Reader Joe, who also is a volunteer for Janice Volk's campaign, sends this open letter [pdf] from Janice. It's a pretty typical new candidate piece -- short on specifics and long on generalities.
The big question, money, gets answered at the end:
Please consider joining my campaign as a volunteer, I am not comfortable asking for your money during these difficult economic times, but I will ask for your help.
Running for Congress is not like running for dogcatcher. You can't just put a couple of hundred bucks out of your pocket, print up a few yard signs, and knock on some doors. If Janice Volk isn't willing to ask for money, she's not a serious candidate.
Comments
Although I understand your point of view, I like the fact that she is trying to live out her conservative principles through her campaign. I think it will resonate with voters who are fed up with all of the outrageous spending. Plus, when she wins the primary money will come in for the general. Although I believe the real battle here is the three-way primary!
You need some money to run a primary campaign. Free media will only go so far. Even if she's doing an all-volunteer, shoeleather campaign, she needs leave-behind brochures for door-to-door canvassing, yard signs, etc. A few ads in the local papers can't hurt either.
When you're dealing with a district the size of the 29th, even that size of campaign costs tens of thousands of dollars.
If conservatives are going to be that conservative about campaigns, then they aren't going to get elected.
Right. Afraid so. A shame, really. She sounds pretty impressive. Meantime, things politically are getting scrambled a bit further down here, with State Sen. George Winner startling all of us by announcing he's not running.
State Senator George Winner not running for re-election? Good riddance to bad rubbish. Now if he would only take Assemblyman Jim Bacalles with him. Not sure I've heard of either actually doing anything worthwhile.
{ducking from barrage from Winner and Bacalles supporters.}
I don't know much about Winner. Any ideas who will take his place?
Assemblyman Baccales has announced (R from Corning), as well as next-door Elmira/Chemung County-based Assemblyman Tom O'Mara! It should be quite a battle. I keep wishing--in all seriousness--Randy Kuhl would step in. In a three-way race, particualrly, he would win------and it a nice return to public office could sort of, well, vindicate him on the heels of the sorry Massa mess. Meantime, an Ithaca-based Tomplins County legislator had announced for the seat (on the Demo line) two weeks ago. Frustrating thing is, only a tginy portion of Tompkins (notoriously "liberal" Ithaca, ha h a) rests in this State Senate district.
Some dude in South Carolina just sort of proved you wrong, Rotten!
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0611/The-curious-case-of-Alvin-Greene-...