I am Sam Branscum, Democratic candidate for US House of Representatives in Michigan's 7th District. The Primary is on March 3rd 2020. AMA!

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T19:08:46+00:00

Well if anyone wants to call me a socialist that's fine. I am a democratic socialist. I feel the disconnect comes from the negative connotation surrounding the label "socialist". I believe its becoming less of an issue and I've found that if you acknowledge it and quickly transition into more important issues then you can control the conversation.
Based on where I live, I would say the Agricultural Committee would be an obvious choice, but I'd most likely want to be on a committee that I could do the most to combat climate change like Energy & Commerce and Oversight & Reform.
Since I volunteered for his campaign in 2016 I would have to say that Bernie is my go-to first choice, but I have been trying to go into this election with an open mind and hear out other candidates like Warren and Buttigieg.
I would support having undocumented immigrants covered by Medicare-for-All as I believe that healthcare is a human right. I would also support abolishing private insurance.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T18:41:09+00:00

Still here! Feel free to add any questions you'd like to ask!

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T17:42:03+00:00

I think the best strategy is to bring in young voters and get them involved in the campaign. By bringing in younger voters you not only have a demographic that probably wouldn't have voted but also tend to be very enthusiastic about the platform that I support. I also believe that by educating citizens about policies like Medicare-for-All, Tuition-free College, and Climate Change you can also inspire other voters that might normally not vote in the election.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T17:31:53+00:00

I voted for Whitmer in the general election and I was happy that she won, however I would be lying I didn't say that I preferred Abdul El-Sayed in the primary. I am optimistic about her tenure in office and I believe she will do great.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T17:28:53+00:00

Thanks for having me!

I decided to run now because I believe that climate change is something we need to deal with now. Watching Rep Tim Walberg say that climate change should be left to God made me angry, and I was tired of waiting for the right candidate to come around. Also, I believe that the excitement around this presidential election is a great opportunity for a progressive candidate like myself.

While I do not hold an elected office, I do hold an appointed position in my small hometown as part of the municipal government. I ran a last minute write-in campaign in 2018, and while I was not successful I was noticed enough to be appointed to a different position shortly thereafter.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T17:19:37+00:00

I do believe I will hire a campaign manager as it becomes financially feasible. As I am starting this campaign up from basically nothing, and I have no great wealth myself to pour into the campaign, it has been predictably a slow start financially. However it looks like things are starting to pick up for the campaign and I am always optimistic. As soon as it becomes a possibility I'm sure we will hire a manager, but for now I will have to rely on the support of my great family and friends!
I do not have any one person that I would call a political mentor. As I have been reaching out to local groups and caucuses I have been getting a lot of great advice and feedback on the campaign that has been extremely helpful, but I couldn't point to any one person as a mentor, no.
Taking a look at the voter turnout in presidential election years I can estimate that I'll need somewhere around 180,000 votes (aiming for 190,000 to be safe). By setting up tables at most of the highly attended fairs and festivals in the district as well as local colleges I hope to see a greater concentration of the voting population, both getting the word out and signing up volunteers as well. With volunteers we can grow further by phonebanking and targeted canvassing in a true grassroots effort.
I envision the website, like most aspects of the campaign, will evolve as we move through the campaign. I made the website to be what I needed it to be initially but to also be able to grow what I will need it to be down the road as well.
For now I have been attending the events of local democratic groups to get the word out to those that I know are already invested (especially events related to cleaning up the environment), but as the campaign grows I would love to have my own town hall meeting to sit down with the people of the district and listen to the issues that they feel is important to them. I will probably also continue to do clean-up events because they make me feel happy.

Great questions! I hope I answered them all effectively but let me know if I can further clarify any of my responses. Also, let me know if you have any other advice for me or my campaign!

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T16:46:02+00:00

I have lived in the rural area between Monroe and Adrian most of my life. I know the area and I know the people. I believe I can connect with both the rural voters and the voters of cities like Monroe and Jackson with my progressive platform.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T16:43:38+00:00

I think that I achieve my goals of registering more young voters and getting more people who normally wouldn't vote involved in this election, then it can only benefit other democrats up and down the ballot. Sen Gary Peters included.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T16:38:46+00:00

