by Jennifer on 06.30.2009
We are less than 12 hours away from our June 30th fundraising deadline. Our campaign continues to build support and gather momentum.
There is much we need to do in Washington -- and in Ohio, with help that can only come from Washington. Ohioans like you understand we need to come together to find solutions to create new and better jobs for a healthier economy that sustains our families and communities.
This is a time of transformation. Washington doesn't need the same old cut of elected officials who use the same old ways to try to solve the complex problems we face. And I won't settle for running the same old kind of campaign, either.
This campaign is about each of us -- about our shared responsibility to work as a community at a time when the challenges are unprecedented, but when the opportunities for real change are great. Our campaign offers a fresh approach that is centered on the goals and lives of everyday people who never give up hoping for something better.
You are an integral part of my campaign -- I need you in this fight. It will take the strength of our numbers and our commitment to send a new voice to Washington who is not afraid to fight, to stand up, to work hard and to listen.
Everyone matters -- you matter -- so please make an online contribution today.
Ohio is a state of more than 8 million voters. The only way I can reach enough of them to win is to raise the funds needed to pay for advertising, literature and outreach. Please consider giving whatever you can afford before midnight tonight.
Thank you for all you are doing.
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by on 06.29.2009
Twitter users with an express account at ActBlue can now donate to her campaign via Twitter, and help promote her candidacy at the same time!
Just create an express account at ActBlue if you don't already have one, and tweet "Donate @JenniferBrunner $20.10 via @ActBlue because she will be a great Senator for Ohio!" Your donation will be processed and acknowledged on Twitter by ActBlue.
Details on the new ActBlue Twitter program are here.
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by David on 06.29.2009
The question is this: what type of leader do you want representing Ohio in the United States Senate? Because, the fact is, you've got a real choice ... and you get to make it.
The point is: you get to decide, not them. Jennifer Brunner is in this race with an authentic approach and real ideas.
Jennifer Brunner is committed to working for change in Washington, DC and to fighting for reform. She knows that providing health care coverage to every American is long overdue. She knows that our financial system needs consumer oversight and an overhaul. Jennifer knows that without better schools we can't promise anyone a better job. And Jennifer knows that the time for marriage equality is now. More important . . . Jennifer will stand up and fight for these things for you.
Public polling shows that this race could turn on the outcome of the Democratic primary. Which candidate do you think can win this critical Senate seat back for Ohioans next November? Which candidate will be there for you? Now is the time to take a stand, because the establishment is trying to keep change from happening.
When the next round of campaign reports are filed, the pundits will start jabbering about how much money each candidate has-and let's face it, money and numbers give at least the appearance of strength. So, whose race is it - theirs our ours?
Everyone counts. Click here to make a contribution.
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by Jeff on 06.29.2009
It's the final two days before the next critical test for Jennifer Brunner's campaign! As she wrote in an email a few days ago:
June 30th marks the end of the fundraising quarter and the date by which we must collect every donation we report this period.
And it's absolutely essential that this report shows the strength of our campaign. That's why I am counting on you for help.
Every person matters. Please click here to donate to our campaign.
Others would like you to believe that there's no need for a vigorous
and energetic campaign for the Democratic nomination in the race for
United States Senate. But you and I know better.
We
know that a vigorous, energetic, grassroots campaign is just what's
required to bring people together and to make real change happen for
Ohio. That's why I'm running for Ohio. And why I need to know that I can count on you, once again, in these critical closing days of the reporting period.
Please, help me reach my goal of 200 online contributions in the final five days of June. Help me bring change for Ohio.
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by Tiff on 06.19.2009
We will be marching in Pride Parades in Cleveland and Columbus tomorrow (Saturday, 6/20). The Columbus parade steps off at 11:30 (route map here) and the Cleveland parade starts at noon (route map here).
We want to show our Pride with huge groups at each of these parades. Please join us if you can. These are wonderful events that allow us all to be seen and heard as members of, and allies for, the LGBT community. I can be reached at 614.562.2342 for information about where and when to meet up.
UPDATE: The Cleveland marchers will meet at West Third Street at 11:30am for a noon step-off. In Columbus, we will meet at HQ (115 W. Main Street, Lower Level) at 10:20am and have a mini-parade up to the State House for the step-off. We will start the procession at 10:30. If you’re driving to our headquarters, there is parking available in the lot directly to the east of our building.
We’ll provide you with a lovely handmade sign and a t-shirt to wear in the parade. Please wear a white t-shirt in case we run out of t-shirts. Also, bring your family, friends and neighbors. We hope to have a very large group marching in the parade. We are so excited to be a part of these events all over Ohio. Jennifer is such a courageous advocate for equality, it is a great chance to publicly show our support for Jennifer and Pride!
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by Jeff on 06.19.2009
Jennifer Brunner will join such luminaries as author Barbara Ehrenriech, Lulu Flores of the National Women's Political Caucus, Dr. Julianne Malveaux of Bennett College for Women, Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), and health care reform activist Donna Smith as featured speakers at the National NOW Conference this weekend in Indianapolis. The schedule has Jennifer speaking with Rep. Moore at a plenary session from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. on Saturday (6/20).
