How To Write A Good Campaign E-Mail, II: Kathy Ellis

This is the second episode of our series about writing a good campaign e-mail. This one is by Kathy Ellis, running in a horrifyingly red district in southeast Missouri. Trump beat Hillary there 75.4% to 21.0%, her worst result in the state. Kathy is working to build a collaborative progressive infrastructure as well as a congressional campaign. Here last two e-mails, one last week and one yesterday, are about as far as you can drift from standard DCCC fare. Last week's started with a caveat: "[Please note: This is not a fundraising email. But my hope is that when you read about what is happening in our state, you will consider pitching in to some nonprofits that are working tirelessly every day to help.]"

I am fed up. So I will speak bluntly and candidly.

America is at a breaking point. Over the last few decades, the economy in Southeastern Missouri has experienced a severe shrinking in manufacturing, skilled trades, and an all-out assault on family farms. A disturbing trend of annually increasing deaths by suicide, opioid overdose, and preventable illnesses has become a full-blown public health crisis. Now, we stand to lose another of the district's scant rural hospitals, which would leave multiple counties without access to care even in times of emergency.

When working people do seek medical care, too often they are left holding an outrageous bill. I was heartbroken, yet not surprised, when I read a recent article in the Washington Post that detailed the choice many rural and poor Americans make between healthcare, medical bankruptcy, and in many cases imprisonment for failure to pay those bills. The article featured residents in Poplar Bluff-- part of Missouri’s 8th Congressional District. These are my neighbors, my friends, and the people I wish to represent in Congress.

Our broken political system allows do-nothing “representatives” like Jason Smith to hoover up millions of dollars in campaign contributions, enrich himself and promote his family’s interests, and stand idly by while thousands of his constituents die. People die, people suffer, and Jason Smith returns to Washington, D.C. every year. When this happens, something is wrong with the system.

I believe that healthcare is a basic human right. The United States can and should ensure every American has health care at an affordable cost. Doing so would not ruin our economic prosperity. It would strengthen it.

Normally, when a candidate talks about an issue, they explain their positions, followed by a call for donations to help run their campaigns. I’m not a normal candidate. I’m a person, just like you, and I’m frustrated by what’s happening in our state.

Today, I’m asking that if you feel angry or sad about what’s happening in our poorest communities--in our very backyards-- that you consider supporting the efforts of Missouri Healthcare for All or Physicians for a National Health Program-Missouri Chapter, two fantastic organizations fighting for Missourians every day, with a financial donation. Consider volunteering if you have the time, too.

I can promise you that I am in this fight with every fiber of my being. People are senselessly dying in my county, my district, and my state. We can fix this, and people want us to fix it.  Thank you for reading, and thank you for doing everything you can to lend a hand to our neighbors, our brothers and sisters, and our fellow Americans.

Sincerely,

The e-mail she sent yesterday stayed with the same collaborative theme. It isn't about her or even her campaign. It's about the people who live in her district and about why combatting the Climate Crisis, one of the top planks in her platform, is so important:

Dear Howie,

The place I call home has a deep connection to our natural world.

Southeast Missouri is a land of breathtaking natural beauty-- boasting the rolling hills of the Ozark Plateau, vast, green expanses of Mark Twain National Forest, and the banks of over two hundred miles of the muddy Mississippi. Fertile soil, swimming holes, and some of the best scenic views in the Midwest can be found in my District.

Appropriately, people here have an intimate understanding of the environment as a part of our daily lives. Generational family farmers rely on a strong harvest, so they know what effects destructive floods and hotter summers will have on their crops. Small towns know how large-scale CAFO operations have decimated their local economy, and they know all about the groundwater pollution these operations produce. And parents, grandparents, and young people here understand the looming threat of climate change that, left unchallenged, threatens to upend our way of life.

I believe we must take on that challenge. I believe in conserving our cherished landscapes, developing good, local, green jobs, and protecting our right to clean air, clean water, and clean soil.

Today, I’m asking you to consider making a contribution to support The Sierra Club in their efforts to protect sustainable local economies and our earth.

We are all rooted in this district, so we deserve elected leaders who understand what’s happening to the land we live on, and are willing to act on it. I can promise you that I’m ready to do just that.

Sincerely,

And by the way, you can contribute to Kathy's campaign by clicking on this link to the 2020 Blue America endorsed congressional candidates list. And, remember, there's no such thing as a contribution that's too small. Please consider donating what you can. We need women like Kathy to do the hard work in "impossible" districts like Missouri's 8th.