[Forward Together PAC] Chris Bell vs. John Courage: May the best man win

[derby378]

Here's the stats from Round 2 of the MapChangers race:

Standings as of June 30, 2006 @ 3:00 AM EST.

WEST
1. MT-Sen Jon Tester
2. TX-21 John Courage
3. CO-06 Bill Winter
4. CA-11 Jerry McNerney
5. TX-Gov Chris Bell

EAST
1. VA-Sen James Webb
2. OH-03 Stephanie Studebaker
3. CT-04 Diane Farrell
4. MI-09 Nancy Skinner
5. PA-08 Patrick Murphy

http://www.forwardtogetherpac.com/mapchangers/contest/current_results/

[sonias]

1. Let's vote for unity

There is a good discussion going on at the end of the thread of Burnt Orange Report with some good suggestions. This was a Texas statewide effort that got us two of our candidates on the slate. Damn I wish BAR had made it too. We should continue to work together. For example one suggestion is that we give our nod to Chris Bell, and he could host the fundraiser in John's district and all the Texas candidates could come and would benefit. I'm sure the Courgage and Bell campaigns will be working out some strategy soon.

The discussion of these ideas is on the Maxey "Amazing students: Changing the Equation" thread
http://www.burntorangereport.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1276

Sonia

[derby378]

2. Sounds like a damn good idea

I'm all ears!

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

3. Why have I not heard of Jon Tester?

And surely Montana didn't have more partisans pulling for him than we had in Texas. He stayed at #1 all night.

I read enough to have an awareness of the big races in other states, but I simply have never heard of Tester.:shrug:

[sonias]

4. He's had DailyKos behind him for awhile

Conrad Burns the current republican Senator is seen as a weak candidate and one that can be picked off. Remember that Montana was the state that should be red but went blue in 2004. A lot of grassroots organizing went on in that state. He's got national roots backing him.

Here's a good diary by kos himself on Tester
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/6/28/18515/9560

Sonia

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

5. Ah yes, I've heard of Conrad Burns

So Tester is his opponent. Wouldn't it be awesome to see Tester take his place with the Dem. governor and other senator! Montana blue... who'da thunk...

[muse]

6. You'll hear more in the morning from the two campaigns

There is a plan in place, agreed upon by the two campaigns - Bell and Courage - as to how they want everyone in the state to vote.

Bloggers will be posting about this like crazy first thing in the morning as soon as the details are released. Also, you can look on the Bell and Courage sites.

I PROMISE it will be interesting!

We gotta be ready to vote in a unified way. Unity! We want Mark Warner in our state for the fundraiser!

[WestHoustonDem]

7. And here it is

From Chris Bell:

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your help!

With your help over the past two weeks, we smashed our online fundraising goal and advanced to the finals of Mark Warner's Map Changer contest. We also asked you to join is in supporting the other Texas campaigns in this contest, and you came through by sending John Courage into the finals as well. It's a great example of what Texas Democrats can accomplish when we work together.

Now as we start the final round, there are ten candidates from across the country vying to win a fundraiser with Governor Warner. Voting runs through July 10th, and you can only vote for one candidate. It's a testament to the strength of the Texas netroots that we have two Texans into final ten, and we'll need every bit of that strength to bring Mark Warner to Texas. That's why we need to work together to make sure we do not split our votes.

I've talked with John Courage and we've decided that, in the spirit of Texas unity, and on behalf of all Democratic candidates and activists across Texas, we will ask all of our supporters to join together:

Please vote for John Courage in this contest.

http://www.forwardtogetherpac.com/mapchangers

John is a great Democrat and a great candidate, and he finished the second round only a handful of votes shy of being the leading vote-getter nationwide. We believe that if we can pull together and get all of Texas behind John Courage and take him to victory, that we can accomplish a much greater victory for all of us across the state

Our new field director, Glen Maxey, is working with activists and campaigns all across the state to build a website at TrueBlueAction.com that will offer netroots organizing tools that will help Democrats win in November and beyond. If we can put John Courage over the top, he has agreed to use the first $15,000 raised at the Mark Warner fundraiser to underwrite the development of these tools and this website. These tools will help us across the state for years to come, and they will only get better as we build and improve on them.

The TrueBlueAction.com web site is under construction and is being developed as a open access site with lots of organizing tools for candidates and activists to use to register and turn out Democratic votes. It will be open for the use of local, state and federal candidates. It will be open for the use on any individual wanting to help the Democratic ticket or a candidate.

That's why winning this contest is bigger than John Courage or me. It's about what all Texas Democrats can accomplish if we work together. By voting for John Courage in the Map Changer contest, you will be helping all Democratic candidates in Texas.

Vote today: http://www.forwardtogetherpac.com/mapchangers

Vote for Texas. Vote for Courage.

In unity,

Chris Bell
Chris Bell

P.S. I need to thank you again for helping us smash our goal on our online fundraising drive. We set a goal of raising $25,000 through our website in the last two weeks of June. With your help, we ended up bringing in more than $40,000 from grassroots Texans. The momentum keeps building as we get closer to November, and I'm glad to have you at my side in this fight.

[sonias]

8. That's classy!

Thank you Chris Bell. I really love coordinated campaigning.

OK DU you have your strategy plan. Let's get behind John Courage for this one.

Sonia

[tammywammy]

9. Bump

If you haven't voted...well shame on you and get to it. :P

[yellowdogintexas]

10. I just voted, for Courage of course, and he is now #1 YAY

just thought you folks would like to know that!!!

[pearl]

11. Wow

This is great stuff. Hey everyone, I'm in Houston for a couple of weeks, Well more like
Spring but glad to hear this info. I'm gonna have to check in more often and trying to really
ramp up on being Burnet Co. coordinator for Chris Bell {Marble Falls) and from Houston. Hoping
to get into the Houston headquarters.

"Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living" Mother Jones