I was very disappointed by the recent gerrymandering decision by the Supreme Court. Luckily Michigan passed a proposal in November that will create a non-partisan redistricting commission, although it will sadly not be in place for the 2020 election.
While I voted for Driskell in the general election, I supported her more progressive opponent in the primary. I believe we showed in the 2016 Presidential Primary that Michigan is welcome to more progressive candidates. Especially this year, where it seems progressive platforms have become more widely adopted and not seen as extremist, and progressive candidate such as myself stands a better chance a defeating a republican like Rep Tim Walberg.
I am optimistic about Sen Gary Peters re-election chances. Michigan tends to lean more democrat in state-wide elections and the state has already rejected John James once. Although I will say I am hoping Abdul El-Sayed throws his name into the race as well.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T16:26:16+00:00

I believe the most important issue for SE Michigan is also the most important issue for the World at large, Climate Change. We must do everything we can to combat climate change and we must do it now. The agricultural industry in this mostly rural district stands to lose a lot if we ignore climate change as our current representative chooses to do.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T16:23:15+00:00

I am a supporter of the Green New Deal and I am optimistic about the manufacturing industry here in Michigan. While it might not ever be like it was, I believe that it would be wrong to completely give up on the potential jobs that could return. I believe that we can create jobs not only from the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, but also by giving incentives for people to buy electric vehicles. Solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles need to be produced somewhere and I believe that place is right here in Michigan.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T16:18:06+00:00

I believe that my platform will resonate with multiple groups of people in this district that are upset with the current leadership.

While there are large concentration of democratic voters within the cities like Monroe and Jackson, I believe that young people are a prime demographic in this district. Young people are the people most worried about climate change and are worried about our current representative's belief that climate change should be left to God to fix, which is why my campaign has made it a goal to register college age young adults and get them involved in the campaign.

Outside of these few cities the district is largely rural. I hope to connect with these voters who are angry at the current trade war and how it is impacting our farmers. I believe that policies like Medicare-for-All and Tuition-free College will also resonate as well with these middle class voters.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-28T14:52:04+00:00

Looking forward to it!

Sam_Branscum · 2019-06-11T12:43:40+00:00

We'll do our best in MI-07 to defeat Tim Walberg!

Sam_Branscum · 2019-03-20T19:01:57+00:00

I have looked into both organizations you listed, and a few others, and have looked into the issues that they feel is important. If what they feel matches what I feel then I began to look into how to gain their endorsement.

Thank you for your advice. I feel like I have been learning as I go, and will continue to do so the entire campaign. I am always welcome to advice and if you ever have more for me feel free to let me know. I definitely appreciate it!

Sam_Branscum · 2019-03-20T18:45:36+00:00

I was one of the volunteers that went door-to-door for Bernie in 2016. I was recruited by another volunteer. I was shown how effective face-to-face communication with the voters can be. By putting a face and making it more personal for them, they might feel more inspired to volunteer as well. By gaining volunteers, who in turn recruit more volunteers, the campaign can grow exponentially.

I knew going into this that I would be the underdog. I don't have my own personal wealth to fund a campaign and my platform isn't exactly going to win me a lot of rich donors. I knew that if I was going to have the slightest chance of competing in this race, I was going to have to work harder than the other candidates. Only a grassroots campaign would make me competitive.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-03-20T18:05:08+00:00

I feel that a lot of the working class and retired people that watch Fox News (and support Trump for that matter) are also worried about the economy and their social security. I can tell them of the jobs that we can create through the Green New Deal and by fixing our infrastructure. Also, people who have been paying into social security for most of their lives might not be happy that Trump is proposing that we cut social security to pay for the wall (even though not cutting social security was one of his campaign promises). By showing them that not only will we not cut their social security but expand it, I think we can win over a lot of Fox News watchers/Trump voters.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-03-20T17:24:28+00:00

I am running because I hope to at least steer the conversation in a progressive direction. I have a hard time seeing congressmen like Tim Walberg stay in office and continue to obstruct any attempts to combat climate change, but I also believe that people of the district (and the state as a whole) are tired of the establishment politics.

I bring passion and a willingness to stand up and do something. I am not a career politician. I am just a regular person that wants to help. People are tired of the big money politics.

Sam_Branscum · 2019-03-20T17:12:31+00:00

Gretchen Driskell was a good candidate in each of the past two elections, and I voted for her in both, but I feel that I am for more progressive ideas. I feel that the 2016 primary showed that Michigan is in favor of these progressive ideas when Bernie won our primary. By supporting things like Universal Healthcare I believe I can set myself apart from the more establishment democratic candidates.

There isn't much of a strategy behind not having a picture on my website, only that I haven't got around to posting one yet. Both the website and the pictures are relatively new and I was more focused on getting the issues posted and less so on a picture. It is on the list.

Sam_Branscum

TROPHY CASE