First time candidate. Second time diary. Looking for volunteers to up the ground game, and a few shekels for more air time.
www.stephenspoonamore.com
I am Stephen Spoonamore. I am running as an Independent for Ohio House of Representatives. No Democrat entered the race. I have a long history of work in IT, sustainable energy systems, water quality, public transparency and good governance. My district is R+16. My idea to run was initially written off as just odd and likely impossible. Just getting on the ballot as an Indy in Ohio is…absurd. But I did it. Set the record for signatures gathered in an Ohio House Race to gain ballot access.
That made the local GOP very twitchy. They got nervous and decided to try and knock me off the ballot. Using what I believe were likely illegal means. Law enforcement is involved now. Looking forward to how that comes out. Meanwhile we went to court about the ballot access. Sec. of State Husted, AG DeWine and local Prosecutor Lutz sent seven attorneys. They lost. Badly.
My opponent then got very angry. He is a vat-grown career-GOP talking point spurt-machine who has never had a real challenge. And the local GOP hasn’t lost a county wide race in over 30 years. My opponent announced he “would not legitimize my questionable candidacy” by appearing with me in public. The court and rule of law are clearly wrong he said. He refused to attend all public debates and forums. He held several prayer rallies to ask God to stop me. God did not. If anything I think his calls for God to stop me made a few people really ponder who is better fit to serve.
He also refused to meet with numerous local service and constituent groups including Wayne County Teachers, the Fraternal Order of Police, Rotary Groups, etc. etc. This is actually not new. He has never met with them in the past either, but now he claimed it was to distance himself from me. I met with them all.
On education. During three separate sessions for over six total hours of structured dialogue I worked with Wayne County Education Leaders and we explored how to become the State Leader in Public Education. I don't want our 10 school districts across the County to be Better. I want then to be the Best.
The teachers I met with all noted my opponent had refused to even respond to their repeated request for an interview. They also noted that no candidate in Wayne County had ever taken the time for multiple and increasingly honest discussions. Teachers from across this county were present at these meetings including Rittman, Orrville, Wooster, Smithville, Doylestown, Dalton, Northwestern and Norwayne. I am very proud to see the Wooster Teachers have decided to put out postcards supporting my candidacy and teachers, parents and grandparents with children in our schools. Many others are joining in.
And per my first posting here a week ago. I’m winning. Polling indicated I was winning, and the other side is spending more and more money each week. So I am guessing they really don’t like their internal polling numbers. But it is getting really really nasty. I now have at least three groups from outside the district putting time and money into blasting away. The Ohio GOP Chairman put out a 20,000 piece negative mailer informing the public I like Bernie Sanders. True. I do. I laughed at it. The one of the Koch’s 501c4’s American’s for Secure Energy Future Action - from Virginia - put out a fear piece that I will destroy affordable electricity in Ohio. Not True. I have built and do support sustainable — and cheaper — power solutions. So, I laughed again.
Now the The Strategy Group, the team who created “The Trusted Narratives” of Dan Quayle, Mike Pence, and many other fine American’s is up and live with a Push-Poll in the district, and we are pilling out sand-bags as we expect a giant sludge-wave of negative advertising. Yup. One little-old Independent for Ohio State House is getting an absurd amount of negative attention. I guess they really had big plans for my GOP opponent.
We have gotten here with relentless door to door and face to face campaigning. We have knocked more than 60% of the doors in the district. I have personally knocked over 5000. For the last two weeks, we want to put out another 5000 door hangers, knock another 3200 doors and...for the first time...advertise. We have a couple simple 15 second spots. We will run as many as we raise money for.
If you want to make a difference in one R+16 down-ballot race that no-one, absolutely no-one, believed could be taken from the GOP. This is it.
And I could still use some dragons. Progressive dragons.