I want to applaud
Mydd.com and
Moveon.org for the Use It or Lose it campaign. We are on the brink of a historic election. We can't take anything for granted. We all need to do everything we can to maximize the chance of victory.
By last August, I had fulfilled my required obligation (of $200,000 in dues) to the DCCC and then some. But I agree with Chris Bowers and others that, if ever there was an election that obligates every one of us to do more than what is routine, it is this one. Therefore, this week, I have donated an additional $100,000 directly to the DCCC and have given more than $14,000 to individual candidates.
By any measure, I have fulfilled the requests of the Use it or Lose It campaign. I say this not to congratulate myself or to ask for your congratulations, but to set an example that I hope others might follow. I also want to ask you to dig a little deeper to help us create a new direction for America.
There are three candidates who need your help. I am writing today to ask you to support these three candidates for Congress because they are fighters who value the Constitution and government service more than the politics of personal gain. I am asking you to join me in supporting them and to help deliver a Democratic majority in Congress.
These three are exceptional candidates who have run terrific campaigns. What they lack is the millions of dollars that their opponents have raised from big money interests and right wing organizations.
John Cranley, Ohio's First District
John Cranley is running on a message for change that is resonating deeply with Ohio voters. As corruption and historically low polls have weakened the Ohio GOP, John Cranley sits at ground zero in the fight to take back the House. He is running in Ken Blackwell's hometown, against a extremist Republican who has over $2 million to spend on ads distorting Cranley's distinguished service in the statehouse.
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Larry Kissell, North Carolina's Eight District
After 27 years working in a textile plant, Larry witnessed the disturbing trend of plants closing to ship jobs overseas. He realized that the next generation simply wouldn't have the same opportunities waiting for them upon graduation that his generation enjoyed and changed careers to become an educator. After teaching young students about our founding principles and the Constitution, Kissell realized how far off course our country had strayed from the Founders' intentions and is running for Congress to restore the integrity of these principles.
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Jerry McNerney, California's 11th District
Environmental groups such as the League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, and Defenders of Wildlife are heavily involved in this race, and Jerry McNerney continues to hit Congressman Pombo for his record on the environment as the chair of the House Resources Committee. McNerney has been endorsed by nearly every local union and local Democratic group, and has attracted such widespread grassroots support that he will reach more than 50,000 voters on Election Day.
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I also need your help with our Democratic get-out-the-vote efforts. The GOP is spending tens of millions of dollars and has a widespread network of committed volunteers working every day to turn out their vote. If we are going to win in November, Democrats will need to match and exceed the GOP's turnout machine.
Sign up to help with Get-Out-the-Vote efforts
For the latest updates on the polls, and to learn what you can do to help us win in November, please check out my new and improved web site and blog. I have updated the site to make it more user friendly and to help you participate in our campaign.
Visit JohnConyers.com
Finally, I want to thank the netroots for your continued support and encouragement. It is because of your energy and dedication that we are at this point today.
John