BJ Lawson and the New Face of the Ron Paul Revolution (Don Rasmussen)

Campaign for Liberty blogger Don Rasmussen has a nice writeup on pro-freedom congressional candidate B.J. Lawson:

For close observers of American politics, liberal or conservative, the impact of the Ron Paul campaign has been difficult to ignore. Whether one was amazed by the devotion of Paul’s supporters or the seeming callous disregard for the Paul campaign in the “mainstream” media, the impact of Ron Paul’s campaign for president has undoubtedly left its mark on the political landscape.

The exact contours of this landscape are reflected in the scores of candidates running in local congressional and state races. Among these, the campaign of William “B.J.” Lawson in North Carolina’s 4th district stands out for its candidate, organizational success and fund-raising ability.

Originally from Florida, Lawson moved to North Carolina to attend Duke University Medical school. At Duke, he distinguished himself as having a flexible and innovative mind by pioneering the use of translating software allowing doctors to communicate with non-English speaking patients in local hospitals. After graduating from Duke – a feat in and of itself – Lawson successfully started MercuryMD, a business geared towards patient information management for medical residents. The business was successful and routinely resulted in time savings and cost reductions among hospitals adopting the product. Eventually, the business was sold. BJ has quickly learned the part of candidate. He has traded his family man’s jeans and button down shirt, for the wing tips and the smart blue suit of the professional operator. In short, Lawson fits in many ways the ideal of the American self-made man.

Not only is the Lawson campaign blessed with a strong candidate, the organization and fund-raising efforts appear to be far ahead of many other “Ron Paul” republicans. Lawson has assembled a strong bipartisan team of both seasoned political professionals and enthusiastic volunteers. This organization appears to have paid off in terms of both fund-raising and early victory. Lawson’s campaign has raised $175,000 so far – more than three times the amount raised by the previous GOP candidate in his district. This fund-raising has resulted in the decisive defeat of his primary opponent, Augustus Cho, but also due to campaigns superior organization and outreach efforts in the 4th district.

While much of the ultimate future of the many candidates running as Ron Paul republicans will be decided in this November’s elections, if the Lawson campaign continues its forward momentum, the changing political landscape may indeed surprise both liberals and conservatives alike.

Please help Dr. Lawson spread the message of peace and freedom, and if you're in the Raleigh area, make sure to attend the special screening of the movie I.O.U.S.A. on August 21!