A man who calls himself “the invisible candidate” said he was forgotten by the media and now is trying to be heard.

Jay Marcus, a 54-year-old Fairfield lawyer running as a candidate of the Natural Law Party, spent part of last weekend speaking and campaigning in mid-Iowa for the 3rd Congressional District.

Marcus ran for attorney general of Iowa in 1994 and received three sentences of coverage from the Des Moines Register, prompting him to call himself “the invisible candidate.” As a result of the lack of coverage of his campaign, Marcus said he has bought ads in the Register.

The Register does not devote coverage to third party and independent candidates because it doesn’t think they have a legitimate chance to win, Marcus said. “It’s a catch-22 since media coverage has to precede voter support.”

If he beats Mike Mahaffey, republican candidate, and Leonard Boswell, democratic candidate, in November, Marcus said he will work to address a major problem in America: stress. Marcus has written a book called “The Crime Vaccine,” detailing how stress-reduction strategies can prevent crime and drug abuse.

“Crime and drug abuse are caused by a deviant nervous system. Transcendental meditation reduces stress and the desire for drugs, and builds self-esteem,” Marcus said.

Marcus said he would like to throw PAC money out of politics and favors public financing of campaigns. “We already have big-time public financing. Candidates spend half their time in office raising money to get reelected,” he said.

Marcus said he favors an 18% flat tax rate with the only deduction allowed being charity deductions. He said he would eliminate business subsidies and tax breaks, except for the agricultural industry. “Agriculture is not just a business, it’s a way of life for us all,” he said.

Protecting the environment through sustainable agriculture should be a priority, Marcus said. “We should get rid of the pesticides and chemical use. Ninety-three percent of streams can’t be used for swimming due to pollution.”

Marcus said he is liberal on some issues and conservative on others. “Most problems we face are people problems. It’s not left or right. We must move forward by moving inward,” he said.

Local political leaders said they are unsure what effect Marcus’s candidacy will have on the election. “My inclination is that the Natural Law Party draws votes from those who tend to lean toward Republicans, but that’s just speculation,” said Kevin Kimle, Story County Republican Chair.

Gerald Kuehn, Story County Democratic Chair, said he was unsure how much Marcus would effect the election. “It’s hard to tell. I get the impression from the small amount of information I have that they’ll take votes from the Democrats,” he said.