For anyone who doesn't know me, I spent (as of the 15th of this month) the past 12 years writing here under my old User ID of Angie in WA State until June 20th of this year, when I posted this last diary I will ever write under that name, Goodbye Angie in WA State, announcing my candidacy for the United States House of Representatives for the 3rd Congressional District of the State of Washington.
When I posted that diary, I didn't have a clue how my campaign would go. Was I just barking madly at the moon or was I embarking upon a serious campaign for office?
Follow me below the fold for News, Updates, a Fundraiser and much, much more...
First off a sidenote, election related.
In the state of Virginia the 90for90.org project has been making waves all year. Their goal is a Quarter Million for the Old Dominion by election day 2016. As of the end of August, they have added OVER 90,000 newly registered voters to the rolls! That's gonna put them over their goal by next fall. It's a project I plan to repeat here in the Evergreen State.
A Virginia kossack, Gordon20024 has been diligently posting diaries about the Democratic candidates running THIS FALL in Virginia and whom those 90,000+ new voters may just help to Victory. So if you missed these great MEET THE CANDIDATE diaries when they were fresh - AND - if you know anyone who lives in Virginia and may be able to vote for them? PLEASE SHARE THESE LINKS:
Meet Hugo Reyes, Candidate for State Senate VA-3
Meet Lynwood Lewis, State Senator VA-6
Meet Gary McCollum, Candidate for State Senate VA-7
Meet Dave Belote, Candidate for State Senate VA-8
Meet Dan Gecker, Candidate State Senate for VA-10
Meet Sam Rasoul, Delegate VA-11
Meet Laurie Buchwald, Candidate for Delegate VA-12
Meet Don Shaw, Candidate for Delegate VA-13
Meet Louise Lucas, State Senate VA-18
Meet Mike Hamlar-Candidate for State Senate VA19
Meet Kim Adkins, Candidate for State Senate VA-20
Meet Susan Hippen Candidate for Delegate VA-21
Meet John Edwards, State Senate VA-21
Meet Ellen Arthur, Candidate for Delegate VA-24
Meet Angela Lynn candidate for Delegate VA-25
Meet Creigh Deeds, State Senator VA-25
Meet April Moore, Candidate for State Senate VA-26
Meet Kandy Hilliard, Candidate for Delegate VA-28
Meet Sara Townsend, Candidate for Delegate VA-31
Meet Joana Garcia, Candidate Delegate VA-42
Meet Paul Krizek, Candidate for Delegate VA-44
Meet Alfonzo Lopez, Delegate VA-49
Meet Sheila Bynum-Coleman, Delegate VA-62
Meet Lashrecse Aird, Delegate VA-63
Meet Bill Fleming, Candidate for Delegate VA-89
On to the Campaign Information --
Financials
The campaign is moving along, since June I've had a small but steady trickle of campaign donations via Act Blue without ever announcing any fundraising efforts, other than continuing to post comments and a few diaries (and some Facebook and Twitter posts, too) in which I reminded people I was indeed running for a seat in the US Congress.
In August and then in September, I received campaign contributions by check from two very generous individuals (both of whom are Daily Kos members, btw). One for $1,000 and one for $1,500. I must tell you, I was floored and thrilled to open the envelopes which contained them. The thought that people thought my candidacy was worthy of such large donations was stunning. It still is. I am gobsmackingly grateful for what they did, and will continue to be feeling that way for every campaign donation which rolls in, I assure you.
So to date (I haven't had my meeting where we reconcile the campaign numbers with my treasurer yet, but I'm pretty close I think here) the campaign has received in the neighborhood of about $3,500-$4,000 so far. Not bad for a first time candidate without anything but my ideas and a desire to see my family, my community and my nation do better and be better.
Volunteers
As anyone who has sent me an ActBlue donation has seen, I set my ActBlue fundraising page up to note FIRST the number of contributors and the amount of money after that. Because I am running a ground game here in the spring and next summer and fall, I will be depending upon volunteers who will be willing to join me and my team in canvassing and re-canvassing our precincts in the 3rd Congressional District, finding locations for yard signs and finally, helping to create and then use Light Brigade signage on Interstate 5 and 205 overpasses next year to put my name in lights before commuters coming home the weeks leading up to the primary - and then during the general election next fall, too.
I've received a few Volunteer submissions via my campaign website already (www.Angie4Congress.com), and I can't wait to send out an email to them this coming week about the October fundraiser which will provide the means to start their Volunteer efforts - it will purchase the materials to create those Light Brigade signs from foamboard, Xmas lights and a hot glue gun. Which the Volunteers and I will be building during the months of November, Dec and January.
Events
I attended my first public event as an announced candidate this week, the September 29th Planned Parenthood #PinkOut nationwide event. Locally here, we met up outside the office of the Republican currently occupying my seat in Congress, Jaime Herrera Beutler. The crowd wasn't huge, but it was respectable, about 40 or 50 people attended. Here are a couple images of that event:
Attendees Vancouver, WA #PinkOut event
Left: Donna Quesnell, WA State School Retirees Assoc
Right: Carmen McKibben, VP League of United Latin American Citizens
Afterwards, I spent about an hour discussing my ideas and views with Peter Harrison (a former and future candidate for the WA State Senate), Donna Quesnell (a long time Democratic Party fixture in the District & mover & shaker in the Women's Caucus) and a former candidate for the 17th Legislative District in my 3rd CD, Richard McCluskey. I was pleased to learn that Richard is also a Bernie Sanders supporter. One of the interesting things about politics at the local level is learning something you already knew about, but didn't associate with a plan or project you are already at work on.
