Received this bit of encouraging news for Craig James from his campaign:
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Corb Howard
Date: Mon, Apr 9, 2012 at 7:23 PM
Subject: Campaign MemoDear Friend,
As a top donor, you are an essential member of our campaign. That’s why I want to share with you an internal memo I just received from our campaign consultant and key strategist, Arthur Finkelstein.
To: Corbett Howard
Campaign Manager
From: Arthur J. Finkelstein
The campaign for U.S. Senate is entering a new phase, so I believe that it is important to discuss where we are, how far we have come, and where I think we should be going.
At the beginning of this race, it was assumed that David Dewhurst had roughly 50{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the vote committed, an unlimited bank account, and significant organizational and political strength. When we entered the race, Ted Cruz and Tom Leppert were minor figures trying to establish their legitimacy. We entered with celebrity, but with low single digits in public and private polls.
Today, David Dewhurst has slipped into the upper 30’s; his political inevitability is eroding. He is positioned as the moderate rich guy and inexplicably his campaign has kept him from debates, the press and the public so that now his number one characteristic has become arrogance and aloofness. Tom Leppert is dissipating and, again, for reasons I don’t totally understand, has gained little or no traction since the beginning of this year.
Only Ted Cruz and Craig James are moving. Cruz has worked for well over a year and has some dividends from his hard work and early start. He is by most measures around 20{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the vote, plus or minus 3{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986}. Craig James has now, in many polls, moved into third place and is within 10{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of Ted Cruz. Our campaign is hitting its stride now. Every day a former Dewhurst or Ted Cruz supporter moves to Craig James, and this phenomena is continuing to accelerate.
From here on, it’s a sprint. Dewhurst will probably finish in first during the primary vote on May 29th, but with less than 40{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the vote. That means that roughly 25{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} is all Craig James needs to have on Election Day in order to have a second place finish. We are well poised for that event. Craig’s support for Rick Santorum, his bold conservatism, his personality, presence, celebrity and hard work have created a foundation for which a political surge can occur. Understand that whoever comes in second will be the favorite to defeat Dewhurst in the run-off and become the next United States Senator from Texas.
Craig’s message of Faith, Family and the Constitution has hit an emotional nerve with the voters. As has his passion and patriotism for the values that made America great. Craig is both the most likable candidate in the race, and the only candidate from Real Street who identifies with the average Texan. Fundraising is improving, the number of volunteers is growing, and our political support is evident statewide.
You and your team have done a great job to get us to this point: a viable option to defeat the moderate David Dewhurst, represent conservative Republicans, and become Texas’ next United States Senator. Keep working hard, keep putting Craig out there everywhere, and keep raising as much money as possible so that our message will be heard by all.
It is my hope that you can see the encouragement we felt from Arthur’s assessment of where the campaign is today and the very clear path to victory. We have momentum, but we need additional resources for Craig to get his message out to the many still undecided voters. You have stood shoulder to shoulder with us as a member of this team, and we are personally thankful to you, but we need you to find even more financial help for Craig.
We are asking you to be bold and ask your network of friends and business associates to join you in helping us win this race. It is possible; will you make the difference?
Sincerely,
Corbett Howard
Campaign Manager
P.S. Tell us how you want to help, call us at 469-206-0604, Email me at [email protected].
Hmm. Now, I don’t know Mr. Finkelstein personally but I have heard of him. Heck, he even has a nice Wikipedia page. Seems that he’s had some success in New York. Well, I gotta tell you, I ain’t buying this rosy picture in Texas for Mr. James. Perhaps I’m wrong but I’ll tell you this – there is no momentum for Craig James in Harris County. And when people do talk about him, they mention Ted Cruz – they are reaching the same voter block. I doubt more than a handful of people have switched from Lt. Gov. Dewhurst or Tom Leppert to Mr. James. So, no, not buying it. Haven’t met him, so I can’t comment on him being the nicest guy. I think all of the candidates are nice when you get them one on one.
If social conservatism as defined by Rick Santorum is your thing, he’s probably the best fit for you in this race.
Craig James is a hypocrite, and a narcissist who suffers from a martyr complex. I can think of nothing positive that he could bring to the table in terms of national politics, or, god forbid, the Texas governorship–which I bet is what he actually has his eyes on.