SPOTLIGHT: B.J. Lawson for NC-4 Congressional Seat!

[amy31416]

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/member/d/6/e/8/thumb_2995016.jpeg

This Saturday, April 19th, 2008 is the mass donation day for B.J. Lawson. Help get another RP Republican into office, so Dr. Paul has some allies and we can truly change the political landscape. He is running against Augustus Cho for the Republican nod.

About BJ:

Personally BJ studied engineering, then medicine at Duke University and received his MD in 2000. He started his medical internship in neurosurgery right after. Because of the issues he observed in the medical system, he left his residency and started a medical software company in 2001. Being in business for himself made him start to question our monetary system and, fast-forward to now, run for Congress. BJ is married to his high school sweetheart, JoLynne, has three children and resides in Durham, NC.

Professionally BJ left his medical internship to start his own business in the medical industry. I have no other information on him professionally other than this.

Politically BJ is a fiscal conservative, against pre-emptive wars and is against incarcerating people convicted of non-violent crime. Economically, he believes that the Fair Tax is a step in the right direction to eventually repeal the 16th Amendment. He is in favor of a free market for health insurance.

Videos Wake County RC: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG7Tjzfvf_Y

NC Federation of Young Republicans: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLvgfcWbv0s


Contribute! BJ's mass donation day is this Saturday, 4/19/08. Please go to http://www.lawsonforcongress.com/ to donate and for more information about BJ.

(All information was obtained from BJ's website and from YouTube. Feel free to post any additional information or corrections. Help by keeping this bumped up to and during the mass donation day-Saturday, 4/19/08)

[sluggo]

Nice work. Lawson deserves our support.

[yongrel]

another excellent post

[skyorbit]

LAwson is the one who can actually win.

Tracy

[Cowlesy]

A+ post!

[amy31416]

LAwson is the one who can actually win.

Tracy

Lawson, and Vern McKinley. There's more, I'm sure. :)

[amy31416]

Bump for bucks for BJ.

(There's a phrase I never thought I'd be typing into an internet forum.)

[Wiseburn]

I'd like to know more about why this seat is winnable for a Republican. Kerry carried it in '04.
Price beat Republican Steve Acuff by 30 points in '06

David Price (D) 125,172 65%
Steve Acuff (R) 67,610 35%

I understand if BJ can't post some stragetic details, but what is it about this entrenched incumbent or BJ's campaign that will make a difference this time around. How many different media markets does this district encompass. (affects advertising costs)

What makes this district a more likely win than say the open seat in NY-25 where we have a strong Paul supporter in a four-way primary in a seat that leans republican. (Republican Incumbent Retired) or CA-4, another open seat with a well known, popular supporter of limited government vs. a millionaire big government Republican.

Or even NY-21, where Bush carried the district in '00, Republican Gov. Pataki in '02 and a popular pro-life Democrat is retiring.

What makes this district more attractive than an open seat race or even a race against a freshman Democrat?

Is there a scandal or a plan to raise $500,000 to make this a competitive race? Sorry to rain on anyone's parade.

Thanks,
Steve

[amy31416]

I'd like to know more about why this seat is winnable for a Republican. Kerry carried it in '04.
Price beat Republican Steve Acuff by 30 points in '06

David Price (D) 125,172 65%
Steve Acuff (R) 67,610 35%

I understand if BJ can't post some stragetic details, but what is it about this entrenched incumbent or BJ's campaign that will make a difference this time around. How many different media markets does this district encompass. (affects advertising costs)

What makes this district a more likely win than say the open seat in NY-25 where we have a strong Paul supporter in a four-way primary in a seat that leans republican. (Republican Incumbent Retired) or CA-4, another open seat with a well known, popular supporter of limited government vs. a millionaire big government Republican.

Or even NY-21, where Bush carried the district in '00, Republican Gov. Pataki in '02 and a popular pro-life Democrat is retiring.

What makes this district more attractive than an open seat race or even a race against a freshman Democrat?

Is there a scandal or a plan to raise $500,000 to make this a competitive race? Sorry to rain on anyone's parade.

Thanks,
Steve

Don't worry about raining on anyone's parade, realism is welcome. So far, BJ's raised almost 100k, and there's a mass donation day for him this Saturday that I'm trying to advertise not just here, but on other boards as well. It's also my understanding that BJ has good grassroots support.

