I wanted to take this opportunity to update everyone on the progress of our gubernatorial campaign. I, along with my running mate for Lt. Governor, Eveline Brownstein, have been working hard to live up to the promise made at the convention to give all of you the fight of my life when you nominated us. It has already been a wild ride, and there is much more to come.
We have been building our infrastructure, including our website (www.meleforgovernor.com), social media accounts (FB, Twitter, Instagram), and various video/commercial content. This included our strategy team, our legal research and biostatistics team, our communications team, and our production team. Everyone has contributed mightily to a very professional, eye-catching, and inspiring presentation of our message.
We also had a strong petition drive, achieving the 1,000-signature milestone, 25% over the required 800, to provide a strong cushion that prevented any challenges, and their associated costs, from occurring. I am proud of the work everyone did to surpass expectations, between our electronic and in-person petitions, and on a completely volunteer basis.
Also, primarily in the month of May, I completed the first of 3 “21-in-‘21” tours of each county in the state. I met a lot of great people who share our concerns about the condition our state is in, and how there are no other options that will turn things around. I learned so much about the local areas I visited, and combined with our down-ballot candidates whenever possible. I have also been promoting our message via social media, and we have picked up a lot of support. Besides our platform planks, which everyone who reads them seems to like, the message has been that nothing will change or improve, no matter which of our opponents might win, so we have to go all-out with an anti-Establishment message to rattle the nerves of those too comfortable with power to be bothered with the People’s business.
I also just joined both of my opponents at a meeting of the NJBIA, an organization in support of small business owners, to meet their members and answer their questions. It may be the first time this organization has invited any third-party candidate, which is a testament to the momentum we have, and the attention it is starting to get. This is why we have to keep our foot on the gas pedal and keep pushing. Our fundraising is moving forward, and we are also getting support from National to help in this effort, since ours is the only Libertarian gubernatorial campaign this year except for California’s recall. Please give what you can, but please also encourage your circle to consider doing the same, and perhaps we can make history!
Coming up on our schedule is the second “21-in-‘21” tour, between July and August, and several other events currently in the planning stages. I hope to offer a chance to “dunk” your future governor in a dunking booth, as part of a day of outdoor fun during the summer months, and other opportunities to get to know the human side of Eveline and me and what we are all about. We are excited to meet as many of you as possible, so that you can be a direct part of what we are trying to accomplish. We are in need of a complete change in our state. I am honored and humbled to be the messenger for all of us, and it is my intention to provide you with a campaign you will remember into the future, and hopefully carry us into a new era of more aggressive campaigning, at all levels, until we break barriers and make the change we all so urgently want. Yours in liberty, Gregg Mele.