Now is a time to reflect, not on losses in the past but on hopes for the future. Montana is fortunate to have a governor-elect that is both capable and passionate about improving the lives of Montanans. This will certainly make a difference here at the state level. On the national level, we must concentrate on how best to change policies in Washington that impact Montanans. I hope everyone who was involved in my campaign will stay engaged in this effort.

A reporter asked me last night (when it was clear that polls were NOT trending in my direction) whether I'd "do it again." I said, "If you mean WILL I, that has yet to be seen. If you mean do I regret having run, absolutely not. The people of Montana deserved the opportunity to vote for change, and to show that they felt Montana needed a stronger voice in Washington." I am proud to have been able to serve the people of Montana as their Democratic candidate for Congress.

Those who know me well know that I'm a die-hard Red Sox fan. And as such, I know sometimes you have to wait for victory. Here's to hoping Montana can get the leadership it deserves in Washington next time around (which will probably be a lot sooner than the Sox get back to the World Series!)

- Tracy

P.S. How can I not end the blog with one last request for contributions?? We are still a couple grand shy of what we owe to our vendors and staff. Please consider making a final contribution, to help defray those final-days expenses we incurred in trying to get the word out and defend against the GOP's late negative campaigning. Thanks.

It has been an honor to be the Democratic candidate for U.S. House of Representatives for the state of Montana. With your help, I can continue to serve our state as its (second) Congresswoman.

The choice has never been clearer. If we want to see the country once again have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people; if we want to see workers and small businesses supported; if we want to see solutions to the healthcare crisis facing America; we need to vote out those who are beholden to special interests. We need someone who received her campaign contributions from the people of Montana, not out of state lobbyists and PACs like R.J. Reynolds Tobacco and Halliburton. We need someone who will vote with Montana, not party bosses. Someone who believes in local control of our schools, not unfunded federal mandates. Someone like me, Tracy Velazquez, who will bring an independent voice to Congress.

Please help me give Montana the leadership it deserves in Washington, by giving me your vote tomorrow, November 2nd.

Thanks -

Tracy

10. Not only is Tracy a supporter of Second Amendment gun rights, but she has a sense of humor (this week's stories show that Republicans can't recognize a joke even when it's within easy firing range).

9. Tracy will get rid of the "No Special Interest Left Behind" policies of her opponent, who got 3/4 of his donations from out of state PACs and lobbyists during the last quarter.

8. Tracy will not accuse her opponent of "plagiarism" for using their own party's platform, and then steal her opponent's ideas after mocking them months earlier.

7. Tracy won't accept the best health insurance package in the country, while leaving thousands of Montanans without health insurance, and won't give sweetheart deals to drug companies that spend more money advertising Viagra than making flu vaccines for Americans.

6. Tracy will work harder than Rehberg, but will keep government property dandruff-free by getting her own apartment, rather than sleeping in her office.

5. Tracy will not only visit all 56 counties after elected, but will actually listen to them and then do something to help.

4. Tracy will not go to foreign countries, drink too much, and fall off a horse.

3. Tracy won't say that jobs are her first priority, then give tax breaks to companies that send jobs overseas or government contracts to corporations that dodge taxes by going offshore.

2. Tracy won't be too busy to discuss and debate issues important to Montanans, both here in Montana or in Washington when they come to visit.

1. According to reliable sources, including the IBEW, Tracy's 'hot'. (At least for a 40 year old mother of 3!) 'Nuf said.

Instead of talking about issues, my opponent has embarked on a dishonest and negative campaign that he should be ashamed of. This is just a smokescreen, to hide the fact that Mr. Rehberg doesn't have a record he can stand on. That's why in his TV ad he doesn't mention one accomplishment for Montana from his four years in Washington.

I know that Montanans won't be fooled by pictures of flags burning and fearmongering language. It's time for someone with character to represent Montana in Washington. And during these last ten days, I will continue to travel around this great state, with my message of hope. It's time for real leadership in Washington, and with your help and your vote, we can make that happen.

For those of you who are coming to my website here in the final weeks of the campaign, I hope that, after reading through these weblog entries and looking at the site, you choose to vote for new leadership in Washington for Montana. People I've met all across the state have told me they want someone working hard for them on issues like healthcare, education, and jobs. They want to see more fiscal responsibility, and they want to someone who will bring Montanans together to find solutions. I know I would work hard to represent Montana well.

We still need volunteers to help with a variety of campaign tasks in these last few weeks. Call our office at 522-7510 to help.

Lately, I have had a number of independents and Republicans who have said that they were planning to vote for me. Their reasons are varied. But one theme that has been expressed by many of them is that Mr. Rehberg is out of touch and doesn't listen.

Now, I try not to make too many promises, but one promise I can make is to listen to the people of Montana, and to make sure that I am bringing a Montana perspective to everything I do in Congress. When you only have one representative for the whole state, this is really "job one." As your next congressperson, I will always put Montana first -- not what party bosses want, not what Washington lobbyists want. Representing Montana is an honor and a privilege that I won't take for granted.

We are still collecting names of volunteers to help all around the state. If you can help, pease call our office at 522-7510, or email sheena@tracyforcongress.com. Thousands of people have registered to vote in the last few months. Let's do everything we can to make sure we have a record voter turnout on Nov. 2!

