AL KRULICK
FOR CONGRESS

In 1996, I ran for the U.S. House of Representatives from this district, against a well-known and well-financed Republican incumbent. I had no money, no connections, and no reason to believe that anyone would vote for me, much less take me seriously. But in the absence of any other credible opposition candidate, I took it upon myself to learn about the system, figure out what it took to launch and maintain a campaign, and decide what it was I wanted to say to the electorate. By May 1996, I was the Democratic nominee from Florida's 8th Congressional District. On election day, I received 33% of the vote; over 65,000 people voted against the sitting Congressman.

Though I was defeated at the polls, clearly it was a victory for the system and for one individual who thought it was the right thing to do to challenge the status quo and agitate for "a new suit." This year, I will again attempt to become the Democratic nominee for Congress from the 8th District.

When people ask me, as they often do,
"Al, do you think you can win?,"
I always give them the same response:
"You don't run because you think you can win...
You run because you think you're right!"

We are nearing the end of the century and the end of the millennium, a perfectly appropriate time to consider some very large issues that face our nation and to carefully examine the "commonwealth's political clothes" for the tears that need mending. So I want to share with you some of the conclusions I have reached, tell you why I believe "a new suit" is necessary and invite you to join me in the agitation that is, or should be, at the very heart of our electoral and participatory politics.

You may not agree with me on all these issues. The leaders of my party will not agree with me on all these issues. As Will Rogers once said, "I don't belong to any organized political party... I'm a Democrat!"

As a Democrat, it is my desire to:

• serve the under-represented working people of this district and country;
  
• to fight for fair treatment and economic security for the middle class and working poor;
  
• to enhance access to education and training for all who want to learn and earn;
  
• to struggle for real campaign finance reform that would level the playing field and allow quality candidates of modest means an opportunity to run and serve;
  
• to champion a clean and unpolluted environment for us and our posterity;
  
• to preserve a woman’s right to choose; and
  
• to provide affordable and comprehensive health care for all our citizens.