The Strength of Our Campaign So Far — and How We’ll Win in November
When we launched our campaign on April 4, 2019, we started from scratch.
We didn’t have access to family money or political connections. I hadn’t run for office before.
We were about as grassroots as campaigns get.
That is why I am so proud of the historic campaign we’ve built so far.
As of this writing, we have raised more than $400,000. That’s a record for a first-time, challenger candidate here — and it’s also more money than a candidate from outside of Onondaga County has raised in the history of this district.
Yet the strength of our campaign so far is not just in our fundraising. The strength of our campaign so far is in the staff we have brought aboard — Tyler, Lindsey, Amelia, Adam, Rob, Kodiak, Kevin, Will. They are kind, dedicated people whom many of you have met on the trail. They were hired because, above all, they are good and caring human beings— not slick campaign operatives — and it shows in the relationships we have built with both committee members and first-time voters.
The strength of our campaign so far is in the more than 20 endorsements we have earned from local elected officials, former candidates, and community leaders — everyone from a former Green Party candidate for Congress to both progressive and conservative Democrats. We are bringing together the entire spectrum of our local Democratic Party and bringing us all along to November. And in the General Election, we have hundreds of Independents and Republicans in all four counties excited about our campaign and ready to go to work for us.
The strength of our campaign so far is where we have been. We’ve hosted town halls in Oswego and on the Northside. We are the only campaign that has participated, in person, in every candidate forum in all four counties of this district. We’ve been everywhere from farms and lumber mills in Wayne County to walking the city blocks of the Southside and Near Westside of Syracuse. We’ve marched in parades, knocked more than 2,000 doors for dozens of 2019 candidates, and shown up in places Democrats have abandoned for decades.
The strength of our campaign so far is our message. We aren’t just talking about beating John Katko and Donald Trump. We aren’t just talking about a politically-connected family or the ephemeral concept of “name recognition.” We aren’t just talking about what or who we are against — we are talking about what we are for. We are the campaign that is talking about standing up for all those left behind by government — rural, working-class, black, brown, native, disabled, young, retired. In an era when more people than ever before are struggling and shut out, this connection with people outside the party mainstream is critical to victory. As a small-town kid from the county line road, growing up in the second-poorest village in a district that is more than 50% rural, I feel uniquely connected to how people here live, work, and raise their families.
The strength of our campaign so far is that we have a clear and commanding path to victory in November. We will win because we have proven we can bring together our entire Democratic Party in all four counties, we can win Independent and Republican voters, and we have the message, ground game, and campaign infrastructure to get the job done.
The strength of our campaign so far is that every piece of it has been earned. It wasn’t inherited. We have built a winning campaign through hard work and determination — the kind of organization that reflects the best of Central New York.
The strength of our campaign so far is that we are only just getting started. Come be a part of a strong, kind, and welcoming campaign with a bold message and the energy to get the job done in November. Come be a part of history. Sign up here.
Roger Misso is a candidate for Congress in New York’s 24th Congressional District (NY-24). He is a husband, father, and veteran — a former naval flight officer and advocate for military sexual assault survivors. He has advocated for veterans and small business in Central New York. He is running to become just the second rural Wayne County kid in history — and the first in 192 years — to represent New Yorkers in Congress.
Learn more about our message and platform at our website, Facebook, and Twitter.
