It’s the end of July - the dog days of summer are sneaking up on us, the streets of Lansing and Brighton and Rochester are sprouting yard signs like blocky oversized red and blue dandelions, and Mike Rogers (R-Brighton) is battering his way through a three-way primary in Michigan’s 8th District.
A brief rundown of the last few weeks of my campaign, below the fold.
While Mike is fighting off accusations that he’s out of touch with his constituents, we’ve been down in the trenches, like we have been for two years, listening to the concerns of the people of the 8th District. We’re running a truly grassroots campaign, in the spirit of late Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone.
We have already hit over 50,000 doors across the district since May, but we’re only just getting started. Starting Aug 8th, the day after the Michigan primaries, we’re going to kick our ground game into high gear. Yard signs are ready to go out, we have plenty of lit, and we’re ready to put the shoes on the ground. In a couple weeks, we’re going to have the best ground game in the area. It doesn't matter if Mike can outspend us, because we're going to outwork him.
This week, we will begin to shoot video testimonials about our campaign and the issues important to the people of the 8th District. If you would be interested in recording a video testimonial and you live in the district, please contact us.
We're running a grassroots, people-powered campaign. We don't sink money into consultants and polls. Despite not taking corporate money, we’re right on track with our fundraising goals. In the last week, our pre-primary fundraising push raised $10,000, putting us well on our way to our goal of raising $15,000 before the primary. We’re also honored to have recently received the endorsement of the National Organization for Women (we are one of only five Congressional campaigns in Michigan to have that honor), the Michigan Nurse’s Association, the Greater Lansing Labor Council, the Lansing Association for Human Rights, and the AFL-CIO. We have also picked up the endorsement of George Clinton, the Funkmaster General himself.
This week, I'll be at the Ingham County Fair Expo Pavilion on Tuesday evening, Thursday afternoon, and Friday afternoon, ready to meet with future constituents. I'll also be at Brighton High School on Friday from 10am~3pm for Senior Power Day, and keep an eye out for my Op-Ed article coming out in the Oakland Press.