Save the Date: St. Louis Blograiser May 21st!

I know you’re probably looking for someplace to put your activist energy as a long presidential primary winds down, and better yet, get behind one Democrat fighting an extremist Republican.

If you’re in the St. Louis area, you’re in luck. We are pleased to announce the first official blograiser in Missouri, on behalf of Deb Lavender, Democratic candidate for the 94th District of the Missouri House. Deb is a fantastic candidate running against an awful opponent, so picking her ahead of so many other good local candidates wasn’t as hard a choice as we thought it might be. Deb is a Kirkwood physical therapist and small business owner who is running for health care and education reform and to protect our environment. She’s also dogged campaigner who’s not afraid to make a speech in a crowded bar, put in call time, and knock door after door in her district. Her opponent, Rick Stream, is a far-right Republican who voted for such measures as abstinence-only education in schools and to hurt MOHELA’s ability to provide low-interest loans to college students. Best of all, he’s beatable. Deb whipped him in fundraising last quarter and is nearly even in cash on hand. And recently as 2006, Democrats held the seat. It’s going to take some effort, but it’s within reach.

So, here’s how a blograiser works. It’s essentially a combination meetup, fundraiser, and liveblog. We will meet at the Royale at 7:00pm on May 21st, just like about 30 of us did last fall. This time, we’ll pitch in some cash on behalf of Deb, and some of us will give online updates on our respective blogs. You can either bring your checkbook to the Royale, or you can contribute online at Deb’s ActBlue page. The suggested minimum contribution is $10, and if you contribute online ahead of time, please print out your confirmation page and bring it to the blograiser.

Date: Wednesday, May 21st

Place: The Royale at 3132 S. Kingshighway in St. Louis

Time: 7:00pm until ???

And in case you’re on Facebook, here’s the Facebook event page.

Remember, the action in Jefferson City is arguably a lot more important to us in Missouri than what goes on in Washington, D.C. Winning this seat back for the Democrats is a necessary step to bringing responsible governance back to the statehouse. So let’s support Deb!