UPDATE: Leinau has officially qualified as a write-in candidate for the 19th Congressional District, according to the Madera County Clerk-Recorder's office.

Mariposa Republican George Radanovich has a Democratic Party challenger this year for his congressional seat.

But chances are, Radanovich doesn't even know it.

Longtime educator Peter Leinau is mounting a write-in challenge against the veteran legislator.

He recently submitted 93 signatures to the Madera County clerk and is waiting on their official verification. It takes 40 signatures from valid voters in the 19th Congressional District to qualify as a write-in candidate.

Leinau, 55, is principal and lead teacher for the Merced County Office of Education's Jack L. Boyd Outdoor School at Green Meadows, which is near Fish Camp.

Not active in politics, Leinau says he was "shocked" that no Democrat officially challenged Radanovich, who this year is finishing up his seventh term in Congress.

"Something tipped me over the edge in August when I realized nobody was running," Leinau says. "This is too important."

So Leinau, who lives in rural Madera County between Oakhurst and Bass Lake, decided to step up and mount the write-in campaign. He speaks like a traditional Democrat, stressing long-term health-care reform and economic well-being.

He would have voted against the $700 billion financial rescue plan -- which Radanovich supported. Instead, he says, he would favor a more targeted, strategic approach to the problem, starting with homeowner mortgages.

Voters won't see Leinau's name on the Nov. 4 ballot. That means anybody who supports him will have to make the effort to write in his name. They also aren't likely to see much of him on the campaign trail. He plans to spend less than $1,000, and says he will talk to groups and anybody else who wants to listen -- if it doesn't interfere with his family and his job.

Says Leinau: "I'm imagining this more as a viral, word of mouth, voter-to-voter, network-to-network type of campaign."