MAKING 'EM DEFEND A LOT OF TURF

This came the other day from my friends at DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA.

For some reason, the pictures of these candidates didn't copy well. They are very presentable. Busby could be the shock of the year and shoplift Cunningham's seat. It's a bit of a long read but we should be both encouraged and warned by it. We get cocky and think that far lefty can win the 17th CD and we could lose a "safe seat" here. It's an argument Mayor Schiewbert and Senator Sullivan are making, and they are not wrong.



Dear Tony,

A blank check. A rubber stamp. A culture of corruption. These shouldn't be the first things that jump to mind when asked about Congress. But that's exactly what our Republican-led legislature has become. Democracy for America members are fighting back. Together, we're making races competitive that were out of reach for Democrats two years ago. This is a different strategy -- we're running great candidates everywhere and we're not ceding a single district to Republicans.

Let me tell you about three of those great candidates.

As you probably know, Francine Busby is running for convicted Republican Duke Cunningham's open seat in southern California. A few weeks ago, Francine took a commanding first place in the primary. Now it's on to the special election on June 6. Francine is just the type of leader who can change the tone in Washington. A win in this district in June will send a signal across the country that bigger changes are coming in November.

National Republicans are desperate to keep this House seat, and they will do everything they can to slander Busby during the final four critical weeks of this race. They are flooding the district with despicable attack ads and Francine needs your help today to fight back:
https://contribute.democracyforamerica.com/candidates#busby
If we're going to take control of Congress, we're going to have to defeat some incumbents. In New Jersey, Linda Stender is running against a Rubberstamp Republican who needs to go. Linda's already racked up endorsements from Emily's List and New Jersey for Democracy. Now, she's got DFA on her side too.

Grassroots activists from across New Jersey have been flooding the 7th Congressional District for months. And Assemblywoman Stender has done a terrific job raising money and building momentum. Please do you your part and help her today:
https://contribute.democracyforamerica.com/candidates#stender

It's hard to imagine a Congressman more embarrassing than John Sweeney of the New York 20th Congressional District. In addition to voting in lock-step with President Bush, enjoying ski trips with lobbyists, accepting thousands of dollars from Tom DeLay, and partying at college fraternity houses on the weekends, John Sweeney's found time to try to privatize Social Security and give away billions to the oil industry.

Thankfully, Kirsten Gillibrand is everything that Sweeney is not. She's smart, ethical and will represent Upstate New Yorkers with the honor and dignity they deserve.
Kirsten has deep Democratic roots in New York, and she'll be a public servant in Congress who voters can trust. Last cycle, the Democratic nominee in this district raised less than $35,000. Kirsten has already raised more than 20 times that amount -- giving John Sweeney the biggest scare of his career. Let's help Kirsten bring dignity back to Washington, DC:
https://contribute.democracyforamerica.com/candidates#gillibrand

Two years ago at this time, the pundits had already announced the winners in these three districts. Today, they are all in play. That's because of you. You've adopted the strategy of competing everywhere. And because we're running everywhere this year, control of Congress is in play. Thanks for all that you do. And thank you for helping Francine Busby, Linda Stender and Kirsten Gillibrand in any way you can.

All the best,
Jim DeanChair

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