Since we have ten Democratic US representatives in safe seats, a Massachusetts Democrat who wants to influence control of the US House has to look elsewhere. With the fundrasing reporting deadline coming up today, I want to remind you that you don’t have far to look.
Paul Hodes (rhymes with “roads”) lost by about 20 points to Charlie “Catch and Release” Bass in 2004, but there are indications that he’s competitive this year. He outraised Bass in the first quarter, and one poll has shown him trailing by only single digits. The big liberal bloggers (whom we are apparently obliged to follow slavishly) have just added him to the ActBlue netroots candidates list, which has already gotten him over $2K.
Hodes is a former prosecutor and a musician who is so far centering his campaign on some very progressive ideas about energy independence. Bass is the Platonic ideal of the “catch and release” blue-state Republican who votes against unpopular GOP bills if, and only if, it doesn’t matter at all. If you can spare any money for him today it would be most welcome. If anyone on the NH border has any extra campaign energy, that would be welcome too. I got a call from a staffer yesterday asking me to walk with Paul in the Amherst 4th of July parade. I can’t because I live in Amherst MA rather than Amherst NH, but anyone in the neighborhood could contact the campaign.
Thanking me for the help. Sounds like a netroots-savvy campaign if there ever was one…
because he is the librettist (i.e., wrote the words) for the opera based on Oscar Wilde that I participated in earlier this year. Nice guy, and a multi-talented one as well. I hope he wins.
who vote in NH will be pleased to hear about Hodes, especially his ideas about energy independence. So far they have not commented, so I will check out it for them.
Thanks for the post.