February 5, 2013

Here’s a Potential GOP Senate Candidate Playing Beer Pong

State Rep. Dan Winslow (R-Mass.)Erin Baldassari/ <a href="http://www.wickedlocal.com/medfield/news/x981213530/Medfield-Rep-Dan-Winslow-uses-discount-ticket-website-to-fundraise?photo=0#axzz2K31IOOHe">Medfield Press</a>

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On Tuesday, after a handful of Republican candidates with statewide name recognition had signaled they weren’t interested, Massachusetts state Rep. Dan Winslow announced he was forming an exploratory committee for the special election to replace former Democratic Sen. John Kerry. Winslow, who is pro-choice and has been previously endorsed by gay rights groups, has been viewed as a rising star in the state party for a few years now (see this profile in Commonwealth magazine in 2011), but would face an uphill challenge if he runs. Reps. Stephen Lynch and Ed Markey are vying for the Democratic nomination.

Prior to launching his exploratory committee, though, Winslow’s most noteworthy political move was becoming perhaps the only pol in American history to hold a photo op while playing beer pong. The “Beer Pong and Politics Networking and Fundraiser,” held at Boston’s Battery Park Bar and Lounge in September 2011, gave attendees a chance to mingle with their representative while partaking in the national sport of 18–24-year-olds. As Winslow told the Medfield Press, “The idea is to encourage participation by people not typically involved in politics. It’s as much a ‘friend-raiser’ as a ‘fund-raiser'”—hence the low ticket price ($25, open-bar included). Per the Press, Winslow played with water in his cups instead of beer.

Here’s the logo for the event, per its Facebook page:

“Sink it / drink it” Facebook

And here’s Winslow’s promotional tweet:
 

Winslow isn’t the only Republican interested in the race. The Hill reported that the National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee has also approached former Navy SEAL Gabriel Gomez about running for the seat.

Winslow hasn’t responded to a Mother Jones inquiry about the his pong skills, but we’ll update if we hear back.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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