If there's anyone on the ground in NC who can speak to the atmosphere, please feel free.

[bucfish]

I am all for BJ and any other RP republican. We need to realize it is not just about the money but sign waves canvassing and informing the people in these guys district.

[FireofLiberty]

If there's anyone on the ground in NC who can speak to the atmosphere, please feel free.

Thank you for your efforts.

[FireofLiberty]

I'd like to know more about why this seat is winnable for a Republican. Kerry carried it in '04.
Price beat Republican Steve Acuff by 30 points in '06

David Price (D) 125,172 65%
Steve Acuff (R) 67,610 35%

I understand if BJ can't post some stragetic details, but what is it about this entrenched incumbent or BJ's campaign that will make a difference this time around. How many different media markets does this district encompass. (affects advertising costs)

What makes this district a more likely win than say the open seat in NY-25 where we have a strong Paul supporter in a four-way primary in a seat that leans republican. (Republican Incumbent Retired) or CA-4, another open seat with a well known, popular supporter of limited government vs. a millionaire big government Republican.

Or even NY-21, where Bush carried the district in '00, Republican Gov. Pataki in '02 and a popular pro-life Democrat is retiring.

What makes this district more attractive than an open seat race or even a race against a freshman Democrat?

Is there a scandal or a plan to raise $500,000 to make this a competitive race? Sorry to rain on anyone's parade.

Thanks,
Steve

Hey Steve,

I work for BJ's campaign so I'm more than happy to address your concerns.

Is it a difficult District? Absolutely. It's very Democratic. But there's several things our campaign has that past campaigns haven't and things that we have going for us that make us a campaign worth giving your support to and that gives us a chance of winning.

The first thing I'll tell you is that we're going to win our primary. I say this with a cautious optimism. BJ is the frontrunner and everything is falling into place for us. We have raised nearly $100,000 and our opponent has barely raised anything. So, regardless of what happens in November, unlike many of our RPR candidates BJ will still be around, still be in the running and still fighting.

The second thing is that we're running a very active, very organized campaign. We have a large grassroots component. Out of all of the RPR campaigns we are one of the most active. BJ has made countless sacrifices to run and he's giving his all. We all are.

On the grassroots component, we have many volunteers (mostly students from UNC) hitting doors canvassing. We had been doing it every Saturday but now we're amping things up and doing it even more often. I canvass with them almost everytime I can tell you the reception we get is very positive. We give every single person we hit a copy of the Constitution and a slim jim with information about the campaign on it. Many people are surprised to get a knock on their door about race this early... A couple of people told me they've never had anyone knock on their door for a campaign before. That brings me to my next point...

We're actually going to give David Price a fight. For the last several elections David Price hasn't been given a fight and thus hasn't had to put up one. That's the reason for the past landslides. The reality is that the Republican Party isn't very organized in the District, but our movement is and that's the difference. Our strategy is all about building bridges.

And the District is ripe for change. Everyone I talk to, even Democrats, are sick of the status quo. They're sick of the Congress we've given a 25% approval rating. David Price is part of that. When I make the connection to Democrats and explain BJ's positions they really come around. The Constitution really does bring us all together.

I also meet so many Democrats who don't like Price, have a neutral opinion of him or don't really even know anything about him, but they've voted for him in the past. Why? Because he had no serious competition. No one who gave them a real choice. BJ is going to change that.

Price has also given us a golden egg to use against him this election: NBAF.

NBAF is the National Bio-and-Agri Research Facility and it's a pretty hot button issue here in the District because one of the proposed sites for it is right next door. It'll be a research facility for deadly and dangerous animal-to-animal and animal-to-human diseases. Almost no one wants it and Price supports it. BJ doesn't, and we've made it a centerpiece of our campaign. This is an issue that really wins over Democrats (for instance, the group that opposes NBAF and is fighting against it is almost entirely made up of Democrats and they love us), especially those very concerned about our environment. This will be an issue that will especially win over people in Durham County, which is right next door to where NBAF is proposed to be built.

There are also many other things going on that I can't discuss here but will be very big for the campaign. Many of these things will come out in the next couple of weeks or so and I think you'll be very impressed.

In short, we'll be taking the campaign to a whole new level :D

Finally, you asked about media markets. The District is actually the most compact District in NC. It's Orange, Durham, Western and Southern Wake and a piece of Northern Chatham. Basically, the Triangle. Therefore, the media market is very small and therefore has much lower costs.

