Er, should we have been paying more attention to MA State Rep candidate Leah Cole?

[sailingaway]

PEABODY — If money is the mother’s milk of politics, then novice state representative candidate Leah Cole is getting plenty of nourishment.

As of Feb. 25, Cole’s financial report, filed in anticipation of today’s Republican primary versus Greg Bunn, shows her having raised more money than Bunn and more money than the Democratic candidate, Beverley Ann Griffin Dunne.

Cole, who has never been involved in a political race before, has raised $8,368. She’s already spent $4,521 of it.

Bunn, who has the endorsement of the GOP city committee chairman, Jarrod Hochman, and who worked in two statewide campaigns — Charlie Baker for governor and Richard Tisei for Congress — has raised $5,201 and spent $3,012.

Griffin Dunne is unopposed on today’s Democratic primary ballot. She and David Gravel, who is unenrolled but said he would caucus with the Democrats if elected, will face the winner of the Republican primary in the April 2 special election, a three-way race to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Joyce Spiliotis in November.

Griffin Dunne has raised $7,888, while spending $1,214.

Gravel is far and away the champion money raiser, having collected $15,545 and spent $10,307.

While Cole had garnered several contributions from family members in Peabody, a lot of her money has come from beyond the city. It was amassed in relatively small amounts, with 91 individual donations listed. Only a dozen of those are from Peabody.

“Some comes from Peabody, and some comes from out of Peabody,” campaign manager Ryan Chamberland said.

A selectman in Blackstone, near the Rhode Island border, Chamberland notes that he won a seat on his town’s Board of Selectmen at age 23, a year younger than Cole is now.

For that matter, Chamberland is a paid campaign manager, earning money listed as “in-kind” contributions totaling $2,700 and coming from the Marlborough Republican City Committee. He explains the outside interest in Cole and the Peabody special election simply: “A lot of citizens across the community are worried about the direction of the Statehouse as a whole.”

Peabody, which has supported statewide GOP candidates like Scott Brown, is seen as having potential for the embattled party.

Bunn lists 23 individual donations, 10 from Peabody. Bunn’s campaign manager, Joe Walsh of Peabody, has earned $500.

Walsh credits Cole’s out-of-town fundraising success to her ties to groups that supported Libertarian Republican congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul of Texas.

Chamberland dismisses this as unwarranted speculation. Cole’s donors, he said, can be found across the political spectrum, and her ability to attract support from outside the city is a credit to her.

Still, Cole is listed as a $250 donor to Paul’s presidential campaign last year, and her campaign is touted on several Paul-inspired websites.

“We have a terrific candidate running in the Republican primary,” Chamberland said. “I know she’s a conservative, and she’s running on sending a conservative message to the voters.”

http://www.salemnews.com/local/x1874095734/Gravel-raises-most-in-rep-race

 

[tsai3904]

There was a thread awhile back but not much information about her was posted:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showth...for-Massachusetts-liberty-candidate-Leah-Cole

 

[sailingaway]

Hm. Yeah, hard to get very worked up based on that. Well, she seems to have donated to Ron, so I hope she wins tonight. If she does, we'll have to keep better tabs on her.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

No doubt we will have many candidates in the future that are Ron Paul followers, yet don't openly talk about it. Candidates that express support for Ron Paul instantly get the iron boot of the establishment, the neocons, the RINOs, and many of the teocons.

 

[Spoa]

Hm. Yeah, hard to get very worked up based on that. Well, she seems to have donated to Ron, so I hope she wins tonight. If she does, we'll have to keep better tabs on her.

SHE WINS! http://peabody.patch.com/articles/cole-defeats-bunn-in-republican-primary-for-state-rep

The first-time Republican candidates clashed at the polls and Leah Cole walked away the winner Tuesday night, defeating Greg Bunn by a mere 52 votes.

She will still have to face the Democrat on April 2, 2013.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

SHE WINS! http://peabody.patch.com/articles/cole-defeats-bunn-in-republican-primary-for-state-rep

She will still have to face the Democrat on April 2, 2013.

Apparently good news!

I would point out that the OP article was a last minute hit piece on her.

 

[sailingaway]

SHE WINS! http://peabody.patch.com/articles/cole-defeats-bunn-in-republican-primary-for-state-rep



She will still have to face the Democrat on April 2, 2013.

fantastic!! We will have to look into her and post something more substantive. I will tomorrow if no one else does.

 

[sailingaway]

Apparently good news!

I would point out that the OP article was a last minute hit piece on her.

one person's hit piece is another person's call to arms, I guess....

 

[Brian4Liberty]

one person's hit piece is another person's call to arms, I guess....

Which may be why they waited until the morning of the election to publish the article.

Accusing a candidate in a local election of getting their money from outsiders is an attempted hit.

While Cole had garnered several contributions from family members in Peabody, a lot of her money has come from beyond the city. It was amassed in relatively small amounts, with 91 individual donations listed. Only a dozen of those are from Peabody.

And in most places, attempting to link a candidate to Ron is also intended to be a hit.

 

[sailingaway]

Which may be why they waited until the morning of the election to publish the article.

Accusing a candidate in a local election of getting their money from outsiders is an attempted hit.

but in a low turn out election telling Ron Paul supporter registered voters that a candidate is one...

