In election campaigns, early money is like yeast. That's the idea behind the acronym EMILY's List. At the time, it was pioneering women, breaking down the barriers to pariticpation in electoral politics that made effective use of raising money early for female candidates to rock the establishment.
And rock they did!
There is alot of boat rocking going on again in American political life. And lot's of different kinds of establishments that are in serious need of rocking.
Nine high-quality progressive boat rockers who are running for state and federal offices have just received the endorsement of a major PAC, 21st Century Democrats, which seems to function much like EMILY's List in providing some early oomph for promising progressives.
Coincidentally, I had written about one of them just last week. Many already know him best by his memorable quote:
"People place their hand on the Bible and swear to uphold the Constitution. They don't put their hand on the Constitution and swear to uphold the Bible." -- Jamie Raskin
Jamie Raskin, a professor of Constitutional Law at American University in Washington, DC is challenging a 20 year incumbent in the Democratic primary for state senator in Maryland.
This week, he was honored, along with 8 others, with an endorsement by 21st Century Democrats.
We have scoured the country in search of the best in extaordinary, visionary leadership. We believe that the candidates you see below are the candidates that will provide the courage necessary to face the tough challenges of our time. We are only endorsing a limited number of candidates this election cycle, and will continue to add candidates as we find them. Please browse the candidates and read why we think they are worth your support.
What makes Jamin an extraordinary, visionary leader?
As the Republican majority all over the country has laid waste to the many protections that the Constitution and Bill of Rights affords us, Jamin has been there to stand up for the most vulnerable. He has stood up for the elderly, disabled, minorities, students, and children in landmark cases before many court jurisdictions. His vision for the future is that all are educated about and excited about the promise of Democracy. "Democracy is a wonderful thing because it gives us all the space to innovate and act," said Raskin, who has been known to do both.
21st Century Demorats is a political action committee, founded by U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), Rep. Lane Evans (D-IL), and former Texas Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower.
21st Century Democrats builds the Democratic farm team by electing progressive candidates to all levels of government. We're grassroots leaders--nobody knows field organizing like we do. We work in every corner of the nation, training thousands of activists to make the difference for progressive campaigns. Bottom line: our on the ground, door-to-door support wins elections.
Our Experience:
Founded to give progressive and populist candidates the support they need to win elections, 21st Century Democrats has grown to become one of the largest political action committees in the nation. We combine a commitment to progressive values with extensive grassroots organizing experience, bringing together two critical components of Democratic success.
21st Century Democrats is one of the few political action committees in the nation that contribute highly trained grassroots organizers to progressive candidates and campaigns. Our training program is one of the most effective in the nation, and we continue to develop programs for all levels of involvement. Our trained organizers run sophisticated field plans that rely on targeted voter contact, making the difference in tough races. The results are clear: we win the majority of our campaigns.
We choose tough races--races that other political action committees shy away from because they're hard to win. We are guided by the core Democratic values that put people first.
Our Values:
quality public education
universal healthcare coverage
fair taxes and responsible social policy
corporate accountability
good jobs, living wages and secure pensions
civil and human rights
a clean and sustainable environment
clean elections laws
Among other things, 21st Century Democrats does campaign trainings. They have one coming up in Washington, DC June 9-12.
Here is their list of endorsed candidates, with profiles and links for most of them. (info for some, they say, is coming soon!)
John Bonifaz - Secretary of State - Massachusetts
Richard Cordray - State Treasurer - Ohio
Matt Dunne - Lt. Governor - Vermont
Kirsten Gillibrand - US Congress - New York, District 20
Tom Perez - Attorney General - Maryland
Jamin Raskin - State Senate - Maryland, District 20
Andrew Rice - State Senate - Oklahoma, District 46
Mark Ritchie - Secretary of State - Minnesota
David Roth - U.S. Congress - California, District 45
Progressives around the country would be wise to support strong leaders and candidates who represent their values, whatever state they happen to be from.