Feb. 13, 2020
For immediate release
The Ray Lenzi for Congress campaign is moving forward, advancing clear solutions to issues facing the 12th District, connecting with more and more voters and positioning itself to take on Mike Bost in November. It’s clear the Funk for Congress campaign is in deep distress:
1) End of the year financial filings with the Federal Election Commission show a campaign deep in debt. The Lenzi campaign, by contrast, has money in the bank with no debt and is increasingly gaining many small donations from its grass roots supporters.
2)That same report shows the “grass roots” Funk campaign to be a myth. More than half of the campaign’s expenditures have been to political consultants who are out-of-state/out-of-district. Mr. Funk is paying outside interests in Washington, D.C., Chicago and elsewhere to convince 12th District voters to support a floundering campaign. Funk’s own internal polling shows him losing to Mike Bost.
3) Mr. Funk voted Republican in the 2010 and 2012 primaries. The Democratic Party’s own voter database shows Funk “leaning Republican.” His “Republican lite” approach to the campaign simply isn’t flying with Southern Illinois and Metro-East voters.
4)The Funk campaign refuses to meet head-on with Ray Lenzi for various debates set up across the 12th District. Negotiations on issues such as dates, times and format began in December 2019, but the Funk campaign has put off the Lenzi campaign, using every excuse in the world. “We already have ‘No Show Mike (Bost),’” said Lenzi, “we don’t’ need a ‘No Show Funk’ who’s afraid to meet in face-to-face debates and side-by-side appearances.” One voter says, “If Funk is not willing to travel outside the metro east area, how can he convince voters to retire Mike Bost.”
5)The Funk campaign has brought in a new campaign manager, an out-of-state political consultant, to try to right the ship. Again, the “grass roots” Funk campaign is proven to be a myth.
6)The previous Funk campaign manager is making negative, misleading posts on the Lenzi for Congress Facebook page, that are simply untrue.
7)As the campaign has progressed, what we do know is that we are the campaign with momentum. When we do have a debate or joint appearance, voters come forward telling us they are changing their vote from Funk to Lenzi.
Lack of experience, lack of support, and simple dishonesty. The Floundering Funk campaign can’t connect with the voters and is NOT ready to take on Mike Bost in the General Election.