After thinking about it and talking it over with my wife and my friends, I have decided to run for California’s 11th Congressional District seat in 2006. I think that the internet can be a great democratizing force, and I want to see what will happen if a candidate fully embraces it as a campaign medium. I will blog personally, not through a staffer. What you read here will be my thoughts, my voice, not press releases. The forum will be open to all, and I will be the most frequent user. A campaign directed by the voters is a campaign committed to communication and one that values the people in its district – I intend to run such a campaign.

It may work incredibly well, it may not, but we will work together to keep the discussion honest, open, and focused on values and issues that matter to everyone. I have been brainstorming how to build a campaign that is inclusive and engaging. I am starting by limiting all campaign contributions to $100 per individual. In addition, I am putting up a campaign schedule that is open to the public, where anyone can schedule my time wherever they would like me to be. So I ask you – what else can I do? What do you wish your representative would do?

I am moving my blog to this site, and I will keep everyone updated on the race as time goes by, as well as actively soliciting your feedback. I have been taking notes on ideas I have, and I will post them as they start to be fleshed out. Lets stop complaining and figure out how to do this together. Join the conversation.