Anyone from TX-10? Ted Ankrum needs our help.

[Sopianae]

Ted posted a diary on Daily Kos yesterday. I subscribe to Ted's diaries so I can catch them in time. I am getting a little frustrated, though. It's hard to "rally the troops" and get some attention on dKos. The diaries scroll by so fast.

He is not getting any help from the party. He could really use a little help from us. I gave $20 on Tuesday. Not very much but that's all we can afford this month.

Ted is a great candidate. Check out his bio on his website. He is especially good on renewable energy. But he needs our help. From Ted's diary:

For reasons completely unknown to me, the Party Pros think this is an unwinnable seat; probably because they see the Republican's huge margin in 2004, without noticing that it was gained running unopposed, except for a Libertarian. This is not so! This District was constructed by Tom for the incumbent, because of the money and media connections of his family. He lives in West Austin, and Austin is strongly Democratic. So the District Tom drew begins at McCaul's house and loops over the top of Austin, runs down US Highway 290 in as narrow a line as possible to get to the strongly Republican suburbs of Houston. But he just couldn't draw a District that didn't take in a third of Travis(Austin), or five of six in-between counties that usually vote Democratic at the local level, and Republican at the Presidential level. Given the unpopularity of the President, Congress, and McCaul's failure to connect with the voters over the past 18 months, he is vulnerable.

I don't just have a problem with the State Rep not having an opponent in HD 48. There are parts of four State Reps Districts in the Travis County part of TX 10. All are held by Democrats, but only one has a Republican opponent, now. The same is true for the State Senate seat in Travis County. There is no Republican on the ballot against the Democrat. You begin to see just how strongly Democratic the county having 41% of TX 10 registered voters really is. But, I am trying to carry the load of campaigning and I'm doing it alone. I'll get some help from Barbara Ann Radnofski's bid for the Senate, and some say the four-way race for Governor will help turnout.

Meanwhile, I'm running a campaign with grass roots support and all volunteers because the Party's judgment that this is an unwinnable seat is a self-fulfilling prophecy, when it comes to getting money. I am raising enough from individual contributors, largely in the District, to do the usual things like signs, push cards, fliers, doorhangers, and travel in this 200-mile long District in my Hybrid car. I'll never raise enough to do TV. The most effective thing I did in the Runoff was send a postcard to every person that voted in the Democratic primary. I need to do that in the General election. I need to raise $70,000 to send post cards to the highest priority voters. The post card will be adapted from the doorhanger which features me, and McCaul's voting record.

[sonias]

1. Ted's a great man

Do give us more of a heads up to recommend his diaries. I'll do that in a heartbeat.

I'm in CD25 but working for Courage in CD21 too.

Sonia

[Sopianae]

2. Thanks!

Ted usually sticks around until his diary scrolls off the Recent diary list. I will ask him to stick around a little longer the next time. I don't think he realizes that many of us have the Recent diary list set to show 30 or 40 diaries instead of just 20. Also, it takes some time to rally the troops.