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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Jesse Blaisdell
Hong Tran for U.S. Senate
jesse@hongtran.com
http://www.hongtran.com
(206) 930-7398
Seattle, WA 30 August 2006
U.S. Senate Candidate Hong Tran Asks State Party Chair To Keep His Word
Democratic Party faithful are demanding an explanation from State Democratic Party Chair Dwight Pelz. They say Pelz is preventing U.S. Senate candidate Hong Tran from providing voters with information about her campaign.
Pelz will not allow Tran to distribute campaign materials at Democratic Party offices or events, and refuses to grant her full access to the party’s voter information database. The Democratic Party typically offers campaigns full access to voter files to help candidates provide democratic voters with information about their campaigns.
When Tran initially asked for full access to the voter database, she was denied. She was offered limited information on voters in only King County and the third legislative district, amounting to just 150 of over 5,000 precincts in the state – hardly enough to get her message to voters.
When pressed by Free Speech Radio News to explain why Tran is being denied access to the database, State Party spokesperson Kelly Steele stated, “We are allowing her to use it in any capacity she is able.”
Tran is asking for just this. She wants to use phone lists and walking lists from select areas of the state to tell voters about her campaign. With almost five-hundred volunteers, Tran will have little difficulty making use of the information. Because she was offered access to as much information as her campaign can use, she expects Pelz to fulfill the request.
In an e-mail sent to Pelz last night, Tran wrote,
"… When Free Speech Radio News inquired into the issue, Democratic Party Spokesperson Kelly Steele said, 'We are allowing her to use it in any capacity she is able.'
"…I expect this request to be fulfilled within the next 72 hours. I will consider anything else a denial of this request."
Pelz and the state party have yet to explain why they are preventing Tran from providing Democratic voters with information about her campaign, but many already know the answer: her opponent is Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell.
“Pelz and the party leadership want to choose who wins the primary election,” Tran said, “so they don’t want voters to know about my campaign.”
To listen to the Free Speech Radio News report on Hong Tran and the Washington State Democratic Party, please visit Hong Tran’s website.
You can find out more about Hong Tran's campaign by visiting her web site at: http://www.hongtran.com/
THIS PRESS RELEASE IS APPROVED BY HONG TRAN
For more information contact:
Jesse Blaisdell
Hong Tran for U.S. Senate
jesse@hongtran.com
http://www.hongtran.com
(206) 930-7398
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Perhaps this explains why the "party insiders" find it so easy to say that Ms Tran doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell of competing with Senator Cantwell in the upcoming primary. Maybe she should have accepted "door number 2" when Dal LaMagna offered it to her?
Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue
2 comments:
Oh, boo hoo, hoo, Chad.
When your friends in the 44th LD used this same tactic to impose a gag on the campaign of Steve Hobbs, I didn't hear you jumping up and down claiming that this was a denial of free speech issue. This was, instead an issue of "fee will" and "informed choices."
The fact is that you and the rest of the fuzzy heads on the fringe of our party believe in exposing this behavior only when it benefits the candidates and causes of their choice. Instead of heeding a call for an open and fair debate on issues and positions, your side uses the same parlimentary tactics that you deride.
There are two phrases I'd use to describe those types of tactics:
- Incredibly progressive, and
- Amazingly Republican.
Oh, let's add a third word - hypocritical.
Don,
Welcome to The Left Shue and thanks for your comments. I believe that you may have me confused with someone else in the Progressive movement or you are a proponent of guilt through association.
While I am not very familiar with the bylaws and rules of the 44th LD, my basic understanding is that they tend to favor endorsed candidates and provide a specific exclusion for non-endorsed candidates. In my review of the State Party Charter and Bylaws, I see no similar limits set forth for declared candidates. Indeed, the State Party has not "endorsed" any candidate for any office to my knowledge. Therefore there is a distinct difference between Steve's case and Hong Tran's.
As for me, I would welcome you to search through the posts here to find the occasion where I have advocated for anything short of equal access for any and all candidates. Indeed, you will find numerous requests for candidates with whom I disagree to respond; free of any editorial interference (You will note that both Rick Larsen and recently Maria Cantwell have both taken advantage of that invitation.)
In 2004, both of the State Representative positions were challenged in the 38th LD. As a member of Democracy for Snohomish County, I was instrumental in bringing Mike Sells and David Simpson as well as John McCoy and Randall Rike together for open forums to further the cause of open democracy.
While I see your dispute to be within your own LD and not with this blogger, I am happy to provide the bandwith for your views and hope that you will remain engaged.
Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue
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