The session will be live-blogged at the blog Viva La Feminista. You can also get updates from the conference on Twitter at twitter.com/NationalNOW and under the hashtag search term "#now09", and I'm sure that Jennifer will be tweeting from the conference herself at Twitter.com/JenniferBrunner.
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by Jeff on 06.18.2009
Adding another important component to her campaign outreach, Jennifer Brunner has joined Twitter.com and started tweeting this morning. She will be sending out frequent notes and news from the campaign trail.
Twitter is the third-largest and fastest growing social networking site with almost 6 million unique visitors per month. The growing importance of Twitter as source for breaking news and information has been demonstrated over and over again, most recently by information sent out of Iran concerning the ongoing election protests. It is also used by a large number of political activists, commentators and reporters to discuss and pass along links to political news and events.
Supporters who are on Twitter should follow Jennifer by going to Twitter.com/JenniferBrunner and clicking the "Follow" button. If you've just been thinking about joining Twitter, now might be a good time to sign up for a free account and join the conversation!
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by David on 06.17.2009
Last Tuesday, voters in Virginia defeated the well-funded "establishment" candidate for the Democratic nomination by a huge margin - 50% to 26% in a three-way race - sending State Senator Creigh Deeds to face the Republican in November. Deeds won resoundingly because, as the Washington Post noted, his "message and momentum" swept him to a big victory.
The conclusion that one must reach, reports the Washington Post, is that in a modern campaign, "establishment support matters far, far less than it used to, and could actually turn out to be a handicap." Given what we've been hearing from some in the political chattering corners, that sounds like a lesson that is likely to apply here to Jennifer Brunner's race for United States Senate.
Click here to show that our message trumps the establishment.
Jennifer Brunner has driven the message and created the early grassroots momentum in this campaign. Taking bold and courageous stands on important issues of the day, Jennifer:
And what has been the response from our opponents? Silence.
Then, just last week, Jennifer did something that made me even prouder to be a part of her team by publicly and forcefully reiterating her unqualified support for marriage equality in a posting on a national news-site, the Huffington Post. Jennifer has supported marriage equality when it was not even part of the debate, never once wavering from her deeply held sense of fair play.
On this and so many other issues, Jennifer has shown intelligence, foresight, decency and commitment to a core set of values that have guided her to take courageous steps so rarely seen in public office. That's why I know she'd make a terrific United States Senator.
As we near the end of the second quarter, a time when her campaign must report on the amount of money raised, we need to prove her strength as a candidate to be Ohio's first woman Senator. We need to show she has the financial resources to convey her message to millions of Ohio voters.
Every contribution matters. We can prove that ordinary Ohioans can be heard-and listened to-above the pandering and clamoring for big money from special interests, banks, and big businesses that is the staple of so many candidates.
In the quiet moments of our day, we know that every person matters, no one more than anyone else. Jennifer knows that, and she proved it last year by fighting against the forces of moneyed interests so that no vote mattered more than another. She knew that the vote of a single mother was just as important as a corporate CEO's vote. She protected every vote and restored respect to Ohio. That's why I want to see her in the U.S. Senate, because there's so much more she can do for each of us and for our state.
To succeed, Jennifer must know that she can count on you, and thousands of others like you. We've seen that when enough people come together, candidates like Jennifer can become our leaders.
We know that we can win this election. Help us prove it -- and prove it early. Show Jennifer she can count on you.
David Dettman
Campaign Manager
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by Jeff on 06.15.2009
Readers may have heard a story on National Public Radio this morning in which reporter Ina Jaffe visited a drug court with President Barack Obama's "Drug Czar," Gil Kerlikowske.
Consistent with an increased emphasis on prevention and treatment in the nation's drug policy, President Obama has called for doubling the funding for drug courts. Although there are now more than 2,000 drug courts around the country, they serve only about one half of those eligible. Drug courts save taxpayer dollars and reduce the overcrowded prison population by diverting non-violent substance-abusing offenders from prison and jail into treatment. Studies confirm that drug court graduates are much less likely to reoffend than those who serve prison sentences for their drug crimes.
As a judge on the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, Jennifer started the county's first drug court in April 2004 after several years of research. Jennifer described this achievement in a live blog at Fire Dog Lake:
"When I was a judge, I was passionate about the need for a new program to address drug-addicted and mentally ill nonviolent offenders' needs as a means to reduce recidivism, make the community safer and save tax dollars. Working with 60 people from the community on our lunch hours for 2 years, we built a drug court docket and mental health court docket between 2 courts that still operate today. It took strong leadership to do it, but strong and effective leadership empower many to do what they did not think possible when they contemplate doing it alone."
Drug courts are now increasingly recognized as a successful and important component of a sound and effective drug policy, but in 2004 it took vision and dedication for Jennifer to create and manage the drug court in Franklin County.
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by Tiff on 06.15.2009
It was another wonderful weekend celebrating Pride for the Brunner Committee.
The Columbus HRC dinner on Saturday was an amazing event. The room was packed with activists and allies, friends and family, and Lynn Bowman was honored for her years of hard work on behalf of the LGBT community.
