Williamson’s campaign on Sunday sent out an email asking people to donate to her opponent Gravel — who served as a U.S. Senator from Alaska from 1969 to 1981 — because he’s “only 10,000 donations short of qualifying for the July debates.”
“Thanks to you, I’m on the debate stage. And that’s why today I’m using this platform, granted to me by you, to ask for your help,” Williamson wrote in the email.
“You may not have heard of him,” she continued, referring to Gravel, “because he hasn’t yet qualified for any debates. But his voice is important.”
Williamson went on to praise the former senator, who also ran for the presidency as a Democrat in 2008.
“During his time in Senate, he garnered wide respect for his unabashed opposition to the Vietnam War and for reading the Pentagon Papers into the Congressional Record, risking expulsion from the Senate. Democracy is, by definition, for the people and by the people. Democracy thrives when brave men like Mike Gravel risk their careers to do what’s just and right,” she said, before asking her supporters and anyone else receiving emails from her campaign to “please send him to the July debate stage by donating $1 to the Mike Gravel campaign.”
The email came days after Gravel said his campaign is “nearing its conclusion” and asked followers to make suggestions for where he should donate any left-over funds.
In a tweet on Friday, Gravel wrote: “The campaign is nearing its conclusion, and we’re wondering where to donate the left-over funds. (Flint is a great cause but doesn’t seem to be in the greatest need at the moment.) Any thoughts on the most deserving charity? Should we just stick to Flint?”
Gravel noted in a later tweet that “the campaign is not over yet” and that he was “still trying to qualify” for upcoming debates.
After Williamson’s email on Sunday, Gravel shared a visualization depicting a bump in contributions to his campaign.“The @marwilliamson bump is in full effect,” he wrote.
