Why a Clean Campaign Pledge?

On Tuesday, April 3rd, I signed a clean campaign pledge and asked all the candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 10th Congressional District to do the same. So far, only candidate Timothy Murphy has joined me and signed the pledge.

In a Democratic primary, Democrats attacking other Democrats is destructive and plays into the hands of Republicans. Ultimately, it makes the Democratic Party goals of creating jobs, standing up for equality and women’s rights, providing quality education, working to keep our air and water clean and protecting Medicare and Social Security that much harder.

Negative campaigning hurts Democrats
Negative campaigning between Democratic campaigns in a primary election only serves to help Republicans at our expense. It dampens the enthusiasm of Democratic voters, depresses turnout and allows Republican candidates to reap the benefits of the negative ads without having to spend their resources.

Furthermore, we Democrats have the capacity to disagree with our political competitors on the issues while at the same time regarding one another with respect and consideration. We have no need for vitriolic personal attacks or distorted records because we are confident that our values and beliefs are sufficient in themselves to attract voters to our cause.

We Deserve a Clean Campaign
Democratic primary voters deserve the chance to hear why each candidate feels the he or she is the best qualified to represent the district. Each candidate should take the lead in committing to run no negative attacks against each other.

With all of this in mind, our campaign has put forward a Clean Campaign Pledge that you can view by clicking here.