Campaign Evaluation: Rebekah Bydlak (US House, FL-1)

[ronpaulhawaii]

Running the the state leg and US House are worlds apart.

ya think?

None of that really means anything to the average voter.

It wasn't addressing average voter concerns, it was addressing your objections. Like I said, she has decent building blocks for messaging. Besides, to the average voter, any "story" is more about presentation than substance anyway. Given her access to decent advisors/mentors/etc., If she knocks on doors and makes the calls, like other winners I've seen, she'll have as good a shot as they did.

Actually I do know she grew up there, but it is my understanding they have been living in DC for a while.

First you complain of her young age, then you say this, "living in DC for a while"... Meanwhile, they live in CD1 and she only lived in DC for a short while,

I like to see constructive criticism; vague and ignorant dismissiveness that introduces undeserved negativity, not so much...

[H. E. Panqui]

Your ignorance tells me you are just trolling. Please show us where Brakey shilled for Cruz. What I saw was that he stated that Paul was his candidate, Paul is who he caucused and voted for, but as a representative of the people who voted to make him a delegate, he would cast his vote at the RNC for the winner of his Caucus.

FTR, Brakey and I were friends long before he went to Maine and I'm one of two who convinced him to go, mentored him, and advised him throughout his race....

...i (ashamedly) attended a session of the state convention as a guest (i was literally dragged kicking and screaming)...i SAW brakey's name on a delegate slate(s) distributed by SHILLS FOR TED STINKING CRUZ!..

...btw, in the larger scheme of things we are all 'trolls'..for one example, you apparently troll for 'young attractive republican political hopefuls' [who can be found frequently working their cakeholes about 'the illion dollar economy' absent an honest clue as to the HIDEOUS origin and nature of even one 'dollar']...word...

[Matt Collins]

I like to see constructive criticism; vague and ignorant dismissiveness that introduces undeserved negativity, not so much...

Campaign school 101:

1- don't run for Congress your first time,

2- have a sellable narrative,

3- and fit the profile of your average candidate.



All 3 of these are being ignored in this race. As I said, she might get lucky, but more than likely she will not get elected. If she builds a big list and uses that for other purposes then it will be still be a victory regardless of being elected or not.

[johndeal]

I wish Bydlak had been elected to some local office first but I also think this seat is too valuable for her not to give it a shot.

An open seat in a solid Republican district with what should be a beatable opponents. She's the only female contender.

Evers (a state senator), Gaetz (a state rep), and Zumwalt (a Miller staffer) have never won contested primaries. If they split things evenly Bydlak will have a shot.

The winner may only need 25-28% of the vote though I would expect it will take >35% to win.

[Bryan]

[moved many posts here to the evaluation]

When I first saw the name Bydlak I immediately wondered about a connection to Jonathon Bydlak, and of course there is. I remember Rebekah from some past Ron Paul campaigns, didn't she use to do youtubes?

I am very encouraged to see young liberty supporters stepping up to run for office! This is great news and even better when they have a solid foundation to build upon. From what I've seen, Rebekah has a lot of potential.

That said, I am likewise concerned on attempts to jump too high too soon. Winning and keeping a congressional seat is not something that comes easy, so for liberty activists efforts to be fruitful the candidate has to have a lot going for them.

Without knowing all the fundamentals in this case, I would agree with Matt to a point, the situation is not stacked well. Getting more information on these fundamentals however can help provide better focus. Some key questions for me...

- What has she done to build up her local base? Has see been involved in a lot of grassroots groups? Building contacts?

- What has she done to build up a national pro-liberty base? Has she been producing content (articles, etc) that have built up a following? What are her personal fb and twitter follower counts at?

- What is the funding plan? Doe she / family have a large amount of seed money to get the campaign off to a great start? Has she build up the support base to do that? Or is she going to be looking for new supporters to provide the first injection of big money?

Aside for this, it's understood that there can be value in running campaigns beyond just winning (and our evaluation process recognizes this). It certainly seems like Rebekah can have a very positive future, the question is, will she press on with other opportunities if she does not win this race? Would she consider a run for a state office? I don't think we'd get a public answer to that but there are ways this could be gauged.

