Dear Democratic Wing Democrat,



Remember
that cold January evening four months ago when you bundled up and went
out to change politics in America?  I am writing to ask you to
step up and take part in “Round Two.”



As you
may know, I am challenging Republican incumbent Tom Latham in the 4th
Congressional District.  The only way we can change America is to
replace the Republican Congress.



If you are ready to get to work for a new U.S. Representative in Washington, please visit our website, www.votejohnson.org, to organize in your community and contribute to our campaign.



People
often say, “I agree with you on the issues, but can you win?”  My
answer is “absolutely!” – but it depends on how much you want to win.
Here's why we can win and how we are going to do it.



First,
the Bush-Cheney-Latham agenda is coming apart at the seams, and people
across the political spectrum are motivated for change with an
intensity that we haven't experienced in many years.



Under
the mis-leadership of Bush-Cheney-Latham in Washington, our nation is
now running over 500 billion dollar deficits to give tax breaks to the
rich, millions of our citizens are unable to make a living wage, health
care costs are skyrocketing and our respect in the world community is
at an all time low. We Iowans don't have to tolerate this. We can and
must do better – it's time for a change.



Second,
Fourth Congressional District voters are ready to vote for a Democrat.
Senator Tom Harkin won the majority of the vote in all 28 counties in
2002, while Governor Vilsack carried 25 of 28 counties.



Third,
more than 20,000 folks participated in the Iowa Caucuses in the 4th
Congressional District. Our campaign will work precinct by precinct to
build grassroots organizations, led by local leaders, to win in
November and beyond.



There
are two ways to run this campaign.  One is to go to Washington and
hire political consultants who will tell me what to say, raise a lot of
special interest money to run negative TV ads that turn off voters, and
then pray like heck that we will be one of the lucky 5% of challengers
to beat an incumbent in November.



I'm not going to do it that way.



In Paul Wellstone's Conscience of a Liberal,
a book about his political life published just before he died in a
tragic plane crash two years ago, he wrote that “the health of any
democracy depends on a small detail: the conduct of elections.” 
He goes on to say that “the way in which (special interest) money has
come to dominate politics is the foremost ethical issue of politics of
our time.”



I am
running to win, but I am going to do it by and for the people of the
4th Congressional District. To paraphrase Governor Dean, if you decide
you want a new Representative in Congress, you have the power to make
it happen.



I don't
start with a chest full of money to run this campaign and unlike Tom
Latham, I am not going to get it primarily from big corporate special
interests.



I need your help today to start us on this “road less traveled.”



Please take a minute to visit our website www.votejohnson.org to contribute to our campaign today, and let us know how you want to help.



Let's
work together to organize county by county and make it your campaign.
Just think, you and your neighbors will be taking back your political
life. You can do it, but it won't happen without your commitment of
time and resources.  Please dig deeply  – give `til it feels
good!  Let's get this campaign for a new American politics started
now.



Sincerely,



Paul Johnson

Iowa's 4th District Democratic Congressional Candidate