For instance, my Big Idea is to create a Clean Energy Hub here in SW Washington State, using Brownfield sites and other inducements to encourage the manufacturers of wind turbines and solar cell/panels/arrays and home energy storage devices (like Elon Musks's new offering) to site a manufacturing facility here in the 3rd District. I have known for years that there is geothermal energy available here in the District. When I was younger (ok, a lot younger) I spent some time clambering about a variety of places in and near the Columbia River Gorge. There are feeder creeks and smaller rivers which run down to the Columbia in the Gorge, and at least some of them have natural 'hot springs' pools in which one may lounge and admire the stark majesty of Mother Nature whilst enjoying the bubbling hot water and it's relaxing effects.
Richard, at that post-PP event, when I brought my Big Idea up, asked me if I intended to include residential geothermal heating and cooling. Of course I hadn't up till that point - so a big Thank You to Richard McCluskey for helping me add a new element to my plan to influence the creation of some decent paying manufacturing jobs for the people of the 3rd District of Washington State in the Clean and Renewable Energy industry!
Fundraiser
Sadly, until SOMEONE is able to institute Publicly Financed Campaigns, we candidates for public office require help raising money to get elected. I don't like it, I can't imagine anyone who would. But you have to work with what you have. So here's the deal:
5K for $5 will run all October, whose goal is a minimum of $25,000.
I'm asking 5,000 people to donate a minimum of $5.00 (five dollars) each. The $25,000 raised will fund:
Six months salary for my first and primary paid Field Organizer (since I'm running a ground game, Field Organizers will be CRITICAL to my success).
Yard signs (produced by a local Union shop w/a Union Bug Logo on each one)
Bumper Stickers (also locally produced by a Union shop)
The cost of materials to construct Light Brigade signs for Freeway Blogging style campaign events (thanks goes to the Wisconsin State Light Brigade for giving me the idea)
The cost of renting at least ONE billboard fronting on the Interstate 5 freeway, which nearly every person who lives in the 3rd District will travel upon, and tens of thousands of Clark County residents (the heart of the 3rd District in both geographical and population terms) travel upon during their daily commute to and from Portland, Oregon for work.
The other reason to raise what seems a significantly large amount of money this far from the primary (July 15, 2016) is to be seen by the WA State Democratic Party and the power players in the Party in the 3rd District as someone who is a serious and electable candidate. Their endorsement and support could be the decisive factor in my eventual success or failure.
To that end, if you can help me out, please CLICK HERE to visit my ActBlue donation page, it will open a new window automatically.
If you can't or choose not to donate, will you please use the Social Media sharing buttons up top and send this diary out to ANYONE you know who lives in the Southwest Washington area?
Political campaign donation limits:
For the 2016 election cycle for candidates for Federal Office, the limits on contributions from an INDIVIDUAL are - $2,700 for the primary portion and then again for the General Election portion. Which means a single person would be able to donate a total of $5,400 to a single Candidate during the entire campaign season.
Campaign Website
Yes, I have one:
www.Angie4Congress.com
Yes, until recently it was still just a front page and an active link for Donations and Volunteers. Yesterday, I finally got my ON THE ISSUES section ready for upload. Then after submitting to the Webmaster (Brainwrap, your Daily Kos PPACA enrollment numbers genius, whose day job is building and managing websites) I discovered that I sent him the WRONG file.
So by later today, if all goes well, I'll have it corrected.
By Sunday I should have two other sections of the website completed, that for Voter Information and About Angie.
SME
Subject Matter Experts. I am looking for them, and where better to look than the largest Democratic Politics site this side of anywhere. So, if you are a Subject Matter Expert in any of these fields and might be willing to provide me with review of policy, advice on policy or need for study information on any of them, please send me a Daily Kos message. I can assure you that should you wish, your involvement will remain anonymous. Likewise, should you wish to be known as a Contributor to my Policy Statements, you would be welcome to ask to be listed publicly on my Endorsements page.
ON THE ISSUES
(click link to read my current Issues statements)
Science & Technology
Environment
Family
Civil Rights
Racial Justice
Criminal Justice
Government Regulation
Economic Inequality
Economy & Jobs
Education
Healthcare
Immigration
Military/Defense
Veterans
Looking Forward
There are a lot of reasons why I've decided to run for public office, but the truth is, the critical reasons are right here, my kids and grandkids.
Grandchildren, Adela and Ariella, aged 9 & 1 in this image, 2014
Daughter & Son-in-Law, Sarah & Bryant Johnson, Sept 2014
My oldest child (Leah Wilmot) & her oldest child (Adela Cruz), Summer 2015
They are why I have spent so much time learning about so many things here at Daily Kos for more than a decade. They are why I've chosen to give up my treasured anonymity online, and which I guarded quite well for all of these years. They are my connection to the future, and I so very much want it to be a good future.
My stand on Issues is tied directly to my personal Values. I believe that no matter what differences divide us, as Americans we all share these core Values:
FAMILY
COMMUNITY
COUNTRY
I want each of our families to be strong and healthy, because it takes strong, healthy families to build strong healthy communities. Likewise, a strong Country arises from strong and healthy Communities.
I hope you will join me in pursuing my dream of helping to make each of our Families stronger and healthier and each of our Communities and our Nation a stronger, healthier place to live & work and to make it possible for each one of us to embark upon our own version of the American Dream.
#StrongerTogether for a better future for OUR posterity |