In 2006, I was proud to be part of a small, local campaign for a state legislative seat in Pinellas and Pasco county, Florida. The candidate was and is a 24 year local resident, a high school teacher and a small business owner. He was running as a Democrat in a district that is considered deep Republican territory and though he ultimately lost on election night, he had a resounding moral victory of coming within 1500 votes and 3 percentage points of victory.
Carl Zimmermann was able to appeal across party lines and earn respect from both sides of the political fray while being knowledgeable and in-the-know on local issues such as homeowners insurance and property taxes -- offering solutions while his rival offered banal talking points.
And once again, Carl Zimmermann's running for Florida state legislature and needs local help and support.
On July 2nd, Carl's campaign was officially listed with the Florida Department of elections and tomorrow we'll be holding his campaign kickoff party (which everyone is invited to) at the Zone Lounge in Tarpon Springs. Getting a state legislative campaign going this early may seem strange (and out of place on the mostly-federal dKos site) but with the primary election slated for January 29th in the Sunshine State, every would-be candidate has to step up sooner than later.
I'm asking that Florida Kossacks help promote and support Carl's campaign this time around. Facing Republican toady and incumbent Peter Nehr in the general election will be a challenge as Nehr collected hundreds of thousands of dollars towards his campaign last time around (and has a $13,000 head start with fundraising) while Carl and his supporters (proudly dubbed Team Z) made a race of things with less than $50,000 in our war chest.
Help support a great local Democratic candidate and help turn Florida blue -- support Carl Zimmermann's campaign any way you can. Volunteer, donate to the cause and help spread the word.