John --
My name is Paula Jean Swearengin. I was born in West Virginia, a coal miner's daughter and granddaughter. My stepdad was in the coal mines. My uncles were in the coal mines. As a little girl, I was proud of my coal heritage. I was proud to know that America was built on the backs of West Virginians and by families like mine.
But times have changed, and now my eyes are open. For far too long, West Virginia has been told we need to choose between clean water and jobs -- I'm here to put an end to that myth. That's why I'm running for US Senate to create a Brand New Congress and put Joe Manchin out of a job.
This won't be an easy fight and I'm going to need your help. Can you put up $27 today to show my opponent we're done with corporate cronies?
My state can't afford six more years of the rudderless leadership Senator Manchin is providing. His cozy relationship with mining bosses and corporations is going to lead to more suffering like my family has endured. It will lead to more grandfathers lost to black lung, more uncles with heart disease, more children struggling with cancer -- and no access to health care. Senator Manchin lacks the vision to see the coal industry is dying. It's time to invest in new industries with clean, safe jobs for all.
From Tennessee through West Virginia and all the way to Pennsylvania Appalachia is struggling, and leaders like Joe Manchin are content to stand idly by while the jobs dry up, leaving whole towns in the dust.
These last few months I found myself wondering: Why is Joe Manchin cozying up to the people trying to gut Medicaid coverage for his state instead of fighting to make sure coal miners don't lose their health care? I bet the answer lies in over $330,000 he got from drug makers and insurance companies.
Well I'm not like Joe. I can't turn a blind eye to the stagnation in our state and I can't be bought. I'll push for investments in infrastructure and new energy -- industries that bring in good jobs and fair wages. I will fight against Trumpcare because I won't allow our people fall through the cracks of America's broken health care system. I will fight for Medicare for All. I want the people of West Virginia to have the future we deserve. The future we've paid for with generations of hard work and sacrifice.
Can you donate $27 to give my campaign team the resources we need to win?
I tried to work with Senator Manchin as a concerned citizen. I wrote, I called, I went to his town halls. A lot of us did, but he blew us off.
I got tired of our concerns being ignored, and I decided it's time to stop playing by their rules. It's time to change the game. I'm running for Senate to do something Manchin won't -- represent you. I believe in West Virginia and I think it's worth investing in.
Like every Brand New Congress candidate, you have my word that I will never take a dime from special interests groups or lobbyists. My campaign will be fueled entirely by small dollar donors like you. I'm ready to go to the US Senate and show America what Appalachians are made of.
As someone who has donated to Brand New Congress in the past, I'm asking you to give me a fighting chance to take down Manchin. He's got millions of dollars from a handful of people so I'm going to need a handful of dollars from millions of people.
Your $27 donation today can help my campaign get access to the tools we need, like the voter file, to get us started on the right foot.
When I confronted my legislators at town halls for being on the take from coal companies instead of investing in new industries that could provide better, safer jobs, I received death threats from folks who the coal companies had spread their lies and propaganda to. But they found out that Appalachian women don't scare so easily. If you help me get elected, I will never back down from anyone in power -- I will take your fight to them.
I believe in a West Virginia where good jobs don't have to come at the cost of clean water. I know Appalachians are determined, hard working and smart. And when we band together, there's nothing we can't accomplish. I'm ready to stand up for you and your family to deliver the prosperous, healthy future we all deserve.
Will you stand with me? Help us raise $25K to purchase the voter file and campaign materials to get started. If everyone reading this gave $27 today, we'd have enough to launch my campaign and the next 8 Brand New Congress candidates right behind me.
I am honored to join candidates across America to create a Brand New Congress, and I believe in the vision of a corruption-free Congress that works for all Americans. I believe that when we go into Congress together, we can do more than fight for what's right -- we can turn what is right into law. All my life, I have fought for the rights and opportunities of every West Virginian and now, I'm ready to take the fight to Washington. This isn't about me and it's not just about West Virginia -- this is about all of us. We built this nation, now it's time to invest in ourselves. This is our time.
In solidarity,
Paula Jean Swearengin
Brand New Congress Candidate for Senate, West Virginia
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