“This year we'll celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary.
We started out as Precinct Captains of the 2nd Precinct
in the 14th Ward (of St. Louis) in 1965 -- and we've been
going door to door ever since. And
we're going to keep
going door to
door as long as we can.”
-- House Democratic Leader, Richard Gephardt,
introducing his wife, Jane, at the State Party’s recent
Jefferson-Jackson dinner
Action
item: This is our “Be Kind to Candidates” issue; also
known as Adopt a Campaign month.
We are blessed with great candidates in the Statewide,
Legislative, and Congressional District races.
However, we don’t want them to feel like the Maytag
repairman. We’re
attaching a list of Statewide
and Congressional candidates, along with some contact
information. Print
it out and keep it handy during this important campaign year!
Of course, don’t forget your Legislative District
candidates. You
can find them listed online at your State Democratic Party
Website: http://www.azdem.org
Pick
a campaign or more! Contact
the campaign and find out what they need:
Petition signatures?
$5 qualifying contributions to run as a Clean Elections
candidate? For
Congressional races, maybe a small donation?
(Don’t ever feel bad about sending whatever size
donation you can afford.
Candidates want to show as much grassroots support as
possible, which means even small contributions are
appreciated!) Try to fill up one petition sheet or get 10 $5 contributions.
How?
Petition:
The magic number is 15.
There are only 15 lines on a standard 8.5x14 inch
Partisan Nomination Petition.
That’s 15 registered voters from the district in
which the candidate seeks election.
(This refers to the new district boundaries from the
Independent Redistricting Commission.)
Make sure you follow the simple instructions for
circulators that appear on the back of the Partisan Nomination
Petition. Make
sure the “qualified elector’s” address is complete,
including zip code.
$5
Contributions: One
of the best approaches is to go to registered voters you know. While most activists are aware of the Clean Elections law,
polls suggest that the public is much less likely to
understand the significance of this 1998 law establishing the
public funding of Arizona state campaigns via the Clean
Elections Institute. Candidates
who voluntarily decide to run as “clean” must obtain $5
qualifying contributions ranging from 200+ qualified
registered voters for Legislative campaigns to a whopping
4,000+ contributions for Gubernatorial candidates.
(We add the + because it’s strongly recommended
candidates obtain as many as 20% more than the minimum number
of qualifying donations to account for contributions that are
disallowed, for reasons such as the donor is not registered to
vote.)
We’ve
heard candidates explain that in many respects it’s tougher
to get someone to give $5 than it is to get a donation for
$100. By going to
people who know and trust you, you have a better shot at
convincing them that their five bucks helps reduce the
influence of political action committees and other large
campaign contributors. Reach
out to your family, friends, and co-workers.
The form is easy to fill out.
Make sure the person making the contribution is
registered to vote and lives within the candidate’s district
(which applies to Legislative and Congressional campaigns).
Once
you’re through your network of friends and families, gather
signatures or $5 contributions by going door to door in your
precinct.
If
you need more information, go to http://www.azclean.org.
Make
Tax Time Dem Time
Don’t forget:
Your Arizona State tax form offers you 2 options to
help candidates and the State Democratic Party.
Whether you file the standard, short, or EZ tax form,
you can donate to the Citizens Clean Elections Fund.
(See below.) You
can designate $5 of your taxes to the fund.
NOTE: This does not increase your tax bill; you are
designating money you’re already paying to the Clean
Elections Fund. You also are allowed (and we encourage it!) to
make a donation to the Democratic Party.
As the former treasurer of the State Party, let me tell
you that this is a GREAT way to donate to the party and it
cuts processing and bookkeeping costs!
Rep.
Gephardt’s Speech
Atop
this issue of our PC Tip Sheet, we have a quote from House
Democratic leader Richard Gephardt.
We have had his speech transcribed for the State Party.
If you were unable to attend the Jefferson-Jackson
dinner – or you DID attend and really enjoyed his remarks
– we’ll e-mail you a copy of his speech, if you’re
interested. It’s
a dynamite summary of current issues and debates. Get a copy
and share it with friends and family on your e-mail list who
might enjoy it.
2002
Candidates
Print
out the list (MS Word Format
or Text Format) of Dem
Candidates and keep it hand throughout the upcoming campaign
season. Post it where you’ll see it and where it will prompt
you to think about what you can do to help.
If you’re not sure, pick a campaign, any campaign,
and give them a call or drop them an e-mail.
Our
special thanks to state party Political Director, Paul Hegarty,
for helping us compile this large list!
The
PC Tip Sheet is produced by
Rick
McGuire
Ron Owen
and Joshua Weiss
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