Here's a map of the District. You'll see what I mean:

http://www.lawsonforcongress.com/4th-district/

I hope this helps answer your questions and address your concerns.

Let me know if you have any others.

[amy31416]

Garland,

Thanks for the post addressing the concerns so thoroughly, and thank you for your efforts! Great to hear, give Price the run of his life!

[Maximilian American]

Just made a Donation to B.J. Lawson! I did it before the money bomb by accident but its all good anyway!

I Am a college student with a minimum wage job and I won't be coerced without a fight!

Thank you for your generous donation of $10.00!
Contribution received!

Thank you very much for your donation to the Lawson for Congress Campaign.

Your donation will allow us to expand and grow our campaign.

You will receive an email shortly with a confirmation number.

Your confirmation number:
T341-0FN716425P187343T

https://www.lawsonforcongress.com

[amy31416]

Just made a Donation to B.J. Lawson! I did it before the money bomb by accident but its all good anyway!

I Am a college student with a minimum wage job and I won't be coerced without a fight!

Thank you for your generous donation of $10.00!
Contribution received!

Thank you very much for your donation to the Lawson for Congress Campaign.

Your donation will allow us to expand and grow our campaign.

You will receive an email shortly with a confirmation number.

Your confirmation number:
T341-0FN716425P187343T

https://www.lawsonforcongress.com

That's fantastic Max, don't sweat it about the mass donation day. Your $10 has turned into $55--RPHawaii gave $20 and just chipped in $25 because you donated and posted. :)

[Maximilian American]

That's fantastic Max, don't sweat it about the mass donation day. Your $10 has turned into $55--RPHawaii gave $20 and just chipped in $25 because you donated and posted. :)

:) That is great news! All we need sometimes is a spark to get some additional focus. My parents have confirmed that they will be donating this Saturday :)
& I will be working in Hendersonville, North Carolina this entire summer, so I will be making myself available as much as possible to drive over to District 4 to volunteer for Mr. Lawson's campaign :)

[amy31416]

:) That is great news! All we need sometimes is a spark to get some additional focus. My parents have confirmed that they will be donating this Saturday :)
& I will be working in Hendersonville, North Carolina this entire summer, so I will be making myself available as much as possible to drive over to District 4 to volunteer for Mr. Lawson's campaign :)

:cool:

And last I checked the donations you inspired came to over $100, and that's more than you could have donated on Saturday anyways. Thanks!

[AgentPaul001]

I'm in the district BJ Lawson is running for and although I've not had time to help out with the campaign just yet (I'm away at college right now).

I can tell everyone without a doubt, David Price is vunerable. Both Democrats and Republicans are eager for a new congressmen, however our past "choices" have been limited to say the least.

The RDU area is very tech heavy and overall has a libertarian/conservative tilt, with some effort BJ Lawson can most definitely win this area.

[amy31416]

Bump for a thread to get to know BJ a bit better and bucks!

[Wiseburn]

Garland,

Thanks for the update on this race. It should help encourage contributions with so many races in play.

Thanks,
Steve

[majinkoola]

I'll be working about 30 minutes outside the 4th district this summer and I go to school inside the district. I'm out of the country now though. But when I come back I'm freeing up my time so that I can make an all-out literary assault on the district (Note the "literary", FBI). I can't wait.

[DRV45N05]

I'd like to know more about why this seat is winnable for a Republican. Kerry carried it in '04.
Price beat Republican Steve Acuff by 30 points in '06

David Price (D) 125,172 65%
Steve Acuff (R) 67,610 35%

I understand if BJ can't post some stragetic details, but what is it about this entrenched incumbent or BJ's campaign that will make a difference this time around. How many different media markets does this district encompass. (affects advertising costs)

What makes this district a more likely win than say the open seat in NY-25 where we have a strong Paul supporter in a four-way primary in a seat that leans republican. (Republican Incumbent Retired) or CA-4, another open seat with a well known, popular supporter of limited government vs. a millionaire big government Republican.

Or even NY-21, where Bush carried the district in '00, Republican Gov. Pataki in '02 and a popular pro-life Democrat is retiring.

What makes this district more attractive than an open seat race or even a race against a freshman Democrat?

Is there a scandal or a plan to raise $500,000 to make this a competitive race? Sorry to rain on anyone's parade.

Thanks,
Steve

It's called a clearly terrific candidate.