Since my last race in 2005, the Netroots has exploded and become a force to be reckoned with. It's pretty clear to me that the Republican Party is on the ropes and that Daily Kos and the rest of the progressive online community played a big part in making that happen.
Now, we need to keep them there.
Make no mistake, New Jersey is Priority One for the national Republican operation right now. As one of only two state-wide races in 2009 -- and as the only incumbent Democratic Governor up for re-election during this tough economic climate -- you can bet that the national Republican party is going to throw everything that they've got into winning this race.
A Republican win in New Jersey has very real consequences for this community. It means another Governor who will be an obstacle to President Obama and to the progressive policies that this community has worked so hard to advance. It will also mean endless talk of a Republican "recovery" and a turning of the tide, which we all know to be false.
Most importantly, a Republican win is going to hurt New Jersey's middle class and working families because both of their candidates are throw-backs to the failed policies of the Bush Administration, are out of step with the direction of the country, and have no interest in working with President Obama and the Democratic Party.
In fact, Mitt Romney, Steve Forbes, and Rudy Giuliani campaigned for one of the nominees during the primary, while Joe the Plumber and the founder of the Minutemen Militia campaigned for the other. You can't get more out of step than that.
Today, I’m officially kicking off my campaign for re-election, and I hope that I can count on your support.
This is my first campaign since the progressive online community really exploded, so I realize that I’m the new guy at Daily Kos and, understandably, that you may have some questions about me or about my record.
I respect that. I want to answer whatever questions you might have and share some of my administration's remarkable accomplishments of the past four years so that we can work together to continue moving New Jersey -- and our country -- forward.
In the end, I think that you'll see that my record is strong and that I've stood up for the core progressive values that bind this community together: equal rights and opportunity for all, fiscal responsibility, making government work more effectively, ensuring all our children -- regardless of where they live -- have access to a quality education, and protecting the most vulnerable among us.
New Jersey led the nation in anticipating and responding to the economic crisis by passing the first in the nation economic recovery plan back in October, and we have continued to aggressively confront these challenges without sacrificing our principles.
I'm a proud Democrat and a proud progressive. I'd like the opportunity to serve the people of New Jersey during a time of economic prosperity, with a friend in the White House, and in step with the progressive direction of the country.
I'm hoping that this community can help make that goal a reality.
You can learn more about me, the work we've done, my ideas for the future, and much more, in an exclusive web-only interview, available here.
I've put together a team that believes in the netroots, and they've made me a believer as well. We've got a lot planned for Kos, Blue Jersey, and other online outlets in the weeks and months ahead, and I'll be participating here regularly.
I hope you'll check out the just-launched, all-new JonCorzine09.com, and consider getting involved in the campaign. You can also follow our campaign on various social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, Ning, Black Planet, AsianAve, MiGente, YouTube, and LinkedIn. I thank you for the opportunity to participate in this community, and I'll post again very soon.
PS: Please come back here or visit our website starting at 7:00pm tonight for a live video stream of our campaign's kickoff rally with Vice President Joe Biden.