Keep In Touch
June 2009
Dear Friends:
It's official! More than 150 community leaders recently hosted the Kickoff Reception for my campaign for the State Senate. It was a lively, diverse, and politically experienced group of activists who came to express their support for energetic new leadership in Annapolis.
I was honored to be introduced by former Delegate Paul Carlson, who spoke of my commitment to mentoring others as well as my willingness to be an independent voice (when needed) when we served together in the House of Delegates. District 17's former State Senator, Mary Boergers, talked about my passion for helping to elect other progressive Democrats and my skill and work ethic as a candidate.
My speech included an overview of my background working on important issues like a woman's right to choose, gun control, and campaign finance reform. After serving 8 years in the House of Delegates, I helped elect our Democratic Congressman, Chris Van Hollen, and then went on to become the Executive Director of the Carl M. Freeman Foundation. There, I helped create grant opportunities, a Leadership Institute, and many capacity-building programs. By overseeing contributions of over $1 million per year, I also gained a deeper appreciation for the nonprofit sector and the hundreds of community-based organizations than I ever had as a legislator, staffer, Board member, or donor. Without these dedicated groups, our economy and our State would be facing even greater challenges than we already are.
Most importantly, I pledged to voluntarily cap my campaign contributions. Too often, I believe that voters lose confidence in candidates and their government because campaigns are largely financed by super-rich and by special interests. I announced that I will take no more than 50% of the legal maximum contribution levels of $4,000 per person and $6,000 per political action committee. In addition, my campaign will address the so-called "LLC Loophole" that allows one person with multiple corporate interests to get around the current campaign laws by writing the maximum checks from each account they control. I vowed to accept my reduced contribution limit of $2,000 per person and not per checkbook as is the case now. Because many in the Senate voted to support this move on LLC's, I am optimistic that it will soon become law. In the meantime, I will voluntarily commit to this practice, because it is simply the right thing to do. I am hopeful that every candidate for either the House or Senate in District 17 will abide by these same limits. Wouldn't it be great if we became known as "Clean Seventeen" for our commitment to financing our campaigns using stricter limits than current law requires?!
I hope you will join the hundreds of activists already supporting my campaign for the State Senate. I want to be an energetic and hard-working candidate who will continue to knock on doors and listen to the concerns of those in Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Garrett Park. Please join us!
You may contact me with your ideas, either through this web page or by "friending me" on Facebook. Together, we can make a difference.
Best regards,
Cheryl C. Kagan
PS: With my voluntary campaign finance limits, it's going to take a lot more donors helping out in order to raise what I need to communicate with voters. Would you click here to make a donation of any size to C.H.E.C.K. (Citizens Helping Elect Cheryl Kagan)? Many thanks!