Good morning to everyone. My name is Josh Zeitz, and I'm running for the U.S. House of Representatives in New Jersey's Fourth Congressional District.
I know that members of the Daily Kos community share a strong commitment to seeing our government move in a more progressive direction, and I'm in this race to help make that happen. Although I've posted diaries on dkos a couple of times since launching my candidacy, I wanted to write this diary specifically to introduce myself to you as a candidate, and to talk about why this is a race that deserves your attention.
My opponent, Chris Smith, is the longtime co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus and a leading cultural conservative in Congress. He has gone so far as to co-sponsor a constitutional amendment that would criminalize the birth control pill.
In his role as the senior Republican on the House Foreign Relations Committee, Smith was an architect of the current war strategy and has served more generally as a rubber stamp for George Bush’s foreign policy. George Bush and Chris Smith continue to choose war in Iraq over strengthening our military, protecting our homeland, and rooting out Al Qaeda.
By contrast, I believe we need to bring our troops home from Iraq in a timely and responsible fashion, fight a smart and effective war on terror, and start investing again in our schools, our communities, and our people.
As a career educator and published author, I offer a fresh alternative to my opponent, who is a career politician without any real-world experience.
I realize that I’m not the only progressive Democrat running against a right-wing Republican incumbent. You have limited time and resources, and you need to know that a candidate, especially a challenger, has a chance to win. I do. Bill Clinton carried my district twice. Al Gore won it in 2000. Our candidates for the U.S. Senate and governor have prevailed here in recent cycles. The district includes a number of large, suburban municipalities that have been under Democratic control for at least part of the time in recent years. In short, this is a swing district.
I’m working hard to raise the kind of money necessary to win this race, and in fact, I out-raised my opponent in the third quarter of this year.
The local netroots are a very important part of my campaign. (You can hear me on Blue Jersey Radio here.) I view the blogs as an opportunity to reach out to voters and activists, recruit volunteers, and solicit comments and suggestions. With your help, I can win this race and we can swing this district from red to blue.
In closing, I encourage you to visit my campaign website. I’ll be here for the next 60 minutes or so to read and reply to your comments and questions.
Thanks for taking the time to read this diary, and happy holidays to all.