Why I'm Running

Candidate for State Chair of the Arizona Democratic Party

As a candidate for State Chair of the Democratic Party, I propose and commit to the vision detailed below. I ask for the support of all Arizona citizens who share my passion for building a long-term grassroots-driven structure within our State Democratic Party that will survive beyond any one elected official or office holder. If you are a member of the Democratic Party State Committee, I ask for your vote at our State Committee meeting in Phoenix on January 20th.

A Vision for a Growing Democratic Party

The Arizona Democratic Party will of course continue to build on the efforts and policies that brought it success in the recent past. Implementation of a new additional strategy, however, carried out through three new intra-party task forces, will build on these past successes. Implementation of this new strategy will make Arizona a reliably Blue State where supporters of the Democratic Party vision, philosophy, and platform will reward the Party at the polls.

Task Force #1 -- The 30/15/8 Task Force
The basis of this new strategy is a "30 LD/15 County/8 CD" effort. No Legislative District, no County, and no Congressional District should ever again be conceded to the other side for lack of resources. While it is important to concentrate resources and priorities, in doing so the Party must not hobble itself within the state or nationally.

This "30/15/8" strategy will demand priority decisions, attention, personnel and financial resource allocations. All candidates are to be accorded equal opportunities, both pre and post-primary. Future Arizona Coordinated Campaigns must be adjusted to accommodate this strategy, and the State Committee must institute a task force immediately to give substance to the "30/15/8" strategy.

Task Force #2 -- The Grassroots Policy Network Task Force
A new grassroots function must be taken on by the Arizona Democratic Party. Between election cycles, the Party must assume a new grassroots organizing role, and again the State Committee must institute a task force immediately to support the development of a grassroots network. This network must reach out beyond the Party's traditional precinct committee person base to ordinary grassroots voters and organizations, including non-partisan groups, in order to incorporate the ordinary voters, activist organizations and issue-oriented groups into a "grassroots policy network".

As soon as grassroots voters, organizations, and groups recognize that the Arizona Democratic Party is not simply asking for votes and money for the Party and its candidates at election time, and as they experience the benefits of association with the Arizona Democratic idea of a vibrant network of grassroots citizens and citizen groups, the grassroots will have a reason to be committed and loyal to the Democratic Party on a long term basis.

Task Force #3 -- The Grassroots Fundraising Task Force
An additional prong of the grassroots function is Party funding. While our traditional sources of Party funding must be maintained and strengthened, the grassroots must be recognized as a powerful source for funding the Arizona Democratic Party. As soon as the grassroots policy network task force is up and running, a grassroots fundraising task force will be instituted to plan and structure how the grassroots can become a significant part of the Arizona Democratic Party's reliable funding base.

Mutually Reinforcing Vision
Integration of the grassroots policy and fundraising roles will reinforce and energize the "30/15/8" strategy. Those LDs, counties, and CDs which were implicitly and silently conceded to the Republicans in the past have available grassroots resources waiting to be actively incorporated into the Party's grassroots network, which in turn will focus and strengthen the Party's presence in those areas.

This interrelated vision of the future of the Arizona Democratic Party will of course be enhanced and refined over time. To that end, all members of the Arizona Democratic Party, from the precinct committee person to the State Executive Committee, from the most local elected official to the highest officials in our State, are to be invited to contribute their ideas, their wisdom and their time and talent to continue the task of turning Arizona Blue.

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