This Month's (and Last Month's) Donations

Carrie at Lone Star Democracy Builders Association reminded me that a major campaign donation deadline is coming up on June 30th:

One of the biggest ways that political campaigns can show strength is their fundraising. About half the times you've heard someone say, "I just don't think that guy can win," what they mean is, "That candidate isn't raising enough money to pay for a decent campaign." [...] Money is the lifeblood of a campaign. It pays for the office, the campaign manager, the TV and radio spots, the field staff who mobilize volunteers, bumper stickers, yard signs... It's not only what makes a campaign look professional and capable; it's what allows a campaign to hire the professionals who can pull out a win and pay to get the message out for a candidate who's not well-known.

The press, as well as the people who write big checks, judge fundraising ability on the basis of periodic reports that candidates are required to file with the Texas Ethics Commission. The next deadline is June 30 - coming up fast, y'all.

So. If you've got a soft spot for a great candidate, now's the time to show your support.

And how! One of the things I loved about the State Democratic Party Convention three weeks ago was the chance to get up close to the candidates and hear them talk, so I could find out for myself whether they're real people. When I was in college I never thought about how many candidates there are, how many offices there are to fill. As I listened to the following folks talk, I was glad there were so many offices, and so many candidates, because they all struck me as very real and good people who would represent us well. So I parceled out this month's donation money, combined with last month's because I was too disorganized in May, to:

• Bree Buchanan for Justice of the Third Court of Appeals. If you haven't heard her talk about how some of the folks currently on this court make kids wait in foster care because they're too busy to bother deciding those cases, you should.
• Ted Ankrum for Texas Congressional District 10, working hard to show the folks in Travis, Bastrop, Lee, Burleson, Washington, Austin, Waller and Harris counties that an honest civil servant and veteran can represent us well in Washington.
• Valinda Bolton, running for Texas House District 47 in southwest Travis County. She's amazing in front of a crowd - even a crowd of just two people! And as she says, if you live in Texas, this seat matters to you. (Check out the Texas NOW Blog to learn why...)
• Glenn Melancon, who as Carrie says is "an amazingly smart and well-spoken history professor running for Congress up in north Texas." He's in Texas CD4 to be specific.

So if you're a believer, show them or your favorite candidates some love!

[Update, early morning on the next day: Wow, this is poorly written. After 10 p.m. is apparently not my peak writing time....]