There are Democrats you grudgingly support just because they are Democrats, and then there are those you willingly support because they are outspoken champions for progressive ideals, and you know they will not only say the right things but will be outspoken leaders and fight for social justice and change.
Ohio is lucky to have one Senator who is clearly in the second category, Sherrod Brown. The Democratic primary for the seat being vacated by retiring GOP "moderate" George Voinvovich in 2010 provides an opportunity to elect another, Ohio Secretary of State and JFK Profiles in Courage Award winner Jennifer Brunner.
I'm convinced that Jennifer Brunner, who will be at Netroots Nation on Thursday next week, is not only more of a true progressive champion than her primary opponent, she is also better positioned to defeat former Congressman and Bush official Rob Portman in the general election. This is why I became a volunteer for the Brunner campaign, and why you should join me in supporting her campaign on ActBlue. More on why she is the stronger progressive and better candidate after the break.
Jennifer Brunner was elected Ohio Secretary of State in 2006 based on her promise to work for free, fair, open, and honest elections, after the fiasco experienced in 2004 under predecessor and George Bush state campaign chair Ken Blackwell. She fulfilled that promise (the 2008 presidential election was widely praised as relatively smooth and controversy-free), but it required extraordinary resolve in the face of a political onslaught by the GOP. She faced down the Board of Elections in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), obtaining the resignations of all four members and supervising the overhaul of election procedures under a newly appointed board. As part of her overall effort to restore trust to elections, she spearheaded a comprehensive voting machine study to solve problems with the security and reliability of voting machines, resulting in changes such as making paper ballots available as an alternative voting method to voters in the counties still using touch-screen voting machines. For these efforts, Jennifer Brunner received the JFK Profiles in Courage Award.
Jennifer Brunner is not one to hesitate about taking bold stands on progressive issues, whether politically expedient or not. She is an outspoken proponent of marriage equality, and has been since 1989. This is not something you can say about many candidates, and certainly not about opponent Lee Fisher, who only recently altered his stance against gay marriage. She has taken strong stands on LGBT workplace equality, in support of EFCA, and for the public option. She has spoken out against a GM plan to use bailout money to build cars overseas, and in support of credit card rate caps when issuers where attempting to evade them.
In short, Jennifer Brunner has demonstrated intelligence, foresight, decency, and a commitment to a core set of progressive values. This is what has guided her to take the kind of courageous stances rarely seen in public office, and why she will be a terrific addition to the progressive Democrats now in the Senate.
She is also quite clearly the better candidate in a general election matchup with likely opponent Rob Portman, despite the latter's huge special interest-fed campaign warchest. Unlike her opponent, and unlike a string of unsuccessful Democratic statewide candidates from Tim Hagan to Eric Fingerhut, Jennifer Brunner does not come from the Democratic stronghold of northeast Ohio. Her base is in central Ohio, and her family roots are in rural Ohio counties. This is a serious value-added factor for a Democrat in Ohio, as demonstrated by the huge success of Gov. Ted Strickland with his roots in rural southeastern Ohio.
Also, Jennifer Brunner has demonstrated the ability to appeal to independent voters. She won in relatively conservative Hamilton County (Cincinnati & nearby suburbs) in her 2006 Secretary of State race, despite the fact that her opponent was an elected county official there. A recent study of polling in sixteen 2010 Senate and gubernatorial races showed Jennifer Brunner leading her likely GOP opponent among independent voters by nine points, the largest lead of any Democratic candidate in any of those races (and better than her primary opponent by eight points).
It is also very much to Jennifer Brunner's advantage in the general election that she is a woman, especially as an outspoken proponent of women's rights. (She is endorsed by the political action committee of NOW and the Women's Campaign Forum, and is receiving campaign assistance from Emily's List.) Women have historically turned out at a higher rate than men in Ohio elections, and in this race will be energized by the fact that Jennifer Brunner will be the first woman to represent as a U.S. Senator. I am certain that the Republicans would much rather run their candidate against a male.
Jennifer Brunner has won every election she's been in, two for judgeships and one for Ohio Secretary of State. Her opponent won state legislative races and a race for Ohio Attorney General, but lost his attorney general re-election bid against Betty Montgomery and also lost his gubernatorial race against Bob Taft, despite outspending both opponents.
In short, Jennifer Brunner is not only the best bet to be an outspoken progressive champion in the U.S. Senate, she is the best bet to actually win the seat in November, 2010. Please get over to her ActBlue page and help her win this primary, so she can carry the progressive banner in 2010 and beyond.