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We are peaking at the right time. At the convention last weekend things could not have gone better. This week we have experienced a strong surge around the state, bolstered by endorsements by the Phoenix and Mayor Twomey from Biddeford, and a great “unibate” on channel 6. This election is very winnable and WE ARE FEELING GREAT ABOUT OUR CHANCES. Please help us finish off on the right note, by WINNING the election. Here are a few things that you can do: ACTIVATE YOUR PERSONAL NETWORK TO VOTE FOR ME AND OUR COMMON SENSE,PROGRESSIVE PLATFORM. Make calls to all of your independent and democratic friends, colleagues and neighbors. Make a case for sending a new kind of experience to Washington. Ask them to get some of theirfriends to vote for us as well… Phone Banking: We are making phone calls daily out of both the Sanfordand Portland offices. If you have an hour our two to give, contact Jenn Lawrence at 651-1972. Primary Day: On June 10th we will need as many people as we can rally! We need people to hold signs and greet people at the polls. ” Hellomam, my name is Joe/Jane Voter and I am a volunteer for the Ledue forSenate Campaign.” This is a no-stress, simple way to help out. If you re willing to go to your polling place on election day call JenLawrence at 651-1972. Party! Come celebrate with us election night at 8:00 at 148 HighStreet in Portland. We have much to celebrate! Please join us and bring something to share if you can. Finally, as always we cannot do this work without funding. Everydollar counts! Please consider making an online donation to our campaign at tomledue.com. Thanks for all of your help thus far and I hope that you can connectwith us during these final days of the primary season. In the spirit of partnership, Thomas John Ledue |
Campaign Updates
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Thanks to all of you who helped get us to and through the convention. We had a number of significant successes this weekend and we now need to build on that with a fever pitch of activities. We engaged with and earned the support of hundreds of people who had never heard Tom’s name before this weekend. After one look at the campaign message and goals, they were on board with us. We expect to see hundreds of signs and bumper stickers proudly displayed throughout the state this week. Each appearance Tom makes, every battle we fight and every effort that volunteers give translates into support. But we cannot win unless we get all of our supporters to vote! This part of the campaign is called Get Out The Vote - or in the world of poltical acronyms G.O.T.V. To get our votes we need to get letters to the editor (See a great example in the Sunday Telegram - THANKS CLAY!); phone-banking - a lot more fun when done in a group; press releases; and having a presence at the polls. Quick Note: The Lewiston Sun Journal had a front page feature of our primary race with a direct comparison between Tom and his opponent on Sunday, June 1. Those who carefully read the articles will see reasons for us to be optimistic!!! Please talk to us about how and when you can help. This is the LAST WEEK before the primary! |
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Across a broad spectrum of issues, many of us can see that our nation is not living up to the ideals of the founders, or even of the generations that saw us through the Depression Era and World War II. Many of us find a cause - peace, economic and social justice, the environment - and we act to make a difference. Last year Tom Ledue, an educator from Springvale, Maine, reached his own “tipping point” and was compelled to act by news of our rapidly deteriorating planet. He looked at the inaction or poorly-directed actions of our political leadership in Washington and did not see or hear real movement towards solutions. As an educator and wilderness guide, Tom has always encouraged people to be inspired by the greatness within themselves. In deciding how best to enact change, he worked with a group of close friends to investigate the root causes to many of the state’s symptoms and found that our societal problems are interconnected and interdependent. One of the most intriguing answers he found was that the solutions are also interconnected- and completely within our grasp - all that is lacking is the political will and commitment to change. As a democracy, the citizens of our country can aid in the creation of solutions that will help us all reclaim the greatness that is ours and build the future that we want. Given his talents, his grit, determination and the fortitude of his character, Tom chose to enter the race for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Susan Collins. And though others seek the seat, Tom Ledue is confident that his campaign is the right way to correct the course for Maine and the Nation. We invite you to take a look at the foundation, framework and principles of his campaign at www.tomledue.com and we look forward to working with you. |
