SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Magic: The Gathering Online avatar known as Grinning Demon announced Friday that it had secured enough petition signatures and paid the necessary filing fee to run for governor of the state of California.

In a news conference Friday, the avatar threw its proverbial hat into the fray and joined dozens of others, including such figures as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arianna Huffington and Larry Flynt, in a run for the state's highest office. Gov. Gray Davis' seat is in jeopardy because of a recall effort that will come to a public vote Oct. 7.

The avatar, which described itself as "pure evil," said Friday that the focus of its candidacy would be worsening the state's enormous budget deficits, depriving residents of electrical power as much as it could get away with and making California as business-unfriendly a state as possible.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this golden state, where I have lived my entire existence, and which I love, is special," the avatar said Friday.

"It shall have a special place among the suffering."

Speaking candidly Friday, the avatar did not seem to regard its relative political inexperience as a drawback. Rather, it said, it worried that voters would regard other candidates as more evil than it, and that this would cause it to lose votes to rivals such as Huffington, Flynt, Schwarzenegger or fellow actor and candidate Gary Coleman.

"I realize that I have not appeared on the sickening 'Diff'rent Strokes.' I did not play Mr. Freeze in the nightmarish fiasco 'Batman and Robin,' ruining several characters for generations to come," the avatar said. "I was not Kalidor in the horrifying 'Red Sonja,' and neither did I make a guest appearance as Cupid on the mind-sucking 'Jamie Foxx Show.'

"I was never ear-screechingly portrayed by Woody Harrelson alongside the ghastly Courtney Love, and neither have I sinisterly advocated the banning of SUVs while flying around in private jets.

"But still, I vow, I am more the scourge of all mankind than are all my distinguished campaign rivals," it said. "Give to me a baby, and I shall devour it whole before you."

The avatar said that it wanted to "break" California as much or more than Magic Online was "broken."

"Like Magic Online, I shall turn California into a money-sucking pit of despair and broken promises," the avatar told reporters. "Moreso even than the mortal Mr. Davis has managed."

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The Magic: The Gathering Online avatar known as Grinning Demon announced Friday that it had secured enough petition signatures and paid the necessary filing fee to run for governor of the state of California.

In a news conference Friday, the avatar threw its proverbial hat into the fray and joined dozens of others, including such figures as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arianna Huffington and Larry Flynt, in a run for the state's highest office. Gov. Gray Davis' seat is in jeopardy because of a recall effort that will come to a public vote Oct. 7.

The avatar, which described itself as "pure evil," said Friday that the focus of its candidacy would be worsening the state's enormous budget deficits, depriving residents of electrical power as much as it could get away with and making California as business-unfriendly a state as possible.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this golden state, where I have lived my entire existence, and which I love, is special," the avatar said Friday.

"It shall have a special place among the suffering."

Speaking candidly Friday, the avatar did not seem to regard its relative political inexperience as a drawback. Rather, it said, it worried that voters would regard other candidates as more evil than it, and that this would cause it to lose votes to rivals such as Huffington, Flynt, Schwarzenegger or fellow actor and candidate Gary Coleman.

"I realize that I have not appeared on the sickening 'Diff'rent Strokes.' I did not play Mr. Freeze in the nightmarish fiasco 'Batman and Robin,' ruining several characters for generations to come," the avatar said. "I was not Kalidor in the horrifying 'Red Sonja,' and neither did I make a guest appearance as Cupid on the mind-sucking 'Jamie Foxx Show.'

"I was never ear-screechingly portrayed by Woody Harrelson alongside the ghastly Courtney Love, and neither have I sinisterly advocated the banning of SUVs while flying around in private jets.

"But still, I vow, I am more the scourge of all mankind than are all my distinguished campaign rivals," it said. "Give to me a baby, and I shall devour it whole before you."

The avatar said that it wanted to "break" California as much or more than Magic Online was "broken."

"Like Magic Online, I shall turn California into a money-sucking pit of despair and broken promises," the avatar told reporters. "Moreso even than the mortal Mr. Davis has managed."

Discuss this article in the Magic: the Gathering Forums!