Subject: Four State Candidates Need Your Help!
From: "Brandon, Friedman, VoteVets.org" <[email-masked]>
To: "John Podesta" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:50:09 GMT

Dear John,

Winning Congressional seats is hard--especially when candidates
have extensive military experience, but little practical
political experience. That's why the key to building a
long-term, progressive cadre of national leaders with the
experience we need is to have a "deep bench," as they say in
sports. In order to win House and Senate seats for years to
come, we have to be able to put up candidates that have years of
political experience under their belts.

That's why we introduced our "Emerging Leaders" program of State
and Local candidates over the summer. And today, we'd like to
introduce you to four Iraq and Afghanistan veteran candidates
who need your help: Allen Vaught, McKinley Bailey, Joe Rice, and
Richard Riggs.

Donate to Allen Vaught, McKinley Bailey, Joe Rice, or Richard
Riggs by clicking here!
http://www.actblue.com/page/vvemergingleaders

Allen, McKinley, and Joe are all State Representatives who are
currently in tough re-election fights--and Richard is in a
battle to make it into office for the first time. 

Allen Vaught was elected to the Texas House of Representatives
for his first time in 2006 When he serves as Vice Chairman of
the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence and also on the
committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Issues.

While in Iraq from April 2003 to March 2004, Allen commanded one
of the first units to enter Fallujah where he was responsible
for operating the local government and supervising programs to
help its people. Later, while transporting two daughters of a
local tribal leader to an American hospital, Allen's convoy was
hit by an improvised explosive device and small arms ambush. His
back was fractured in the fight. Allen was awarded the Purple
Heart for his injuries that day, and was honorably discharged
from the U.S. Army Reserve. In addition, Allen was awarded the
Combat Action Badge, Valorous Unit Award and numerous other
awards for his service. 

McKinley Bailey is serving in his first term as an Iowa State
Representative. As a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee,
McKinley was recently instrumental in passing legislation to
fund veterans' services through a new state lottery program.

He knows how important those issues are because he's been there:
After graduating from Webster City High School in 1999, McKinley
served on active duty in the Army for five years. As a
paratrooper with the elite 82nd Airborne Division, McKinley led
a Tactical Signals Intelligence Intercept Team into combat in
Iraq and Afghanistan. He was decorated twice for meritorious
service in a combat zone.

Joe Rice was elected to the Colorado State House of
Representatives in 2006. In his first session of the
legislature, Joe served as Vice-Chair of the Committee on
Business Affairs and Labor, and was a member of the Committee on
Transportation and Energy. He was recognized as being one of the
most effective representatives in the legislature, passing 18
bills in his first session. These included a number of measures
that benefited military personnel and veterans.

Joe has served in the military for over 23 years, mostly in the
Army Reserve, and presently holds the rank of Colonel. He's
served several tours on active duty, including peacekeeping in
Bosnia-Herzegovina and two combat tours in Iraq. Col. Rice was
awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq, that included
among other duties, establishing the first post-Saddam Baghdad
City Council. He has also been awarded the Combat Action Badge
for actions under enemy fire, and numerous other awards and
decorations.

Richard Riggs recently retired from the Navy and he's now a
first-time candidate running for the Oregon State Legislature.
Richard's family has a tradition of Naval service; his
grandfather served in WWII as a Seabee, and two of his uncles
served in Vietnam. While growing up in Oakridge, Oregon, Richard
saw his community devastated when its mills were closed, and he
decided to enlist in the Navy at age 17. 

Richard later earned a B.S. in Mathematics at Oregon State
University, attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I.,
and was commissioned as a Surface Warfare Officer in 1992.
Following his commissioning, Richard served in USS Arkansas (CGN
41), USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), and USS O'Kane (DDG 77).
While serving in O'Kane, Richard participated in both Operations
Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

These candidates are just four of our Emerging Leaders--a "farm
team" of progressive candidates with hands-on national security
experience. In this program, we recruit vets with promising
political potential and promote them in state and local
races--whether it?s for the State Senate, State House, City
Council, or dog catcher. The idea is to develop seasoned leaders
who are more than capable of not only running for higher office
in the coming years--should they choose to--but of winning. By
fostering their political careers at the earliest stages, we?ll
help them to become our nation?s leaders for years to come.

So by helping these candidates win their seats on November 4th,
we?ll ensure that veterans keep trusted voices in state and
local governments across America--and that they have leaders who
are ready to represent them at the state level and, possibly,
beyond.

Donate to Allen Vaught, McKinley Bailey, Joe Rice, or Richard
Riggs by clicking here!
http://www.actblue.com/page/vvemergingleaders

I know all four of these candidates personally, and I can assure
you that they stand for the same ideals that the rest of us do
at VoteVets.org. You'll be hearing more about them--along with
the rest of our Emerging Leaders--soon. Thank you for your
support!

Sincerely,

Brandon Friedman
Vice Chairman, VoteVets.org
Iraq and Afghanistan War Veteran

P.S. Click [http://www.votevets.org/candidates?id=0010 here] to
learn more about the rest of our Emerging Leaders.

Paid for by VoteVets.org PAC, www.votevets.org

Not Authorized by Any Candidate or Candidate?s Committee

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