -- but he did work there for 23 years.

And the "Got Milk" reference is not a stretch. He was chairman of Milk-Pep, the $100 million program that ran all of those milk mustache and other ads.

His campaign Web site is listed below, but it won't be up and running until later today or tomorrow.

WILCOX ANNOUNCES CAMPAIGN FOR STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
J.T. Wilcox Announced his Campaign for State House of Representatives Today Pledging to be an Advocate for Property Rights, Local Traffic Improvements and For Balancing the State Budget Without Increasing Taxes.

Yelm - WA -- Local businessman and community leader JT Wilcox today announced his campaign for the State House of Representatives on the grounds of Wilcox Farms, saying, “Washington State government needs the kind of commonsense I learned right here on the family farm.”

[More:]

Wilcox identified protecting property rights; working to secure needed state transportation projects for the region and supporting efforts to balance the state budget without increasing taxes as his top priorities when elected.
Wilcox, a Republican, worked for 23 years in the family’s business, eventually serving as the CFO for the company whose annual revenues exceeded $200 million. The farm is a major local employer with over 150 employees and is the most innovative large egg producer in the United States. Today, Wilcox operates Wilcox Strategies, a firm that specializes in business planning and rural land management. Previously, Wilcox served as the chairman of Milk-Pep, the national “Got Milk” program, with a $100 million annual budget.
2009 marks the centennial of Wilcox Family Farm. The candidate reflected on the importance of the anniversary, saying, “A family farm doesn’t last for 100 years without adjusting to the economy and staying within a budget. The budget crisis in Olympia proves that we need a Representative who is used to making tough decisions there.”
Wilcox and his wife Kathy, a 6th grade teacher in the Yelm School District, live on the family farm with their three children: Jimmy, Donnie and Katie. Jimmy, the couples oldest son, will be a sophomore at UPS and is an ROTC cadet at PLU. Donnie will be a senior at YHS and Katie a freshman.
Wilcox is running for an open seat, current Republican State Representative Tom Campbell has announced he is not running for reelection. The 2nd Legislative District is one of the most diverse in Washington State, and includes the cities of McKenna, Rainier, Roy, Spanaway, Orting, Graham, Yelm, and Eatonville.
The Wilcox campaign website is already up at www.jtwilcox.org</blockquote>