[Brian4Liberty]

CD1: With Republican Jeff Miller bowing out, expect a competitive GOP in this Panhandle seat. Two state legislators--Greg Evers and Matt Gaetz--are already running for this seat and other Republicans have also lined up to run. No surprise considering the number of military bases in the region, several of the Republican candidates--Robert Blake, Cris Dosev, Brian Frazier, John Mills, James Zumwalt--are veterans. There are also other outsiders like Rebekah Johansen Bydlak and Mark Wichern in the primary while local elected officials like Ashton Hayward and David Stafford could still enter the fray. Not all of these candidates are going to make the ballot of course but this isn’t going to be a two man contest between Evers and Gaetz. There are some Democrats and independents running but they simply won’t be factors in one of the most secure Republican districts in the state. Whoever wins the Republican primary at the end of August should be headed to Washington.

http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/sto...ng-retirements

[Brian4Liberty]

- What is the funding plan? Doe she / family have a large amount of seed money to get the campaign off to a great start? Has she build up the support base to do that? Or is she going to be looking for new supporters to provide the first injection of big money?

Seems her initial fundraiser went very well:

North Escambia Native Rebekah Bydlak Tops $100K Raised In Congressional Race

June 7, 2016

Congressional candidate Rebekah Johansen Bydlak has announced that she closed out the month of May with over $100,000 in donations from over 200 donors,

[nickpruitt]

She just got endorsed by that Ron Paul dude.

http://rare.us/story/ron-paul-just-e...=JulieBorowski

[Todd]

She's well spoken

[Brian4Liberty]

Rebekah Bydlak endorsed by Citizens for the Republic

[CPUd]

Her endorsements seem to be picking up:

[jurgs01]

This is a race worth fighting for. If we aren't trying to win these type of races, why do we even have a liberty candidates forum?

[Brian4Liberty]

From Justin Amash:

I'm writing to let you know about my friend Rebekah Bydlak and her race for Congress -- and to ask you to please join me in supporting her by chipping in a contribution to her campaign right away.

I know Rebekah personally from her time working at the Coalition to Reduce Spending.

There, Rebekah fought on behalf of hard-working taxpayers to pressure Congress to reduce federal spending at its source -- and to stop the special-interest groups that currently run our government.

When she's elected to Congress, I'm confident Rebekah will join me on the frontlines of the fight to slash spending and taxes, roll back unnecessary regulations and burdens on businesses, protect privacy rights and restore constitutional government.

I've worked with Rebekah in the past -- and I'm thrilled at the prospect of serving with her in Congress.

That's why her upcoming August 30 primary is so critical to our liberty movement.

Americans aren't looking for more elected officials who will muddy the ideological waters with the same ole business-as-usual politics.

Instead, they're thirsting for more elected officials who will boldly stand up and shout, "the days of Big Government are OVER" -- and mean it!

Rebekah is taking on the entire Washington Machine.

And she needs the help and support of liberty-loving Americans like you during this last week before the August 30 Republican primary.

Will you please join me in supporting Rebekah Bydlak by chipping in a generous contribution to her campaign?

Thank you so much for supporting Rebekah.

For liberty,

Justin Amash

Donate here: http://www.rebekah2016.com/donate

Spread the word!

[AZJoe]

Ron Paul has endorsed Rebekah Bydlak

“I am pleased to endorse Rebekah Bydlak for Congress,” Paul said, “Rebekah’s commitment to, and experience in advancing, the principles of liberty show that she is the type of leader the GOP, Florida, and the country need.”

“I am thrilled and honored to be endorsed by the godfather of the Tea Party,” Bydlak said, “Ron Paul’s name has become synonymous with the defense of the Constitution and reducing the size of government.”

http://www.northescambia.com/2016/06/ron-paul-endorses-north-escambia-native-rebekah-bydlak-for-congress

[Brian4Liberty]

[Matt Collins]

Wow, she looks like my cousin's identical twin in this photo... and there is Drew Carey's younger brother in the background lol

[GunnyFreedom]

I have heard a lot of good things. No matter what I think this is win-win. Assuming the worst just for argument, the electorate is more willing to overlook a first loss from someone so young, and the experience gained would worth it's weight in gold. But right now there is a lot of popular revulsion for the establishment, and properly capitalized this could easily go all the way. I haven't seen the district composition, but don't let teh Collinz fool you, there is no such thing as luck. Voting is too granular for fortune to have any but the briefest and lightest effect. You move people when you leverage what moves them. Take ownership of that thing and make history.