Progressives recognize House Progressive Caucus leader Raúl Grijalva and they know that Senator McCain is up for re-election in 2010.
What they don't know is that there is a young city councilman and U.S. Air Force JAG Reserve Officer from Tucson who has gathered the support of the statewide Democrats. A front man for a community foundation that has brought in over a million dollars in the last six years for children’s charities and is a person with proven fund raising capability required for a Senate race. A man with a doctorate ... and a law degree ... and a military commission.
I'm that man. My name is Rodney Glassman and I'm here because I need your assistance.
While I am currently not running for Senate – I have formed an exploratory committee. I am currently on the Tucson City Council and must work with my colleagues to forward a balanced budget to our City Manager on April 6th. Making sensible use of our tax revenues is a huge component of being a good legislator and I wouldn’t be serving my constituents if I left the job half finished.
As I explore the Senate run I've been asking for donations, but I have not asked for more than $20 from anyone. It’s more than a vote, it’s more than lip service, it’s a statement of your commitment to help me, and it’s how we are "testing the waters". Senators represent their respective states but their votes have national and international effect. If you're moved to support my run I can take online donations via NGP.
I’m pleased to say that I recently received the support and encouragement of Congressman Raúl Grijalva, a man who carries a certain weight in a place like DailyKos ... and in other places as well. Here are Raúl and I at the introduction of Jeremy Jackrabbit Harvests The Rain, a children's book on water conservation authored by my wife Sasha and I, and illustrated by the children of Tucson.
Grijalva said, "Rodney is focused on Arizona's working families and would be better, by leaps and bounds, than John McCain who has a weak track record in serving our state's interests," He added, "Rodney has the unique and needed ability to work with diverse voices and give all sides a seat at the table."
These are hard times, especially for Arizonans who have seen the housing market collapse and foreclosures across the state. Maybe you're not sneaking a look at this from work, maybe you're here because the jobs section in your local paper is again a dry well.
If your last $20 went to make sure the internet stayed on you can have as big an effect as someone who donates, perhaps even more so, if you're one of the many talented writers I see vying for that recommended diary list. I've been introduced to the rec list by one of those talented writers and my new media staffer was amazed at the volume of traffic we saw. If you'd be willing to help with our Netroots Outreach, please say so down below and one of our Netroots Coordinators will contact you by the end of the day.
I see what Netroots has done for Bill Halter's campaign and I'd like to tap into that same desire for change. I've sought advice from people all over Arizona and I think I know the path to gaining that level of confidence from the community.
Go ahead and ask questions below. I don't promise that I'll respond to every one but I will read all of them, we'll pick the ones that fit the message we're working on each week, and we'll return here with answers for those questions. We're going to keep coming back and it shouldn't be too long before you know me well enough to make a decision.
I look forward to hearing what you have to say.