 

[deadfish]

https://twitter.com/LeahColeMA

 

[sailingaway]

thanks! ^^

 

[mz10]

I hate to say I told ya so, but...I told ya so. Perhaps I should have gone into more detail, but does someone really need a certified Ron Paul endorsement to count as a liberty candidate? She had Brad Wyatt and the rest of us behind her all the way.

Maybe now that you all know she's legit, we can get on board together and help her win the general (she is running against a Democrat and a very liberal Independent, who will likely split the vote. Her chances are excellent). Hopefully this is a lesson that we need to start taking local races seriously, instead of scoffing at them in favor of sexier, higher-profile races. I'm not singling anyone out, just hoping people can take a different attitude from now on.

 

[sailingaway]

I hate to say I told ya so, but...I told ya so. Perhaps I should have gone into more detail, but does someone really need a certified Ron Paul endorsement to count as a liberty candidate? She had Brad Wyatt and the rest of us behind her all the way.

Maybe now that you all know she's legit, we can get on board together and help her win the general (she is running against a Democrat and a very liberal Independent, who will likely split the vote. Her chances are excellent). Hopefully this is a lesson that we need to start taking local races seriously, instead of scoffing at them in favor of sexier, higher-profile races. I'm not singling anyone out, just hoping people can take a different attitude from now on.

She needs SOMETHING. A record. A policy. Something to make people interested. You can't just say 'she's great and some other guy you never heard of and I like her, so donate' we have to have context.

YOu are doing your best to alienate people away from her. I personally, am prepared to be charmed. I'm thinking I'd better get my information on my own, though, given your approach.

 

[tsai3904]

I hate to say I told ya so, but...I told ya so. Perhaps I should have gone into more detail, but does someone really need a certified Ron Paul endorsement to count as a liberty candidate?

They don't need a Ron Paul endorsement, but all you said is that she's a liberty candidate without providing any other information.

 

[american.swan]

With all the males on this forum, I would expect this thread to be far longer.

 

[mz10]

She needs SOMETHING. A record. A policy. Something to make people interested. You can't just say 'she's great and some other guy you never heard of and I like her, so donate' we have to have context.

YOu are doing your best to alienate people away from her. I personally, am prepared to be charmed. I'm thinking I'd better get my information on my own, though, given your approach.

Perhaps you have never heard of Brad, and if not, I apologize. He is the undisputed head liberty guy in Massachusetts. Organized the convention takeover and all.

I certainly don't want to alienate people away from her, and maybe my comment should have taken a different tone. But one of the biggest frustrations I've had with the liberty movement has been our near-obsessive preoccupation with a few "heroes" (Ron, Amash, etc.) and our lack of support for up-and-coming candidates. What we really need is a nation-wide Super PAC that exclusively focuses on local liberty candidates.

 

[sailingaway]

Perhaps you have never heard of Brad, and if not, I apologize. He is the undisputed head liberty guy in Massachusetts. Organized the convention takeover and all.

I certainly don't want to alienate people away from her, and maybe my comment should have taken a different tone. But one of the biggest frustrations I've had with the liberty movement has been our near-obsessive preoccupation with a few "heroes" (Ron, Amash, etc.) and our lack of support for up-and-coming candidates. What we really need is a nation-wide Super PAC that exclusively focuses on local liberty candidates.

I may have heard his name back when we were focusing on Massachusetts. Maybe once. We won't all agree on all candidates, but to give one a chance you have to pitch their good points. We don't agree all ARE liberty candidates, Bastiat has a whole list that can get five stars even if they voted for NDAA AND the Patriot Act, and for me, that doesn't do it. So basically, you have to say what they stand for. Saying RON likes them isn't enough, much less this Brad guy. Even Ron tells us WHY he likes them.

So what makes her good? Not who likes her, but what is SHE like?

I understand frustration, but the only way to be effective is to sell her good points, imho. Then people get interested, enthused, and things take off.

 

[deadfish]

I hate to say I told ya so, but...I told ya so. Perhaps I should have gone into more detail, but does someone really need a certified Ron Paul endorsement to count as a liberty candidate? She had Brad Wyatt and the rest of us behind her all the way.

Maybe now that you all know she's legit, we can get on board together and help her win the general (she is running against a Democrat and a very liberal Independent, who will likely split the vote. Her chances are excellent). Hopefully this is a lesson that we need to start taking local races seriously, instead of scoffing at them in favor of sexier, higher-profile races. I'm not singling anyone out, just hoping people can take a different attitude from now on.

Well I for one, completely missed any threads about her.

 

[mz10]

I may have heard his name back when we were focusing on Massachusetts. Maybe once. We won't all agree on all candidates, but to give one a chance you have to pitch their good points. We don't agree all ARE liberty candidates, Bastiat has a whole list that can get five stars even if they voted for NDAA AND the Patriot Act, and for me, that doesn't do it. So basically, you have to say what they stand for. Saying RON likes them isn't enough, much less this Brad guy. Even Ron tells us WHY he likes them.

So what makes her good? Not who likes her, but what is SHE like?

I understand frustration, but the only way to be effective is to sell her good points, imho. Then people get interested, enthused, and things take off.

To some extent, you have to understand the politics of it. Leah winning here in MA would be huge for the liberty movement in this state. Huge, I cannot emphasize that enough. So lets say she takes a vote or two we don't like? I'm sure she will one of these days if she wins. But do we want our movement to grow? If so, we absolutely need to support people like Leah.

Trust but verify needs to be our new slogan. You are too heavy on the verify, and perhaps I'm too heavy on the trust. Let's find a happy medium.