The fun continued on Sunday at the Cincinnati Pride march. It was a hot and humid day in southern Ohio and the whole city seemed to turn out to celebrate inclusiveness and diversity. After a two-mile (!) march, we braved a torrential downpour to get participants to sign postcards urging the passage of the Employee Free Choice Act and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, two very important pieces of legislation. These Acts will help to insure that all employees have a right to organize to protect their rights in the workplace and that discrimination based on sexual preference or gender will no longer be allowed under the law.
We will be in Cleveland and Columbus next weekend celebrating Pride. We want to show our Pride with huge groups at each of these parades as the month comes to a close. Please join us if you can. These are wonderful events that allow us all to be seen and heard as members of, and allies for, the LGBT community. I can be reached at 614.562.2342 if you need any information.
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by Jeff on 06.15.2009
I enjoyed reading this post on the blog TheSkeptikOne by Cincinnati freelance writer Jo Anne Moore. It is the first of two entries about the 2009 Pride March last weekend, commenting that she is not inclined to vote for candidates who do not personally march in the parade and ask for her vote. However, although Jennifer Brunner was unable to march in person, Jennifer's stirring Huffington Post essay on marriage equality last week is enough to secure this blogger's support:
I will vote for Jennifer Brunner ... she wasn't there, but after that letter of support she wrote on marriage equality ... can't say no to the lady, and she has to cover the whole state ...
Thank you, Jo Anne!
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by Rick on 06.15.2009
I began composing this entry on June 13, 2009 because it was the 32nd anniversary of the day I met Jennifer. I remember it was slightly
before 8:00 a.m. on the first day of my internship which completed my
master's degree and I noticed this striking woman in a white jumper
engrossed in an earnest conversation with my grad school classmate
Mary. Jennifer had this air of confidence about her as she looked up
from that conversation briefly . . . perhaps noticing I had entered the
room and definitely noticing that I had been "checking her out." She
was so self possessed and calm and assured then and later when we were
introduced that I, at 23, was sure she was 27. My initial thought
seeing her across the room was that "this one is out of my class."
Later in the day we had our first extended conversation about politics,
religion, current events and popular culture and I was "hooked" . . .
on those conversations. I had not often met such a mind nor a woman
that was so in touch with her own thoughts nor with her ability to
express them nor such a wide ranging curiosity and genuine interest.
Then there was this passion for and interest in people and humanity in
general and even then this burning desire to make the world a better
place.
(Continued in the extended entry)
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by Tiff on 06.11.2009
This Sunday, June 14th, we are heading down to
Cincinnati with a group of volunteers and staffers. The Columbus crew will
leave HQ (at 115 West Main) at 9:30 a.m. If you are already in
Cincinnati, we will be meeting at Burnet Woods for the 11:30 pre-Parade Pep
Rally (Yay alliteration!). We will provide you with a lovely handmade sign
(once again, thanks Alix!) and a t-shirt to wear in the parade.
On Saturday June 20th, there are 2 places to be
to celebrate Pride with the Brunner Committee: Cleveland or Columbus. The
Cleveland marchers will meet at West Third Street at 11:30 for a noon step-off.
In Columbus, we will meet at HQ and have a mini-parade up to the State House
for the step-off. We will start the procession at 10:30.
I can be reached at 614.602.6532. We are so excited to be a
part of these events all over Ohio. Jennifer is such a courageous advocate for
equality, it is a great chance to publically show our support for Jennifer and
Pride!
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by Jeff on 06.11.2009
Cleveland Pride has announced participants in the 2009 Parade and the Jennifer Brunner Committee is proud to be on the list!
The parade is on Saturday, June 20th at noon. (Click here for a map of the parade route.) Volunteers are needed to march with the Brunner contingent, which is a guaranteed fun time for all. Contacct Outreach Director Tiff Wolf at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 614.602.6532.
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by Jeff on 06.11.2009
Wonderful news from Geauga County! The Geauga Democratic Women's Caucus voted to endorse Jennifer Brunner at its monthly meeting held yesterday evening, becoming the first county Democratic women's caucus to formally endorse a candidate in the race. The caucus also decided to make an immediate contribution to the Brunner campaign and to hold a fundraiser on July 26th at a park in Burton, Ohio, details to be announced.
"We feel she is the best, most qualified candidate," said Luanne Dvorak, Chair of the Caucus. "She brings new energy, ideas and I know she will work tirelessly for the people of Ohio." Noting that Jennifer will be the first woman from Ohio to serve as US. Senator, Luanne declared that "We are on the threshold of making history right in our own backyard."
Luanne also expressed the hope that more of the county women's caucuses will soon join Geauga in supporting Jennifer.
UPDATE: Following her visit to the Cobasys battery plant in Dayton this morning to talk about supporting new types of manufacturing jobs for Ohioans, Jennifer had this to say about the endorsement:
"This is wonderful. As the state's only Democratic woman holding statewide office, I feel the responsibility to encourage and help other women become involved in the political process to help better the lives of all Ohioans. Organizations such as the Geauga County Democratic Women's caucus are doing a great job working toward these ends. I am proud to have their support, and I look forward to working with them to get more women involved and elected to public office."
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