Jehlen throws her hat in the ring, will run for (State) Senate

[woosh]

I'll be supporting Jehlen.


First into what could be a crowded field of candidates, state Rep. Pat Jehlen said she will make a run at the late Charlie Shannon's state Senate seat.

"I'm running," Jehlen said Tuesday. "I feel pretty clear about it."

Jehlen's announcement was the first of several local politicians rumored to be mulling a bid for the Second Middlesex Senate seat, which covers parts of Somerville and Woburn and all of Medford and Winchester. The Dane Street resident is a Democrat allied with the Progressives.

Shannon died last week following a long battle with cancer. A year-and-a-half remains on Shannon's Senate term, and a special election will be called to fill the seat. The date for the election hasn't been set yet.

Republican and Alderman at Large Bill White said he may also run.

"At this point, I would have to seriously consider entering the race because Somerville's economic future is going to be at stake in this Senate election," White said Tuesday.


http://www2.townonline.com/somerville/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=223986

[paineinthearse]

1. Good luck, Pat!

woosh, keep us informed if help is needed.

[woosh]

2. Here's what she needs help with

>Dear Friends and Neighbors,
>
>As you may have heard, I am running for the state Senate seat made
>vacant by the sad and sudden death of Senator Shannon.
>
>I have represented the heart of Somerville for over 14 years, and was
>the Ward Two School Committee member for 16 years.
>
>I have stood up for working families, seniors, and people with
>disabilities, working for excellent education, fair wages, and
>affordable universal health care. If we can talk to enough people in
>the rest of the Senate district, which includes all but two precincts
>of Somerville, all of Medford and Winchester, and one ward of Woburn,
>I can win the election, because people in the district share those
>values. In the Senate, I will be able to carry on this work on a
>broader scale.
>
>We don't know yet the dates of the primary and final elections. We
>don't know all the candidates. (See articles linked at end of this
>note.) But it may well be a very short campaign, as little as two
>months!
>
>So I am hiring staff and starting the campaign immediately. I NEED
>YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW;
>
>1. Please contribute as generously as you can. Anything you give now
>will count toward tickets for later fundraising events, and the more
>we raise now the less time we'll have to spend fundraising. We need to
>raise at least $100,000 very fast. Checks should be made to CTE Pat
>Jehlen, 67 Dane St, Somerville MA.
>
>2. Please think of all your friends and contacts in Somerville, but
>especially in Medford, Winchester, and Woburn. Write them down with
>phone numbers, email addresses, and street addresses and send them –
>with a note about whether I can use your name – to
>[e-mail].
>
>3. I need people with particular skills and the willingness to spend a
>few hours a week:
>
>- fundraising: organizng events, providing lists, or making phone calls
>- outreach to particular constituencies: ethnic, occupational, and other
>groups
>- organizing in your neighborhood
>- data entry
>- writing briefing papers
>- introducing me to opinion leaders in the rest of the district.
>
>Please let me know if you can help with any of these ASAP. We'll need
>all the canvassing, leafleting and phoning you can offer, and I'll ask
>for those specifically soon.
>
>Thank you! This campaign will be tough, but it's winnable.
>
>Pat Jehlen
>
>For recent press reports, please see:
>
>http://www2.townonline.com/somerville/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=22398
>and
>
http://somervillenews.typepad.com/
>as well as today's Globe City Weekly section
>
>