Nancy Skinner for Congress 2008

In Nancy Skinner's bid to unseat Republican Joe Knollenberg in the 9th district in 2006 she came up just short, losing by 5 pts to a 14-year incumbent who outspent her 7 to 1. Knollenberg had to hold on for dear life to a seat he had won in the last two elections by 20 pts. The reaction in the news media and political circles was one of shock. Nobody thought Nancy Skinner, a former radio host and environmental business consultant had a chance. No one knew – they said. Except Nancy Skinner and her supporters. We knew. We knew the people of the 9th district had grown tired of being represented by someone who was simply a cheerleader for President Bush and who saw his job as a juicy meal ticket rather than an opportunity to roll up his sleeves and solve the many problems the American people are now facing. 128,691 citizens in Oakland County agreed and voted for Nancy Skinner. We knew she had a chance because she ran an excellent campaign. She used the media – cable and network TV, direct mail and, most importantly, 500 volunteers on the ground going door to door for months to reach out to voters in a very personal way. The campaign raised more than $400,000 in a non-targeted seat in a state where competition was tough for scarce campaign funding because a billionaire forced Gov. Granholm to raise $40 million for re-election. A tough Senate re-election also forced Sen. Stabenow to raise more than $10 million. Raising money is much easier the second time around when your past election results prove beyond a doubt that you can win than the first time when they said you hadn’t a chance. It’s called a two-cycle strategy, and many Democrats have employed it successfully to unseat long-held Republican seats. Nancy knew she has dedicated her life to progress on the biggest issues facing America – and that she have achieved what so many have told her she could not. We are half way there. The seat is now targeted by the DCCC, and Joe Knollenberg knows he’s vulnerable. In fact, Nancy's race against him forced him to hire a better publicist and get back to work. But it’s too little too late. Others now smell an opportunity and are trying to move in. Hopefully Democrats understand the two-cycle strategy – that it takes this sustained effort to get name recognition and build your base -- and will continue to place their support with those who have the courage to do what’s right when it seems impossible and stick with them. This is how Nancy will persevere in a larger battle. Bringing our troops home once and for all will take a Congress that is willing to do what’s right despite the right wing’s spin and the cautiousness that often cripples members of our party. Senator Barack Obama called Nancy “his sharpest opponent” in his race for the US Senate when he endorsed her bid against Joe Knollenberg last year. Nancy promises that she will be one of the courageous few in Congress and not another incumbent just worried about the next election. In this re-match, Nancy need your help very early on. In Michigan, we have a late primary, which diasadvantges a challenger in the general election. Your contribution today is worth so much more than it will be later in the race. Your contribution right now says: Thank you Nancy for running such a great race against Knollenberg. Your contribution right now says: We understand that the best way to win is to stick with those whose results and courage prove they can win. And, most importantly, your contribution right now says: Nancy – go finish the job. Go beat Joe Knollenberg! Please go to: http://www.actblue.com/page/helpskinnerwin or http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18235 to donate and help Nancy get her campaign off to a great start! (Please note you may have to copy and paste one of the URLs into your browser to get to the ActBlue pages.)