A professional site for the support group and for the Campaign is in order.

Domain names are about 8 bucks each depending on who you go with.  Hosting can run from 30 dollars a month and up for a serious host with lots of bandwidth.

Domains should be bought ahead of time, the sites should be created and tested ahead of time.  Buy domains that will be useful, you'll be able to point them to subfolders of the main site with the right host.

Online promotion can not be pushed hard enough.  You get the most bang for your buck online.  Make sure people have an easy way to help you promote. Let people know they have the right to republish your blog feeds.  Give them an easy way to send your site to a friend.  Allow them to work on a credit system, each person referred gets them points.  

Message Forum and Blog together will help you gain a lot of links on google and other engines quickly.

Divide your online volunteers into work groups.  Don't allow them to just sit and chat.  They can create downloadable media, contact lists, email lists, etc. etc.

Getting your website known around the state with stickers and billboards, print ads, public tranportation.

Each liberal campaign has the advantage of thousands of technical wizards willing and able to help.  

Don't rely on KOS and MyDD to get your message out.  The volume on KOS means that most diaries are off the front page very quickly so it is hard for people to hear your voice.  Be sure to visit local bloggers and get them involved early.  Ask them for feedback, send them press releases, ask them about their local environments and by all means read their blogs.

Good luck I can help you directly with the web stuff if you like.

I had a long post up about the structure of a good solid campaign in a piece about the Cegalis race. You might want to look up my comments and go from there.

And why wouldn't you want to trumpet the District!

The best way to stifle competition is to establish yourself as the frontrunner.

I have a lot of ways to help if you are going to run a professional campaign against an established incumbent. That means professional staff etc.

And the 'candidate', and he isn't one until he announces his intentions, filing in Ca isn't until Feb, I think, should be making fundraising calls NOW.

To get that publicity, it'd be good to make a list now of every media outlet in the district, and political beat reporters/contact info. If he throws a formal event, you'd want to invite them to attend. If it's not an event, you'd want to send a press release instead (heck send a press release after the fact even if you do throw an event). Also you can have your volunteers ready to send letters to the editor in support of his campaign as soon as he pulls the trigger.

Also he should probably be attending every Dem function in the district that he can, introducing himself. Congressional district meetings, county parties, Dem clubs, Young Dem & College Dem meetings, DFA and more. Start a schedule for him now, maybe something online so multiple people can read & write to it (yahoo has free calendars). It's good that he's talked to the DCCC, has he contacted the state party too?

Would be good to have him start contacting every affinity group now that would take an interest in him and his race. Small business owner? Have him hit the Chambers of Commerce in his district. Is he a veteran? Race or ethnic background? Religion? What are his issue views - pro-choice/pro-life, pro/anti gun? There are all groups to be contacted there. Also start contacting all the labor groups in the district too, whether or not he has a good "in". You'll need their support later. Research his opponent too - anybody that hates him might be interested in supporting your brother instead.

Online, you'd probably want to do a diary on OurCongress when he announces, and any statewide blogs. Also it'd be good to start up a district blog against his opponent, and a campaign blog for him. Don't forget to contact Politics1 in addition to ActBlue, so that they put his name up on their site. Also the Barry Welsh 50 state people. You might want to do some research now to find out any bloggers living in the district (some google searching might help there), and invite them to be a part of the campaign too, they might want to help with the blogs part as well.

Speaking of volunteers, think now of some tasks you'd like them to do - so when people sign up, you can get them plugged in immediately. They could start making a list of all local functions (like fairs and festivals etc) your brother should be at, they could write a LTE to their local publications, they could do a testimonial for your website, they could attend and speak at local Dem and Dem-friendly groups to talk up your brother's candidacy, they could approach friends and family and ask them to volunteer as well, they can start phone banking and door knocking when you're ready for that. Keep all this in mind when building out your website - try to create tools for your volunteers to use so the campaign can be as distributed as possible. Might want to check out Advokit and CivicSpace too.

If your state has precinct delegates/precinct organizers/precinct activists, even if there are not many in place now, that would be a good list to start from in recruiting volunteers. Also DFA, and the Unitarian, UCC churches are a good place to find progressive activists in your community.

That's my two cents, hope it helps.

Maybe a broom, too.  A new broom sweeps CLEAN. (see the Francine Busby site for her plan).

Good luck!

None of them need to be preached to, or be subjected to "blue-sky" promises.  Keep it simple sam.