Thread

This campaign has raised about a total of $45k since we announced on 8/25/19

Think about that. In contemporary terms it’s a paltry amount. It’s less than a day’s take for some high profile (and especially establishment) congressional campaigns

Yet here we are, poised to

win a spot on the November ballot to unseat a verifiably terrible corporate backed incumbent who is seeking a 10th term

We have done so incredibly well this year due to the strength of our progressive message that speaks to the needs of the working class and marginalized people

We have also done incredibly well because of the team that has put its heart and soul into this campaign from the start

They have done this work as volunteers

Volunteers because THEY KNOW that flipping this seat is a win for the progressive movement

The only person in my

campaign that has taken any kind of paycheck is my CM, and even that has been more of a stipend “as we are able”, not a real paycheck

We are all - including myself - working full time while managing this effort

I have the best opposition research, field director, tech director,

and treasurer one could hope for

And I would be remiss if I didn’t note @avoice4progress who we paid to fly up from LA to shoot my brilliant campaign ad, and who we have a contract for payment with - but they have not requested any payment yet because they know we need the funds

and they shot the ad for us because they believe in us and want the win

This team has poured their time and effort into this campaign

Along with literally hundreds of volunteers locally and nationally

A campaign like this doesn’t win without that kind of love and dedication

So when we cross the threshold of the primary, we expect to be a premier progressive race as we head towards November, and I want this team to be compensated for time spent, countless hours of dedication, to the cause

And it is to the cause. They are not doing this for me

While they believe I am the right person at this time and in this moment, this is all efforts towards building the strength of the progressive movement

None of them want to run campaigns for a living, they are not the “consultant class” that seeks to make a living doing this

I - WE - are indebted to their service

And undoubtedly there are some who would say “if you couldn’t pay them you shouldn’t run a campaign”

But in retrospect we have made all the right decisions along the way precisely BECAUSE we’re not trying to make money for ourselves

Which is not what you get with campaign consultants whose sole focus is to raise money, and who really don’t care whether the campaign itself wins or loses

I think we’re breaking the mold here

And the real winners will be the people we aim to serve

Solidarity