And we call on you to help make her our next progressive champion in the U.S. Senate!
Jennifer Brunner is Ohio Secretary of State and the recipient of a JFK Profiles in Courage Award for her successful efforts to clean up Ohio's elections. Yesterday she posted a strong statement against sending more troops to Afghanistan and in favor of a swift timetable for withdrawing our troops, an assessment described as "wise" by The Nation. Secretary Brunner expressed doubt that the advice of Gen. Stanley McChrystal should be followed without significant validation of his recommendations, noting accurately that McCrystal was previously associated with the abuse of detainees and with covering up the truth about the death of Pat Tillman.
For her audacity in telling the truth, the NRSC has called on her to "apologize not only to General McChrystal, but to all American troops, for her inflammatory and baseless attacks."
This isn't a new playbook. The GOP hurls its ugliest attacks against the Democrats they fear most, and what scares them the most is the truth.
The truth hurts sometimes, and Jennifer Brunner is a candidate who isn't afraid to speak it. That is why I am working for her campaign.
Secretary Brunner is an outspoken progressive who takes stands on tough issues based on principle, not political expediency. She has been a supporter of marriage equality as a matter of civil rights since the 1980s. She has called for a moratorium against capital punishment, the only Ohio statewide official ever to do so. She has been out front in the fight for real health care reform with a public option, for EFCA and pension reform, and for transparency and accountability in Wall Street bailout spending. She is endorsed by NOW and other women's organizations for her strong support for women's rights, and she has received awards for her outstanding leadership on civil rights.
Her opponent in the Ohio Senate primary is a lackluster candidate who has lost previous statewide elections despite outspending his GOP opponents (including a gubernatoral race against the disastrous Bob Taft), and who avoids taking stands on controversial issues. He changed his position on the death penalty when he decided to run for state attorney general. And early this year he quit his job as Director of Development in the middle of the worst financial crisis in Ohio history in order to help his campaign for the Senate.
Jennifer Brunner is opposed by the party establishment in Ohio and she has been out-fundraised by her opponent, but she is running a strong grassroots campaign and she has the corporatist Democrats running scared. With a little support from netroots progressives across the country she can win this race. The latest Quinnipiac poll shows that Secretary Brunner gained five percentage points in less than a month while her opponent dropped two points, pulling her into a statistical tie in the primary. She is the candidate with the momentum as the May primary draws closer.
Jennifer Brunner is a true progressive champion in the mold of Ohio's Sen. Sherrod Brown -- can you imagine what a great team they will make? Please help add Jennifer Brunner to the Democratic caucus in the Senate by contributing $50, $25, or even $10 a month on ActBlue. Together, we can make this a victory for progressives everywhere.
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