Obi Sium Will Not Run in 2008

I received a letter in the mail from Obi Sium who ran for Minnesota's 4th Congressional District seat in the 2006 election. He states that he will not run in 2008. The underlying factors being lack of money and volunteers. I share his concerns. My campaign started late in the game and I did what I could, he had two years where I had two months. I feel that all efforts in our great state were focused on the Tim Pawlenty and Mark Kennedy campaigns. Here are some excerpts from his letter:

I would like to thank you for your support of my candidacy for the U. S. House of Representatives in Minnesota's 4th Congressional District. I am proud to be an American and a Republican.

I am glad I did run. I have no regrets whatsoever. I met thousands of people. I was tremendously blessed and encouraged by these folks I met. I prayed that I could be a blessing to them in return.

I raised only $85,00.00 for the campaign. I had very few volunteers helping with the campaign. No literature was mailed. No television ads were broadcast. When folks went to the voting booth, most of them did not know who Obi Sium was. However, I worked very hard, 14-18 hours a day. The dedicated volunteers and I dropped over 100,000 pieces of literature at homes and apartments. Considering the over all situation, maybe getting 30% of the votes was not all bad after all.

My analysis is that the factors, namely money an volunteers, needed for a successful campaign are not there. At this point, I am not running for the 2008 election. I would consider running again in 2010 only if I am sure I am able to raise $1.0-1.5 million and over 100 volunteers.

I know you will continue to uphold the principles that made America the envy of the world. On my part, I plan to continue to add my voice to yours.

Sincerely,

Obi Sium

This a great letter from a great person. I share his feelings to a certain degree. The big difference between us is that he worked on his campaigned two years, where I only had two months. A foreman I once worked under told me, "A good leader accepts all blame, and passes on all credit." I take full responsibility for my campaign and I am very thankful to those who helped. I could not have done it with out them.