And don't forget -- you can vote any time between now and then, by going into your county courthouse and voting absentee. If you have a friend or neighbor who has trouble getting to the polls, please offer to take them down to vote now, when there aren't any lines and the weather is nice.

This morning, I awoke to find that at some time between May and yesterday, Mr. Rehberg decided I was right on the issue of waiving the federal match for CHIP money for children's health insurance. That might have been OK if they hadn't ridiculed me back in May. Here is the press release I sent to the papers. Holding Mr. Rehberg accountable has certainly been a challenge this campaign But we will continue with our strong message that Montana needs new leadership in Congress. If you could help the campaign by donating your time or money, it will really help us to get out that message in the media. You can do it online, or by calling our office at 406-522-7510. Thanks again to all my steadfast supporters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Congressional candidate Tracy Velazquez was stunned to find that in an AP story of October 1, 2004, Mr. Rehberg was calling for actions that she had suggested in May, and which he had ridiculed at the time. Mr. Rehberg yesterday called for waiving the 20% match requirement that the federal government makes the state of Montana pay in order to receive full funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), which Velazquez had championed over four months earlier.

In a May 25th press statement that was covered both on television and in print, Velazquez said that “It doesn’t make sense for a low-income state to be denied funding for children’s health insurance because it can’t make its match.” (Billings Gazette, Helena IR, 5/26/04)

At the time, Rehberg’s staff had said that Velazquez “wants to make the federal bureaucracy larger” and that “if you remove the state match, that’s less dollars coming in and kids will be dropped from the rolls.” He also said that "she hasn't quite done all her homework."

Yesterday, using almost identical language to that used by Velazquez in May, Rehberg staff said that “just because Montana can’t meet 20 percent or so, we have all this money in the program that’s been sent back. Let’s waive the 20 percent (match) and get these kids signed up.” (Billings Gazette, 10/1/04)

“Montanans should question the integrity of a politician who mocks and derides his opponent for her ideas, then a few months later calmly takes those ideas and tries to sell them as his own,” said Velazquez. “Next thing you know, he’ll be calling for a tax credit for volunteering (another part of Velazquez’ platform). It’s too bad that Mr. Rehberg couldn’t come up with this idea four years ago, instead of waiting to steal his opponent’s ideas the month before the election, during the last week of the congressional session.”

Velazquez also noted that Rehberg was taking credit for something that apparently Secretary Tommy Thompson was already planning to do. On Wednesday, Thompson proposed distributing $660 million in unspent federal CHIP money, saying “no state will be left short and no child will lose coverage due to a shortfall period.”

“Mr. Rehberg obviously is trying to make it look like he had something to do with Mr. Thompson’s announcement, so he can take credit for the extra funding that the Secretary already committed to,” said Velazquez. “This pattern of taking credit where no credit is due has been repeated over and over again throughout this campaign. Mr. Rehberg is the king of the giant check and the giant scissors (for ribbon cuttings).”

Velazquez said that she hopes to have the opportunity to bring this and other issues up again with Rehberg personally, although since Rehberg cancelled the final debate she is afraid many voters will have to rely on what the media chooses to cover. “His staff said on air yesterday that they want to reschedule the October 4th debate at Salish Kootenai College that Mr. Rehberg cancelled,” said Velazquez, “but our call first thing this morning to his campaign headquarters requesting possible dates has yet to be returned. Clearly, Mr. Rehberg is hoping that he can keep sending out press releases and not have to answer the questions of his opponent or his constituents.”

What's the point of all this traveling? Well, it's to meet with folks from all walks of life to hear about their hopes and dreams for themselves, their families and for Montana. As for me, well, I'll be mostly listening. But I also want folks to know that I share their hopes and dreams and that when they vote for me, they'll know that they have someone in Washington looking out for their interests, their families, their Montana.

While I'm out there, I'd sure be happy to listen to you, too. So if you see I'm out your way, call my campaign office at 522-7510 and let me know if I can buy you a cup of coffee.

Also, mark your calendar for our fourth debate on Oct. 4 at the Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, hosted by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. One of my goals when I began my campaign was to give as many voters as possible the opportunity to see and hear me and my opponent debate the issues in person, free from the "spin" of 30-second ads and campaign sound bites. This debate in Pablo was the result of my insistence that at least one debate be held on a reservation so that our Indian population could also have this opportunity.

While Mr. Rehberg relented and agreed to the Pablo debate, he unfortunately doesn't view these debates quite the same as I do. He has refused to debate me more than four times, despite the fact that the voters are clearly asking for them. Just a couple of weeks ago, the Havre Daily News and Montana State University-Northern invited us to debate in Havre. I accepted. My opponent declined. Given his unwillingness to face the voters and his record on issues of importance to Montanans, one has to ask whether Mr. Rehberg is hiding from his record or whether he has just forgotten who he works for.

Below is an e-mail that I received from someone in Forsyth who listened to the debate. The hope that emanates from comments like these are the fuel for our campaign and what make me believe that Montanans are ready for a much deserved change in Washington.

Our next debate is a "radio town hall meeting," with call-ins from across the state. We keep gaining momentum, and are excited about the energy here in Bozeman and all around Montana for change. Don't forget -- you can sign up to volunteer on-line, and we'll get back to you about what needs to be done in your area. Yard signs are sprouting -- get yours today!