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« Email from First Budget
February 11, 2016
First Budget thanks you...
With voting in Iowa and New Hampshire now complete, the First Budget team thanks you for your support and involvement. We have many achievements to be proud of in both states, and below are a few highlights.Getting candidates on the record about their fiscal and economic priorities:
- Hundreds of interactions between candidates and our supporters over the course of the campaign allowed us to hear directly from candidates about how they would address the national debt and the budget.
- In New Hampshire, we launched “Fiscal Fridays” in partnership with NH1 News Network, the Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire, and the Warren B. Rudman Center. We interviewed seven presidential candidates about the policies they would pursue as president, including Gov. Chris Christie, Gov. John Kasich, Donald Trump, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Gov. Martin O’Malley, Gov. George Pataki, and Sen. Rand Paul.
- In Iowa, we launched “Your First Budget” in partnership with community news network MC22, where three presidential candidates went on the record discussing their plans to address our nation’s fiscal issues, including Carly Fiorina, Gov. John Kasich, and Sen. Rand Paul.
- National media exposure, with highlights including a launch article in the WSJ, anappearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”, and a favorable editorial in the Chicago Tribune.
“Haven’t
heard of First Budget? You would if you attended candidates’
events in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina or other early caucus and
primary states... Its members are pressing, politely but relentlessly,
for answers about America’s perilous finances from the men and women
who would be our 45th president.” – Chicago Tribune
- Impactful local coverage, including an editorial, “Candidates offer deficit of ideas on debt” in the Des Moines Register on the day of the Iowa caucus about First Budget’s recently released report.
“So far, however,
it’s been mostly empty rhetoric. Actual proposals
have been incomplete, unrealistic or irresponsible.
That’s
the conclusion of a new report by First Budget, a nonpartisan
initiative between the Concord Coalition and the Campaign to Fix the
Debt.” – Des Moines Register
- In-depth articles about high profile public forums we’ve held in each state. For example, in the Seacoast Online, “Former politicians warn of debt crisis” and in the Des Moines Register, “’Fix the Debt’ asks Iowans to press candidates on federal budget.”
- For a full listing of First Budget's media hits, visit our news page.
- In both states, First Budget has held dozens of public engagement and education events that included forums, interactive budget exercises, and meetings with voters.
- First Budget had the help of its 'cabinets' in Iowa and New Hampshire that were composed of political, business, and civic leaders across each state who share a deep concern over the growing national debt. Members engaged with media on numerous occasions. For example, in Iowa, cabinet members wrote an op-ed titled, "Candidates must have plan for federal debt" and in New Hampshire cabinet members wrote an op-ed titled, "Make debt a national priority."
- In Iowa, we partnered with the Greater Des Moines Partnership on interactive budget exercises and other public events, such as our forum in October with Gov. Ed Rendell and business leader Paul Stebbins.
- In New Hampshire, we partnered with the Community College System of New Hampshire on classroom exercises, candidate events, and elected leader events, such as our January event with Sen. Judd Gregg and Gov. Ed Rendell.