A Month From Today-- Can We Trade In A Blue Dog Retrobate For A Dedicated Progressive?

Over the weekend, Blue America launched a last-minute fundraising drive for the one progressive challenger running for Congress in Arizona, Eva Putzova. 24 hours later, 61 contributors had raised $1,567 for her last minute push-- an average of around $26 a person. For a grassroots campaign, taking on an entrenched galoot like this, contributions like that make a real difference. In Eva's own words, "This is the final stretch for our campaign before the big primary on August 4 and your contributions are already making a big difference. Over the last 18 months of campaigning, we have done the impossible-- knocked on 17,000 doors (prior the pandemic), dialed 160,000 phones, and raised more than AOC didi in 2018 heading into her primary in New York."

But Eva's district, AZ-01, has some unique challenges for campaigns like hers as it includes the Navajo Nation where cell phone coverage (for texting and calling) is spotty, where broadband Internet access is limited (for digital ads), and where people check mail under the non-pandemic circumstances only once a month (for campaign mailers). "These days, Eva explained "it takes 2-3 hours standing in a line at the Post Office to get mail out of P.O. boxes on the reservation. Shortage of staffing due to COVID-19 as well as space limitation due to the necessary social distancing measures put in place make a trip to get mail a challenge the rest of America can’t even imagine. We still need to reach the Native voters and the best way to do it, considering these limitations, is by radio. We set a goal to raise $15,000 in the next 5 days to fund our radio campaign strategy on the Navajo Nation."

Can you step up on more time for Eva? Why? I asked her why.

As a reliable progressive with a track record of following through on my campaign promises-- during my campaign for the City Council in 2014 I said I’d work to raise Flagstaff’s minimum wage and I did that in 2016-- I will fight for Medicare for All where everybody is in and nobody is out, for a Green New Deal to retool our economy away from fossil fuels while bringing equity and justice to historically marginalized communities, and to overhaul our immigration system to reflect the humanity that I still believe most people in this country subscribe to. You can count on me to oppose wars of choice and to use my political capital to recalibrate our defense budget that serves corporate interests rather than peace, actual security, and diplomacy.

As a representative in Congress, I also need to bring justice for Indigenous people who live in this district and to all Native people around the country. We have to put First People first because for centuries, we put them last. As a result, 1/3 of the Navajo Nation doesn’t have running water, 15,000 households lack electricity, hundreds of miles of their roads are unpaved and children spend 2-3 hours every day being bussed to schools or separated from their families in boarding schools.

This weekend, I talked to an ER doctor from Chinle, AZ and they shared with me what it’s like for the Native patients. Unlike in other hospitals around the country, important specialists are not being hired to provide healthcare for the local Native people. During every ER shift, routinely, 1 to 6 patients require care of a urologist, neurologist, nephrologist, or one of other specialists. Instead of being completely treated at the Chinle hospital, they are airlifted and transported hundreds of miles away from their homes to Phoenix, Flagstaff, or New Mexico’s Albuquerque. After the treatment, they are discharged but Indian Health Service doesn’t pay for their transportation back home and they are stranded, oftentimes left homeless overnight or for longer in a place they have no network to turn to. And it’s not just the ER patients-- others who need a specialist-- experience a huge distress over the prospect of being sent outside of their home communities without access to transportation to bring them back.

How is it possible that we don’t fund Indian Health Service to employ much needed specialists locally? How come there’s money for expensive air transportation but not to bring people back to their homes? How can we stomach leaving vulnerable people stranded and homeless after the hospital discharge?

What we hear from the healthcare providers on the Navajo Nation points to one thing: a complete bi-partisan failure of the Congress to act. My opponent has done absolutely nothing for four years to change this and has done everything to help Republicans and corporations to exploit the rest of the country.

Help me unseat one of the most pro-Trump Democrats, Tom O’Halleran and donate to our campaign. We have no plans to come in a strong second and with your help, our campaign will deliver on August 4.

You see that thermometer above; just click on it and you'll be on an ActBlue "Primary A Blue Dog" page where you can contribute to Eva Putzova for Congress. Those radio ads for the Navajo reservation are not all that expensive. $26 contributions go a long way-- and this I can tell you for certain. As bad as O'Halleran has been in the House... that's how good Eva will be.