Virginia District 18 – 2017
Tuesday was a good day to be a Democrat, in Virginia. I spent the day driving over a 100 miles to as many polling locations as I could. I spoke with everyone, Republican and Democrat during my stops. I experienced a range of responses from open hostility and aggression to friendly hugs. Here’s what I learned …
We need to BE better. We need to DO better. Percentage-wise, Democratic turnout in District 18, in comparison to Republican turnout, was up. But this number won’t turn us Blue. I know I’m preaching to the choir but we need to make this choir bigger. So, how do we do this? Let’s talk business.
My Republican opponent, Michael Webert reported that between April 1 and June 1, he raised a total of $10,000 from only three (3) people, 2 family members, and four (4) companies. $6,000 cash came from his mother and grandmother. On the other hand, during the same period, I raised $3,500 cash all from forty-eight (48) people. Webert is a formidable opponent by virtue of his unlimited access to family money and corporate coffers.
I don’t like this system, in fact it’s one of the reasons I decided to run for office, but I can’t change it unless I can compete, and for that we need money. If you know me, you know I can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. I’ve spent my career in the music business doing just that with passion, hard work and creativity. I bring those attributes to the people of District 18. I know I will never win the money battle against a wealthy, entrenched Republican. But, I can win the race if we are focused, smart and pool our resources.
As local Democrats in Virginia, the tide is turning and people are ready to listen to what we have to say. They want change. But we need to have the tools to reach them. I need you to partner with me and help me raise money. For example, $100 gets us 20,000 impressions locally on Facebook, $50 gets us 500 color handouts, $25 pays for gasoline for a day of driving to knock on doors, $10 gets us 200 business cards, etc., etc. All amounts matter, all amounts count towards winning.
I really want to thank all of you who have already donated, some of you multiple times, to get my campaign started. Now, we have to REALLY start to Rock n’ Roll to get out the vote.
We can win if we get MORE VOTES. There’s no secret sauce or silver bullet to a Democrat winning in District 18. It’s all about getting people to the polls on November 7th.
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