A Message From Dan Francis

Dan Francis was running for John McHugh's Congressional seat (NY-23). Unfortunately, Mr. Francis was unable to collect enough signatures on a nominating petition. Here is Dan Francis entire post to the citizens of NY-23:

Message to the Citizens of NY 23rd Congressional District

This is a history-making election year. We still face two wars with no end in sight and success fleeting.

* Our economy is on the verge of collapse.
* Congress spends wildly and has sustained a deficit of $700 billion, along with record foreign borrowing, and a national debt if $9.4 trillion.
* We face a recession that government can't seem to handle, and most now serving in office are plainly are out of touch with reality. Yet most of them will be reelected from campaigns built on huge expensive coffers, slick Ad and gimmicks, as well as a lot of fear and hype.
* The status quo has clearly failed the public they swore to serve.
* This Congress has a job approval rating of less than twenty percent. That number speaks volumes for the condition of our ship of state: leaderless, rudderless, and adrift on a sea of red ink that is gridlocked and awash in rabid partisanship that benefits no one except those serving in office.

As I looked around me over the past year or so, what I saw was not the America I grew up in, or the one I wanted for today, or even the one that I had served my whole adult life as a Marine and then as a DOD civilian employee all over the world. It is not the country that I fought and bled for years ago in Vietnam. What I saw was government out of control, abusive and an electorate hungry for leadership that in this district that in my view did not serve each and every person in this district.


I reached the conclusion that it was time to run for the seat and send Mr. McHugh into retirement. I figured I had the best background in positions that prepared me to make tough decisions that he never made regarding war and peace, torture, rational economic policies that impact not only this district, but also the country as a whole, and bold leadership.

I wanted to be a new voice because I believed that a lot of voices in this district were not been heard. I believed that I represented the values and views of a lot of people – but reaching a lot of them in this vast district is an awesome task, and I simply did not have the resources and support that my opponent has. I could have tried to raise a lot of outside money, like Mr. Oot did, or as Mr. McHugh always does, but that would offer surrender on my staunchest principle – to represent the people and not big outside money.


I wanted those things, but I was wrong.

The fact of the matter is that I badly misjudged the power and influence of the Democratic Party county chairs in this vast, 11-county district in my assessment of what they wanted vs. what I offered. I came up short in the required number of signatures on petitions required to gain ballot access for a September 9 primary against Mr. Oot. I am disappointed, but not angry, or cynical. This is still my country and my district and I will continue to speak out on serious issues.

My campaign for public office ends with this effort. I had the chance to meet new friends and see old ones. I enjoyed every single moment of this campaign. I had asked only two things from the people: to give me a fair look and an honest evaluation, and if they thought I was worthy, to give me their help and support. I fell short in that regard.

I sincerely thank everyone who supported me and signed a petition nominating me. That means a great deal to me and I will always be grateful for that effort. I will call or email each one of them and personally thank them. I wish Mr. Oot the best of luck in this campaign. May the best candidate win and then stand tall to represent us better than we have seen in the past. We certainly deserve change.

Sincerely,

Danny M. Francis