Hello again to the DailyKos community! After a month long break from posting diaries, I again take pen (or, in this case, keyboard) in hand to introduce you to a candidate I am advocating for here in Kentucky.
If you read any of my previous diaries, then you are probably familiar with the candidate. But since there will surely be others reading this, allow me to give you some background info about the candidate and the district.
Jim Holbert won the three-way Democratic primary on May 18th for the right to face incumbent Republican Hal Rogers. Jim presently serves the people of Southeast Kentucky as an Emergency Medical Service Helicopter Pilot, and previously served as an officer in the Army and Coast Guard for over 20 years.
There are three issues that Jim is focusing on in this race:
- Ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (completely) and bringing our troops home.
- Bring back jobs to America by ending disasterous free-trade agreements and by implementing a "New" New Deal to rebuild America's infrastructure.
- Create a national energy policy that breaks our dependence on Middle Eastern imported oil.
To read more about Jim Holbert, and to get details about the issues I outlined above, visit www.holbertforcongress.com
The 5th Congressional District is an extremely rural, and extremely poor region. It is the second poorest Congressional district in the country, with poverty rates in many counties nearing or exceeding 40% (and in this depressed economy, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if that was 50%). The district is Democratic by majority and elects Democrats to local and state offices. Democrats do fairly well in Eastern Kentucky on the Federal level, too, but it is more of an uphill climb.
I was "reminded" by a frequent writer on the DailyKos that I really don't have to tell you about the incumbent - if he's a Republican, you're probably already against him to begin with. But, if you'd like to see a little bit about him, here's a funny video put out by Citizens Against Government Waste:
That's right. My own Congressman had the great honor of being the August "Porker of the Month"! Oh, I'm so proud...
Anyways, back to the point of the diary. We've only got a month before we start an aggressive radio ad campaign against Rogers (and, if we have enough, TV ads too). The Southeast Kentucky media market is inexpensive and therefore we don't need a lot to make this happen. But we do need your help.
If you would like to help us "Send Hal Home", please visit this link. There, you can either fill out a pledge form if you cannot contribute today. Or, you can find our ActBlue link (link to ActBlue here) where you can fulfill your pledge immediately. If you decide to fill out the pledge form, we will send you an e-mail before the end of the month, or give you a call, to remind you.
I appreciate any and all support you can give. Please be sure to 'like' Jim's page on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.
I'd be happy to give you any details about the race that I can give. Just ask! Thanks!