Former insurance lobbyist (Emerson) continues to raise hundreds of thousands from lobbyists and corporate PACs

Southeast Missourian | Jonathan Feifs | February 1, 2010

Rolla, MO -- During the 4th quarter of 2009, former Army Green Beret Tommy Sowers raised $179,127, 98% of which came as contributions from individuals. In stark contrast, incumbent and former insurance lobbyist Jo Ann Emerson once again relied on her special interest friends, raising nearly half her money from corporate PACs and special interest groups.

Sowers said, "Emerson does not represent Southeastern Missouri. She still represents the city where she was born and raised: Washington, DC. People here tell me they are tired of business as usual in Washington. The lobbyists and special interests behind Emerson are exactly what people here are sick of."

Small donors also played a much greater role in Sowers's fourth quarter, due in large part to his national endorsements from veterans groups like VoteVets and General Wesley Clark's Securing America organization. The percentage of Sowers's contributions comprised of small donations was nearly four times as large as Emerson's.

Said Sowers campaign manager, Jonathan Feifs, "While Tommy drives around the district witnessing first-hand the struggles of the people in his corner of Missouri, Emerson is riding up and down K Street to pick up her lobbyists' checks. The 1,000 new contributors this quarter, many of them small contributions from veterans, are helping Tommy get out and work hard to earn every vote. "

Conspicuously absent from this report were any expenses for "political gifts" from Tiffany & Co. Expenditures at the high-end jeweler were a fixture on her reports from 2002-2009, where Emerson racked up expenses totaling over $6,000, shopping there as recently as last August. Full listing of these can be found at www.sowersforcongress.com/joanntiffany

Sowers is currently on Day 13 of a 28-day initiative he calls "Boots on the Ground." Sowers and his dog, Chuck, are traveling the district in his truck to meet his neighbors, work alongside them and listen to their concerns, struggles, ideas and solutions. Sowers said, "This is not a tour -- tours are for tourists and politicians who come in, take a few pictures, then leave. 'Boots on the Ground' is about working, living, and listening to hardworking people in each and every county. It's an opportunity for me to do what many politicians don't - close my mouth and open my ears and eyes."

For more information on the campaign and "Boots on the Ground," visit www.sowersforcongress.com/boots.

Contribute to Tommy's campaign today via Wes's Act Blue page.

They don't send Green Berets on easy missions. So when I heard Tommy Sowers -- an 11-year Army officer who served as a Combat Engineer, Airborne Ranger, and Green Beret -- was running for Congress, I knew I had to help.

Tommy is a rare breed of leader, a warrior and scholar whose desire to serve is complemented with honor, courage, and intellect. But that won't be enough to win in Missouri's 8th district, where he faces a 13-year incumbent who is bankrolled by the corporate special interests.

Tommy needs your help.

Please donate $5 or more to Tommy's campaign today!

Tommy left his promising career in the Army this summer and returned to Missouri take on this new fight -- to serve his home in Congress. Seeing the deteriorating condition of the area where generations of his family have lived, he knew this is something that has to happen now.

During his deployments -- once in Kosovo and twice in Iraq -- Tommy was sent to places where the people had no hope, and he was tasked with achieving things that people said could not be done.

Again, there are no easy missions for Green Berets, and this challenge is no different.

Help Tommy and me bring hope to Missouri's 8th district. Contribute $5 or more to his campaign today!

Missouri's 8th is an expansive district that encompasses the entire southeastern corner of the state. There you see the worst problems befalling rural America: a disappearing manufacturing base, worsening access to health care, and a vanishing way of life that once helped these small communities thrive.

There are nearly 70,000 veterans in the district, and they feel that there is nothing to keep their children and grandchildren in the communities where they grew up. Tommy needs your help to bring a better future to southeastern Missouri.

Tommy's opponent is a special-interest-fueled former lobbyist. He needs your help to level the playing field and fight in the U.S. House to bring economic opportunity back to his home.

Please donate $5 or more to Tommy's campaign today!

At a time when the number of veterans in Congress is at its lowest point since World War II, we need to come together to put more common sense leaders like Tommy in Congress to help get this country back on track.

