Bonifaz for Sec of State News - Kerry withdraws, Trippi blogging audio...

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Dear Friends,

Our first two weeks since launching our campaign have brought major developments.

On December 12, the incumbent announced that he will be seeking a fourth term. As a result, Cameron Kerry, Senator John Kerry's brother, has dropped out of the race. This will now be a one-on-one matchup.

In next September's Democratic primary, Massachusetts voters will have a choice: a pro-active voting rights leader who will fight to make Massachusetts a model for free and fair elections or a 12-year incumbent who has remained silent in the face of voting rights violations throughout the state and who has resisted the enactment of meaningful electoral reforms. The most important responsibility of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is to serve as the state's chief elections officer. As Secretary, I will fight to preserve and protect the right to vote and to strengthen our democracy. Massachusetts deserves this leadership.

As I noted in a recent blog posting on our website, December 12 also marked the fifth anniversary of the U.S Supreme Court's ruling in Bush v. Gore, in which the Court stopped the vote-counting in the state of Florida and, for the first time in our nation's history, selected the president of the United States. As we remember that date, we are also reminded of how important it is to have secretaries of state who will stand up for the right to vote and for the integrity of the electoral process.

On December 13, Joe Trippi hosted a conference call with bloggers from around the nation about this campaign. We had a lively discussion about this candidacy and the overall democracy movement in the country. You can listen to a recording of that call here: http://www.johnbonifaz.com/node/159.

We have been moving around the state, meeting with voters, speaking before citizen activists from Boston to Amherst, from Acton to Pittsfield, and engaging people on the critical issues facing our democracy in Massachusetts. Throughout all of this, I have been excited by the growing grassroots energy for this campaign.

Thank you for your ongoing support. I look forward to working with you as together we build this campaign and win in 2006!

Keep on,

John

P.S. We need your help to move us forward! If you have not already done so, please contribute today at www.johnbonifaz.com/contribute, and please urge your friends and colleagues to join us as well. Massachusetts law allows individuals to contribute up to $500 per calendar year. Your contribution today, within this calendar year limit, is critical to help us demonstrate our early viability!