Help take back Central PA
Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 03:37:17 AM PDT
From the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
It would be a major upset for Democrats to win one in "the "T,"' the rural, wooded, conservative middle of the state made up of Central Pennsylvania and the tier north of Interstate 80. Most legislators from there are Republicans.
Every day that draws closer to the election brings more possibility to that upset. Democrats are energized, not only in PA, but across the country. People are waking up to the realities of a corrupt and wrong-headed Republican controlled government. Strong, intelligent Democratic candidates have stepped up to bring a new direction to Pennsylvania and the United States.
actBlue: turn central PA blue
Why should we care about state legislatures?
Over the last several weeks, many excellent diarists have pointed out the national importance of having control of state legislatures. For a great summary of the main points, check out Don't forget State Legislatures! They're sexy ;)
What are the Dem's chances of retaking PA?
Looking better and better every day. The summer campaign season began with the ouster of two Republican state senate leaders and 11 other Republican state incumbents in the primaries. Over the next few months, conventional wisdom came to the conclusion that this mid-term election may be huge for Dems across the nation, and voter anger over the direction of the country will trickle down into state and local elections.
We are now heading into the final stretch. Pennsylvania Dems are taking more serious the view that we can retake control of the US House and the PA state House. Just last week, on August 30th, the AFL-CIO launched a $40 million campaign to get out the vote in certain swing states, including PA.
Below is a list of excellent diaries exploring the Dem's chances in greater detail:
* 50 State(House) Strategy: Can Dems sweep the states?
* CQ: Dems to make Big Gains In State Legislatures
* PA House: Chance for a Democratic takeover?
* Taking the 50 State Strategy to the Grassroots: Pennsylvania's New "Rural Strategy"
* The Push for Progress in Central PA: The Front Lines of '08
* Help turn PA a nice shade of blue
Why we must win Central PA
All this bodes well for Democrats in November, but the battle is just heating up. Winning seats in central PA is crucial. The so-called "Alabama" section of the state - central PA is mostly rural and conservative, the kind of area ignored by Democrats in the last few decades and exploited by the Republicans to gain power over the whole country.
Quite simply, it's far cheaper to run a campaign in rural areas. Republicans have capitalized on this fact, which is one of the reasons they have taken the drivers seat in America and are heading us on a collision course.
What can I do to help?
We have the candidates -- strong, committed leaders who espouse Democratic ideals, like Jason Leisey, a 26-year old veteran of Iraq and Kosovo, who decided to serve his country in a different way while recovering from a suicide bomber attack. We have the energy and motivation. We just need that extra push to get us closer to victory.
As I said above, races are cheaper to run in rural areas. Radio and TV time is cheaper, there are less media outlets to target, etc. So a dollar spent in central PA goes a lot farther than a dollar spent in more urban areas.
Additionally, party organizations like the HDCC and others don't look at races to commit funding to until the candidate has personally raised a certain amount of money. A lot of these candidates are very close to some of these goals.
To this end, I have set up an actBlue page highlighting state house, state senate, and US House candidates in central PA that need support. These are all excellent candidates running against Republican incumbents or in open races in traditionally Republican districts. They are all making gains against their opponents but need support. Included so far:
* PA-09 Tony Barr
* PA-10 Chris Carney
* PA-19 Phil Avillo
* PA-SD-34 Jon Eich
* PA-SD-36 Jason Leisey
* PA-HD-84 Tom Paternostro
* PA-HD-89 Andrew Alosi
* PA-HD-108 Antonio Michetti
* PA-HD-109 David Slavick
* PA-HD-125 Tim Seip
If you want to help win back America, help win back central PA.
actBlue: turn central PA blue
The netroots have already shown that people-power can win elections. When everybody pitches in -- and it only takes a minimum of $5 to contribute at actBlue -- it really adds up.
Even if you can't donate, help me spread the word. Recommend this diary, cross-post it at other blogs, email your friends and family. If you have a website and wish to put the nifty banner I made on it, feel free!
And if you know of additional candidates I should add, let me know in the comments section. Many kudos and thanks in advance!
actBlue: turn central PA blue
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