Once again, I shared the stage with our current Congressperson.
raising the bar
One of the goals of this campaign from day 1 was to be competitive. To fight the good fight and apply pressure to our current Congressperson. Last week, we believe we saw evidence we are in fact raising the bar. Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative hosted a Meet the Candidates Forum on Thursday evening in Wadena. We were told Rep. Fischbach would be sending a surrogate. To our surprise, she showed up. This was our second opportunity to give voters a side-by-side comparison & contrast. I don’t feel like there was a true “winner” or “loser” but once again, we more than held our own. I did my best to make the case that the gut & cut model at the federal level is leaving the people in need behind. Here is a portion of my closing remarks.
Fundraising update
Speaking of raising the bar, we have a new BEST MONTH EVER for fundraising. Your generosity in August helped us bring in more than $85,000 in donations. We are now well over $400,000 total for the campaign. This lays the groundwork we need to start the final push to November.
Last week we asked you to jump in on our 3rd match challenge and we did it! Turning $7,000 in campaign donations into $14,000. During that push we had another donor step forward with a fourth challenge! The latest couple has pledged to match any donation $500 or more up to $7,000 that is made by September 15th. The “Match Game” helped us have a fantastic July and August for fundraising. Grateful for another edition.
Donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/erik-osberg
- Be Part of the 38 Doors Club – help us knock 38,000 doors, 1,000 volunteers, 38 doors each.
- Write postcards.
- Talk to your neighbors
- Forward this email to a friend.
- Write a Letter to the Editor (we’ll send you weekly topics)
- Put up a yard sign.
Get Involved – https://www.erikosberg4congress.com/get-involved/
The Road Ahead
I’ve done 69 events over the last 58 days putting on roughly 10,000 miles since July 1st. The schedule will change just a little bit come fall. First of all, I am taking Labor Day weekend off. I’m heading to the Tiny Cabin for some R&R with the family. In addition, I will be attending my son’s football games every Friday night starting this Friday 9/4. Doesn’t mean we are slowing down, the campaign calendar is packed until Nov. 3rd. Plenty of other opportunities to connect with voters. To find out where & when, visit our website events page.
Events with links are to sign up via Mobilize:
- Today! August 31 – Doorknock in Windom
- Today! August 31 – Moorhead Mondays, Moorhead
- Today! August 31 – Murray County Fish Fry Town Hall – Slayton
- Today! August 31 – Cottonwood County Fish Fry Town Hall – Windom
- Tuesday, September 1 – “Ag, Brews and Convos”, Battle Lake
- Tuesday, September 1 – Doorknock in Hanley Falls
- Tuesday, September 1 – Turnout Tuesdays – Phonebanking with Team Erik
- Wednesday, September 2 – Douglas County Fish Fry Town Hall – Alexandria
- Wednesday, September 2 – Doorknock in St. Leo
- Thursday, September 3 – Doorknock in Clarkfield
- Friday, September 4 – Doorknock in Wadena
- Friday, September 4 – Greater Moorhead Days Parade, Moorhead
- Saturday, September 5 – Red Rooster Days Parade, Dassel
- Saturday, September 5 – Fall Harvest Festival, Underwood
Public Servant
If I were to describe my leadership style, I would say I strive to be a “servant leader.” If you Google it, you might see it defined as putting the needs of others above the needs of your own. You will see traits listed as: Listening, Empathy, Healing, Awareness & Persuasion. Sounds spot on to me. I am what I am.
My hope is that I’ve done my best to lead by example. My hope is that I’ve done my best to bring people together. My hope is that I’ve met enough of the people I seek to serve to make a difference.
I believe that as a movement, we have momentum. A movement towards civility and decency with passion and purpose. As we begin the work week, let’s try to lend a hand where we can. Let us unite as we pave a new path forward. If we do it together, we can do BETTER.
Appleton & the Detention Industrial Complex
Let’s talk about Appleton & the detention industrial complex. This is a business model, not immigration policy. Watch on Facebook.
Education quality shouldn’t be driven by your zip code…
“The quality of your education shouldn’t depend on your zip code.”
I visited with two Superintendents this week to listen to their needs and talk about solutions. One of my takeaways was the importance of having someone fighting for rural education. We need to fully fund special education. We need to protect funding for Head Start. We need to protect Title I Funding. And we still need local solutions for local problems.
I want to take a moment to thank all the educators out there who are returning to the classrooms. I hope you can hold onto your WHY. Bless your hearts for doing what you do.
A Look Back
More miles, more conversations, great connections…
Two Fish Fry Town Halls, two full crowds. 130 people outdoors at Maple Hills Orchard near Frazee, then standing room only in Elbow Lake with well over 100. Huge thanks to our hosts Gary & Jonna & to the Becker Co. & Grant Co. DFL. Questions ranged from the Constitution to healthcare, agriculture & the national debt, but corruption kept floating to the top. My answer hasn’t changed in 18 months: get corporate $ out of politics. From there it was meetings in Chippewa & Yellow Medicine Counties, the Wood Lake Fair Parade, a visit to the new Minnesota Veterans Home in Montevideo, & a stage shared with our current Congressperson at the Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative forum. We capped it in Clay County at the TAK. 14 Fish Fry Town Halls down, 24 to go. The Rural Revival is real, folks!
Amazing turnout in Becker County at Maple Hill Orchard in Frazee. Another successful Fish Fry Town Hall.
And we had another large crowd in Elbow Lake in Grant County early last week.
A great group supporting our campaign and other local and statewide candidates at the Wood Lake Fair Parade.
We gathered in Clay County for our Moorhead Unity Rally where folks got to here from DFL Chair Richard Carlbom, Lt. Gov. candidate Ben Schierer, MN State Senate candidate Bjorn Solberg (SD1), MN State House candidate Thaddeus Laugisch, and of course our campaign.
Endorsement Alert – Friends of the Boundary Waters
Friends of the Boundary Waters just endorsed this campaign. That matters.
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is one of the most pristine places on earth. Protecting it isn’t partisan. It’s about understanding what we have & fighting to keep it.
We’ve heard from people who love this place. Who fish it. Who paddle it. Who believe it needs to be protected—not exploited.
Friends of the Boundary Waters sees that we understand. That we’re committed to environmental stewardship & defending what makes Minnesota special.
Thank you for believing in this campaign & for the work you do protecting the BWCA. We’re honored to have your endorsement & we won’t let you down.
We can do better.
FISH FRY TOWN HALL TOUR
14 counties down. 24 to go.
This week we’re in Slayton, Windom, and Alexandria. If we’re headed your way this fall, come find us. Bring your questions. Bring your friends. We’ll have good fish & we’ll actually listen.
https://erikosberg.com/fishfry
Still time to get your E4C Purple!
All our products are union-made right here in the U.S.A.! Go to store.erikosberg4congress.com to place your order today. You can also find the link on our website erikosberg.com
Orders will ship in 1-2 weeks. You should get a receipt when your order is placed and a tracking number once your order is shipped. Orders are considered a campaign donation, so be mindful of the $3,500 limit per individual. ✌
Actions you can take
We’re committed to investing our campaign dollars into people power. We now have 6 full-time staffers and Erik himself has put on over 37,000 miles in our efforts. Your financial support can help us secure more boots on the ground. Please give what you can today: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/erik-osberg
We have well over 600 volunteers already signed up, and we always have room for more. Join the movement to help us Do Better: https://www.erikosberg4congress.com/get-involved
