Kelly Westlund’s first month on the campaign trail

From my email inbox comes news of Democratic Congressional candidate Kelly Westlund’s first month on the campaign trail.

In the first month of Kelly Westlund’s grassroots congressional campaign, she has traveled to 16 of the 26 counties in Wisconsin’s Seventh District. In contrast to  Republican incumbent Sean Duffy who is criticized for not being available to his constituents, Westlund has  met with hundreds of working people from around northern Wisconsin in the first month of her campaign.

Westlund launched her campaign last month on a theme of economic populism and returning power to everyday people across northern Wisconsin. During a week-long “Progress for the People” campaign announcement tour, Westlund held a series of roundtable discussions around the district featuring farmers, students, victims of job loss, grandparents on Social Security, and other local working people that Sean Duffy voted against in Washington, DC.

In the first month of her people-powered campaign, Westlund raised $50,000 from over 1,000 individual grassroots donors.

“The grassroots enthusiasm I’ve received in the first 30 days of my campaign reinforces my reason for getting into this race — to go to Washington to fight for the interests of everyday Wisconsinites. Sean Duffy’s campaign on the other hand will be funded by powerful special interests,” said Kelly Westlund. “The people of northern Wisconsin deserve a real representative in Congress, somebody who fights for hard-working people and is willing to take on those powerful interests. Sean Duffy consistently says one thing to his constituents in Wisconsin and then votes against them in Washington, DC.”

As the Senate voted on unemployment benefits this week, Westlund stepped up to play a national role on the issue. She sent a national email to the Progressive Change Campaign Committee’s nearly one million members — telling her family’s story of having been on unemployment benefits, saying that Republicans who oppose extending unemployment benefits are out of touch, and asking people to contact their senators in every state.

“Republicans in Congress may block unemployment benefits. My Tea Party Congressman, Sean Duffy, says he ‘struggles’ to get by on $174,000 a year. That’s how out of touch they are,” said Kelly Westlund in the email. “I know that when that check comes in, families immediately use it to buy groceries and pay utility bills and put gas in the car. They’re reinvesting those dollars in our communities.”

Westlund is running in one of the House seats Democrats need to take back the majority. Washington Post’s Greg Sargent named Wisconsin’s Seventh “a race to watch” following Westlund’s email to PCCC members.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) endorsed Westlund on Day One of her campaign.

Westlund’s campaign logo features the tagline “Let’s get to work, Wisconsin!” to highlight both her focus on issues of importance to working families and the grassroots nature of her campaign. Supporters can sign up for campaign updates and donate to help elect Westlund at  www.KellyWestlund.com.

If you’d like to help Kelly Westlund defeat Rep. Sean Duffy this year, you can start by making a secure contribution to her campaign via ActBlue.

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