I've been campaigning for U.S. Senate since last summer, but in many ways, it's still early in the race. I'm proud of the signs of success we've been seeing in this race: I've raised over $1 million, my opponent's polling numbers stay well below 50%, and, of course, witnessing the outpouring of grassroots and netroots support that's been coming my way.
And the good news is that my race against Inhofe has heated up earlier than expected.
Because of you and all of my supporters, we have forced Jim Inhofe to dip into his campaign war chest to go on television six months before the general election. Neither of us has a primary opponent – he's going on TV because he's seeing the same polling numbers we are, and the same reports that this is no longer considered a "safe Republican" seat.
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And the more good news is that this Monday we began a statewide radio ad campaign to introduce more people in Oklahoma to me and my values as a proud Democrat. It's called "Missionary," and you can listen to the ad below:
Andrew Rice: "MISSIONARY"
We've been getting a great deal of positive feedback on this message from all corners of the state.
To innoculate me from Jim Inhofe's inevitable attack machine and to give all Oklahomans a chance to get to know me, we need to stay on the radio. Oklahoma's media markets are among the least expensive in the country, and a little goes a long way toward spreading my positive message for change and pushing us toward victory in November.
The Democratic wave we saw in 2006 is continuing this year, with record turnout for Democratic primaries (we had 90,000 more Democrats than Republicans vote in our Feb. 5th presidential primary) and successfully turning long-held Republican Congressional seats in Mississippi and Louisiana into Democratic victories. If Democrats can activate voters in places such as Louisiana and Mississippi enough to create improbable victories, we have an incredible opportunity here in Oklahoma to gain a Senate seat.
I need your help to make this happen. I need you to write diaries about me, email your friends about my campaign, add me on Facebook and MySpace, create an ActBlue page, and, of course, donate what you can to help me stay on the air.
We've created a buzz already. Roll Call moved our race from "safe Republican" to "races to watch." Our fundraising numbers and our COH are strong, while my opponent has one of the lowest COH numbers among the Senate incumbents. The DSCC has already been through Oklahoma and has committed to return with more help.
With your help now, we will win in November.
Sincerely,
Andrew Rice
www.actblue.com/page/radioforrice
www.andrewforoklahoma.com