Donna Edwards at her victory rally on February 13, 2008
In the next few days, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will appoint a new chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC)—which recruits and fundraises for House Democrats in the 2016 cycle.
Current chair Steve Israel is stepping down.
While Pelosi could pick any Democrat in the House caucus, insiders say that it will come down to three choices.
Of those choices, Daily Kos supports Congresswoman Donna Edwards—and our staff has set up this petition urging Pelosi to appoint her.
With Democrats having faced terrible losses in 2010 and 2014 because the base did not turn out, the DCCC needs a chair who party activists and donors can trust.
If you’re a longtime Daily Kos reader, you will remember that Donna Edwards is one of us. Read more below the fold ...
A progressive lawyer, Edwards first ran for Congress in 2006 in a primary challenge to a Democratic incumbent who supported George W. Bush’s disastrous invasion of Iraq, estate tax repeal, and bankruptcy law evisceration—in other words, she was a “better Democrat.”
Edwards narrowly lost that battle, but she came back in 2008 and won. She knows how to run grassroots campaigns, and understands that sometimes you have to run multiple times to win—which is crucial for the DCCC in recruiting candidates.
Since being elected, Edwards has taken a leadership role at recruiting Democratic women to run for Congress—and has a good working relationship with Pelosi.
Finally, Edwards perfectly embodies the amazing “Obama Coalition” that elected President Obama twice—women, minorities, youth, and progressives. Democrats cannot keep losing midterm elections because that base fails to turn out.
Daily Kos diarist Robert Naiman has endorsed Donna Edwards for DCCC Chair and set up a MoveOn petition, as have other netroots activists. That is why Daily Kos staff is proud to assist this effort.
Sign the petition today, and share it on Facebook: Urge Pelosi to appoint Edwards.