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This morning Tom was on the air with WGAN Radio 560 AM at 8:00 AM for an interview that would have been a debate. “TWO Toms are running for the chance to oppose Susan Collins. ONE Tom will join us at 8:08!” The online version can be found at: http://www.wgan.com/ This evening, Tom will be on WMPG Radio 90.9 and 104.1 FM for an extended conversation.The online version is at: http://www.wmpg.org/ When you listen to these or if you check out one of the archived broadcasts on our website, please offer your comments and feedback on the “Your Voice” section of www.tomledue.com or email them to: bob@tomledue.com. All feedback is welcome. COMING EVENTS:The Maine Democratic Convention takes place at the Augusta Civic Center this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Please come and offer your support when you can. Tom will be speaking Saturday afternoon, sometime between 3:30 and 6:00.You do not need to be a Democrat to attend, kids can come as well - so bring a couple hundred close friends and family and LET’S MAKE SOME NOISE! For more info or to volunteer, contact us at: volunteer@tomledue.com June 3rd (Tom’s birthday!) there will be an event in York County (Saco or Biddeford) - details coming soon. June 6th WCSH - TV at 8:00 PM (corrected from earlier announcements) Tom will answer questions in a broadcast that was to be a debate. June 10th -THE PRIMARY- JUST 14 days from today!! The campaign schedule is a whirlwind between now and June 10th. If you can’t join the fun, we hope you can offer a donation to help the effort - every dollar helps! Our signs are in! If you come to the convention this weekend, we will be passing some out. If not, please send us an email at info@tomledue.com and we will do what we can to get you some signs ASAP!Did you know that you can vote today? Just in case you will be helping us out that day or if you are forgetful, why not stop by town hall and mark your ballot for Tom Ledue today- many of our supporters already have. If you need to register or change your affiliation, you can do that at the same time. Vote Ledue! |
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The campaign received the following email today from a dedicated democrat in Kennebec County in regards to a letter he’s sent to the local press. ======================= Why do I support Tom Ledue? There’s a variety of reasons. First, I think that Allen (I’m stripping out all “Tom”s for the rest of this e-mail) has not given me a strong reason to support him. He voted against the Iraq War, but he kept voting to fund it. He has ideas, but he doesn’t articulate. When I really started to think about it was at the Kennebec County Dems Labor Day picnic in 2007. He was our special guest. For the first time, I found fellow Democrats at our event protesting the presence of other Democrats. And so I started asking myself, “Why am I supporting Allen?” And I didn’t know, other than that he’s what we had to go up against Susan Collins. When Ledue first entered the race, I didn’t know anything about him. I figured he was just another fringe candidate. But then I met him at a training in South Portland- and he had ready answers to every question I asked him. He had true progressive cred- his views on the war, on our energy policy, on veterans affairs. The day I met Ledue, I pulled the Allen sticker off my car, and started to pay attention to what he was saying. Allen was one of two people running in ME-1 or Senate that didn’t come to our candidate forums (the other was Strimling, but he wasn’t running at the time). Ledue came and answered every question we asked of him. We have a Drinking Liberally meeting after our County Committee meeting, and he stayed after to come to that, too- something no other candidate did. He came because people had more questions for him that they wanted answered, and he answered every last one. When he left that night, every single person at that table had either given him a second look, or was planning to vote for him… mostly the latter. Kennebec County is Ledue Country now. His campaign actively solicits input on what they are saying and doing. If I have something to say to Ledue, I can actually write to him and get a response. If I have something to say to his campaign manager, he listens to me too. Sometimes they even tweak the campaign based on my advice, if it’s something they agree with. When I’m dealing with the Ledue campaign, I feel like I mean something to them. Like I am more than just a vote. And I have been since the day I met him. He’s in this race because of me, and because of you, and because he believes that if he is elected, that he can bring real change to Washington- not more politics. It really is “Me and You and Tom Ledue”, just like the campaign says it is. That’s why I support him. He’s a real person, with real ideas, working for *real* change- not just for shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic. I didn’t just vote for him, I’m proud of him. And, yes, I have convinced others to vote for him- at least twenty that I can name off the top of my head, including all my friends and family. Because they want change too, and it isn’t just about whether someone is a Democrat or a Republican. I hope this answers your question- if not, I would be more than happy to follow up. Sorry that I wasn’t brief, but you have plenty of nuggets. If there’s one thing that you should take away from this… Tom Ledue is not Don Quixote. And considering the amazing paper that the Phoenix is, and its proud progressive stance, it should endorse him for Senate if it hasn’t already. He is a candidate that every progressive should be proud to support. ~Ed. |
