Wow! All I can say is Thank You!
Hutchinson really showed up and stepped up for our first-ever Prost for Probst event
By the time it hit 5 p.m. on Thursday, all the pieces of the first annual Prost for Probst event were in place. We had ordered the swag, set up the tables, brewed the beer, hired the band, arranged the food menu, and sent out the invitations.
I thought it would be a good event, and that we’d have good attendance. My supporters are pretty reliable like that - and I am so grateful for their support and indulgence of my ideas for fun events.
But I didn’t expect it to be one of the busiest night in Sandhills’ history. I didn’t expect there’d be a steady stream of people in line to get beer. I didn’t expect that we’d sell a record amount of merch or that we’d pack the house for the entire evening.
Yet that’s exactly what happened.
This community always shows up when we need it to. They show up when a local business is in trouble, they show up when families need a helping hand, and they have always shown up for me, too. And that’s one of the reasons I believe in Hutchinson, and I believe in the future we can realize if we work together in the best interest of our shared community.
It makes my heart feel good to see so many people come together to share in a community-centered event. If you attended, you know that we didn’t spend a lot of time talking about political parties or whatever big scary issue the polling shows will keep people divided. We talked about the value of our community - and then we enjoyed each others’ company and all the fun events we had going on.
Of course, any event like this couldn’t happen without the incredible work of volunteers who help organize, plan, and execute all the details that need to come together at the same time. You all did amazing work, and I am so grateful and indebted to you.
As of today (Sept. 23) there are 24 days until early voting starts on Oct. 16 and 44 days until election day on Nov. 5.
I know that my opponent - who has no tie or connection to our community and signed up to run as a favor to his friends in leadership - is doing all he can to beat me. I get reports almost daily about what he’s doing. I expect in the coming weeks that effort will intensity. I expect the ads and mail will increase, and I expect the rhetoric built around fear and division will grow in volume. And I expect they’ll do all they can to turn this community against me.
Only you can prevent carpetbaggers from winning! (I should copyright that)
You can tell the story of our community to others, and you share with everyone why you support me, why I’m the best choice for Hutchinson, and you can tell people about the ways I’ve helped you personally, or the ways I’ve worked to help the community. You can correct the record, and you can correct the idea that voting solely for a political party with no other consideration leaves our community in the wrong hands.
A number of you recorded videos in the past to help with this effort - but I know some of you who wanted to record were unable to attend. No worries - we can still set up a time to record a short statement of support. You could even do it from home on your phone if that’s easier.
Here’s a link to get a yard sign delivered, record a video, or sign up to help.
But even if you don’t do any of the traditional pieces of campaigning or political work, you can visit with people in your corner of our community. You can speak to the importance of presence, and the importance of being connected, and you can talk about the values we all share in this community. Then you can help make sure people who share our community’s priorities gets out to vote for a Representative that will put our community ahead of political party or political games.
I’ll need all of you to show up between Oct. 16 and Nov. 5 with the same enthusiasm, excitement, and volume, that you displayed last week. And I’m confident that you will - because I’ve never been wrong to have faith in the power of this community.
Well played!