By: DAN KELLY

I recently joined Team Malloy as Dan Malloy’s Campaign Manager, and I wanted to say a quick hello and tell you how the campaign is going. 

Yeah, I know that you’re getting a bunch of fundraising emails right now from campaigns across the state. We have an important fundraising deadline coming up, and are working hard to raise $15,000 in small donations by that deadline. But don’t give us any money yet.

Before I talk about that, I’ve spent a lot of time in the first weeks traveling the state, and talking with folks about the state of the campaign. 

So how are things going?  Here’s what I’ve seen:

•    Dan Malloy has the right energy:  The response since Dan has announced has been great. We’ve crushed our first fundraising goals.  Dan has received rave reviews.  The endorsements are coming in every day.  The energy and dare I say it, the momentum, has been amazing.  Don’t just take my word for it. The only public polling on this race shows Dan moving up over ten points in the poll. And he’s doing it the old fashioned way – by running a tight ship, by talking to voters, and by working hard.  Think about that – ten points in the right direction. Imagine the excitement that we’ll see when we take to the airwaves (and don’t worry, I’m not asking you to contribute yet to that $15,000 goal. First, let me tell you more).

•    Dan Malloy has the right message:  Voters know that Connecticut is facing tough times. They’re hungry for someone who has the determination and the experience to get the job done.  When voters hear Dan tell his personal story, and when they hear about his record in Stamford, they know that he is the right candidate to lead in tough times.  In Stamford, Dan created thousands of jobs, balanced budgets,  reduced the size of government, expanded access to health care, and built thousands of units of affordable housing. He did it for Stamford. He can do it for Connecticut. And that is what I hear voters get excited about.

•    Dan Malloy is the Democrat who can win the general election:  How do we win the Governor’s race this year? Here’s what I think. You motivate Democrats. You bring in Independents and Republicans who care about making Connecticut great again. You show that you are the right person for the job. And you show a contrast.  We’ll let the Republicans pick their own candidate, but look ahead with me for a moment to November.  Voters may be choosing between a straight talking Mayor with a track record of success and the determination to lead in tough times, or against an insider who is part of the problem, or an untested millionaire candidate who is trying to buy the election.  Dan Malloy wins that contest – and that is why he will be Connecticut’s next Governor. (Excited yet? I’m not asking for you to contribute to our goal of raising $15,000 by the deadline quite yet  – keep on reading.)

•    Dan is running the right kind of campaign: Voters are tired of politics as usual. With candidates and special interests across the country trying to buy elections, voters this year will evaluate candidates on the kind of campaign they are running.  This is nothing new.  Case in point: in 2008 over 80%  (41 out of 50) of congressional candidates who self-funded lost.  Dan is running a clean elections program campaign, running his race on small contributions and accepting no money from lobbyists, special interests, or those doing business with the state.  He is running a campaign by the rules that an overwhelming majority of voters support. Can we win on that type of a campaign? Absolutely. Dan will have the resources to win: under the current law, having raised over $500,000 already under this system and looking at a budget of over $8 million we can run the right kind of campaign while still having the resources to get Dan’s message out. We will compete and we will win.  

None of this is to suggest that we don’t have our work cut out for us.  We do.  We have a small staff, but it’s smart and hard-working.  And it’s supported by an army of aggressive volunteers.  Most of all, it’s led by the hardest working candidate that I’ve ever worked for: Dan Malloy.
 
So you knew this was coming… but now I want to ask for your help.  I want to be able to write to you again next month, and tell you about a series of new successes, but we need your help to do that.  Can you help us raise $15,000 by thedeadline?  You can give $100 or less, and any contribution - $100, $35, or even $10 – is a huge help. Can you contribute today?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  I’ll be in touch with another campaign update soon, and I look forward to working with you over the months ahead.
 

Dan Kelly
Campaign Manager
Dan Malloy for Governor

PS -  I hope that after reading our update, that you’re excited about the campaign as I am. We’re working hard to build our next month of successes – can you help us raise $15,000 by the deadline and contribute today?  Thanks again for reading, and I look forward to meeting you on the campaign trail.