Gratefully,

Wes Clark

Alan Khazei has had a lock in this special Senate election in out-of-town big name endorsements, and he continued that today: General Wesley Clark is formally backing his candidacy.

By Matt Viser | Boston Globe | Globe Staff | November 30, 2009

Khazei has courted celebrities -- from actress Elizabeth Shue to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- that provide his campaign with buzz. But boldface names do not include the army of volunteers that can come with the endorsement of a local sheriff or statewide union.

Clark is a four-star general and the former NATO supreme allied commander who had an unsuccessful 2004 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“At this critical time, we need more patriots and public servants like Alan Khazei representing the people’s interests in Washington,” Clark said in a statement.

Clark, who has known Khazei since 2003 when he visited City Year in Boston, also gave Khazei a boost on foreign policy.

“When it comes to foreign affairs, Alan Khazei is one candidate who won’t need on the job training,” Clark said. “Alan has met with leaders in over 30 countries, has a curious mind, a multi-cultural perspective, is a student of history and understands the complexities of national security in the 21st century.

"He has taken the time to study the situation in Afghanistan," Clark continued. "Rather than make the easy appeal of simply bringing our troops home, Alan has done the hard work of detailing how to do so while insuring Afghanistan does not once again become a haven for terrorists. And, at the same time, Alan presents a comprehensive strategy for defeating the terrorists globally. Alan, more than anyone else running for Senate in Massachusetts, presented a detailed approach and compelling, new ideas for accomplishing our goals.”

Blanche tells me she needs 200 donors in the next 7 days, and I am proud to do all I can to help her reach her goal. I urge you to take action today. Click here to contribute!

To face today's challenges and guide our country through a time of crisis, we need more good, hard-working leaders fighting for us in Washington. We need more folks like my fellow Arkansan, Blanche Lincoln.

Every day, Blanche Lincoln is fighting the good fight for all of us in the U.S. Senate, putting Arkansans back to work, fixing this economy, and keeping America safe and strong.

Blanche is up for reelection in 2010, and we've got to do everything we can to keep her in the Senate. With the June 30 quarterly fundraising deadline just around the corner, I hope you'll join me and stand with Blanche right now.

Please contribute $25, $50, or more to Sen. Blanche Lincoln. We need her in the Senate, and your support before June 30 will give Blanche a crucial boost towards victory in 2010:

http://www.actblue.com/page/agoodoffense

Already, the pundits are all chattering about who will run against Blanche. Right now, we know the national Republican Party is searching for a strong, well-funded challenger to take her on.

Well I've always believed the best defense is a good offense. A strong showing of grassroots support at the June 30 quarterly filing deadline -- just days away -- will make these would-be challengers think twice.

Blanche tells me she needs 250 donors in the next 7 days, and I am proud to do all I can to help her reach her goal. I urge you to take action today.

Please contribute $25, $50, or more to Sen. Blanche Lincoln right this minute. We need her in the Senate, and your support before June 30 will give Blanche a critical boost towards victory in 2010:

http://www.actblue.com/page/agoodoffense

When Senator Lincoln's refundable child tax credit first became law, she had to persuade her colleagues that millions of working families who don't earn enough to pay income taxes should not be ignored by a policy intended to end child poverty.

It's obviously a good idea, but it took Blanche's hard work, soft touch, and firm hand to get it done. We need more of that good, common-sense leadership in the U.S. Senate.

Blanche's would-be opponents don't offer alternatives when they criticize the tough choices that she is making for us. They don't promise a new direction, just more of the same Bush-Cheney policies that got us into this mess in the first place.

I am proud to support Blanche Lincoln for the U.S. Senate in 2010 -- but she needs all of our support right now. We're just a few days away from the second quarter FEC deadline, and I need your help to show Blanche's opponents that her campaign has the strength and grassroots energy to win.

Please contribute $25, $50, or more to Sen. Blanche Lincoln right this minute. We need her in the Senate, and your support before June 30 will give Blanche a critical boost towards victory in 2010:

http://www.actblue.com/page/agoodoffense

Whether it's putting Americans back to work, fighting for our children's education, or winning energy independence from Middle Eastern oil, my friend Blanche is the one who always remembers where she came from. She's the one who doesn't forget who she went to Congress to serve.

That's why you should get behind her today. I promise you won't regret it.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark