DAPAC Endorses Steve Harrison (NY 13)
DAPAC is proud to announce its seventh endorsement for the 2008 Congressional election: Steve Harrison. He joins Dan Seals, Jared Polis, Sam Bennett, Jim Himes, Mary Jo Kilroy, and Victoria Wulsin as DAPAC's endorsed candidates running for the US House of Representatives in 2008. This fall he will be running against Vito Fossella in New York's 13th Congressional district in a rematch from the 2006 Congressional cycle.
In addition, He will be facing tough opposition in his Democratic primary from a more conservative candidate. It is crucial that Harrison wins his primary, so he will be the Democratic challenger in the general election. This cycle, a Democrat should take Fossella's place and bring progressive leadership to the district.
Harrison is a truly progressive candidate (he has already been endorsed by legendary feminist activist Gloria Steinem and The Progressive Democrats of America), supporting all of the issues we at DAPAC champion, while his Democratic opponent for the primary is not. Steve is 100% pro-choice, supports same-sex marriage, wants to take immediate steps to end the war in Iraq, supports publicly funded, single payer, universal healthcare, strong environmental protection, and many others. He has pledged to vote for these crucial issues once in Congress. DAPAC is proud to add him as a newly endorsed candidate.
In 2006, when Steve Harrison ran for Congress it was because he was frustrated by incumbent Vito Fossella's blind support for George Bush, and his lack of respect for our Constitution. Dan shocked the pundits by amassing 43.2% of the vote - a Democratic record - despite being outspent 13 to 1. In the process, he bankrupted Fossella's $1.5M war chest.
Steve grew up in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and has maintained a life-long commitment to community preservation by forging an emotional connection to his home. Now, as a son, a husband a father, a brother, a lawyer and a small business owner, he understands the challenges faced by people throughout his district. Steve and his wife of 34 years - and both of their children – continue to live in Bay Ridge.
For decades, Steve has been active in local governmental, educational, political and civic organizations. As Chair of Community Board 10, he spearheaded many initiatives including the largest rezoning in Brooklyn's history.
With the 2% boost that traditionally is associated with the Democrat's new "Line-A" ballot position, Steve heads into the 2008 election needing to close a gap of less than five points.
Please help support Steve Harrison in his campaign by sending a donation made payable to “Friends of Stephen Harrison,” to us at DAPAC where we can forward it along to him.
You can find more information about our endorsed candidates for the 2008 cycle, targeted districts, links to candidates' web pages, the latest news, and more on DAPAC's website: www.dapac.org. Please take the time to visit, where you can find additional information about Steve Harrison, as well as our other endorsed candidates: Dan Seals, Jared Polis, Sam Bennett, Jim Himes, Mary Jo Kilroy, and Victoria Wulsin.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
Weekly Update – April 11th, 2008
Please send us and our candidates your Bush tax rebate to help our political cause to elect progressive Democrats to Congress.
DAPAC's Endorsed Candidates
We would like to take this time to highlight some key developments with our six endorsed candidates. What follows is a brief summary of important information about each of our endorsed candidates. Please take this time to donate directly to us so we can continue to support such strong, progressive candidates in the future. Also, please contribute directly to their campaigns so we can take back more Republican-controlled seats in the US House of Representatives. Visit our website at www.dapac.org where you can find a quick and easy way to contribute directly to us, remember we are receiving a 12 to 1 match for our candidates, and links to the candidates webpages, so you can contribute to them as well. Through DAPAC's efforts we project to help our endorsed candidates to raise an extra $600,000 over what they would ordinarily raise.
Sam Bennett (PA 15)
There are only 7 Congressional districts in the nation that were won by both Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004 that are currently represented in the U.S. House by a Republican; this is one of them. Sam also has vast campaign experience gained while helping run successful state campaigns for other Democratic candidates, as well as conducting the most effective GOTV effort in her county's history. Currently the chair of the Allentown Democratic party and vice-chair of the Lehigh County party, she will fight for change on progressive issues including women's rights, health care, education, and the war in Iraq, unlike her Bush-supporting opponent. The primary is approaching on April 22nd, and with your support she should have a good shot at taking the seat in November.
Jim Himes (CT 04)
An article in the political publication Roll Call just named this district the main Connecticut battleground. “During the 2006 midterm elections, Connecticut was one of the most fiercely contested states in the battle for the House, with three of its five seats in the Democratic cross hairs. But now - 16 months after Democrats Joe Courtney (DAPAC-endorsed) and Christopher Murphy ousted then-GOP Reps. Rob Simmons and Nancy Johnson and GOP Rep. Christopher Shays held off a stiff challenge for the second consecutive cycle - the Nutmeg State has lost much of its luster as a campaign hot spot for 2008. The biggest target remains Shays, who faces a new challenger, Jim Himes - an investment banker, leader of an affordable-housing nonprofit and Greenwich Democratic Town Committee chairman. Himes has racked up an impressive fundraising record, even outraising Shays for one quarter last year.
Democrats privately say that having a new candidate helps them in 2008, and Himes' fundraising totals have been impressive. While the incumbent raised $1,168,000 through December, Himes was not far behind at $951,000 and ended 2007 with slightly more money in the bank than the incumbent.
Democrats here say that Himes is focusing intensively on assembling the kind of get-out-the-vote efforts that could have put Farrell over the top. They also say that Shays' continued support for the Iraq War keeps him out of sync with the district.
Democrats say that in this generally Democratic state, the fact that it's a presidential year should produce conditions similar to the 2006 midterm wave. The district includes wealthy areas that have been trending Democratic as well as more urban areas with a strong Democratic lean.”
Mary Jo Kilroy (OH 15)
Mary Jo ran for Congress in 2006 and narrowly lost by 1,055 votes, or about half a percentage point. This cycle the Republican incumbent, Deborah Pryce, has announced her retirement, and having a wide open seat should help push Mary Jo to victory. Like all of our endorsed candidates, she is 100% pro-choice. She has also been endorsed by NARAL Pro-Choice America and the AFL-CIO of Ohio. She will work for fiscal responsibility and renewable energy if elected. She has already won her primary, so now it is time to help her prepare for her real challenge in November.
Jared Polis (CO 02)
Jared has been fighting for public education for many years. He served on the CO State Board of Education, co-chaired a successful $300 million bond initiative for schools, co-founded an agency that provides homeless youth the opportunity to earn high school diplomas, co-chaired a commission on high school improvement, and chaired a national association of study boards on education. He also served as a member for the Colorado and Boulder Democratic Party Executive Committees from 2000-2007. He is running in Mark Udall's old seat which Udall is vacating to run for the Senate. The primary is in August and Jared needs as much support as he can get to help him win this competitive race.
Dan Seals (IL 10)
Dan won his primary by a wide margin, and The Democratic Campaign Congressional Committee recently named Congressional Candidate Dan Seals (IL-10) to its "Red to Blue" program. Seals earned a spot in the exclusive program by demonstrating his early strength and inspiring people from across the district with his commitment to bringing change to Washington.
The Red to Blue program is designed to provide financial and structural aid to the strongest Democratic candidates across the country. In 2004, the Red to Blue program raised nearly $7.5 million for 27 campaigns across the country with an average of more than $250,000 per campaign. In 2006, the program raised nearly $22.6 million for 56 campaigns across the country with an average of more than $404,000 per campaign.
Additionally, Congressional Quarterly recently released its analysis of the best-funded House challengers in the country and Dan Seals ranks sixth in the nation among both Republicans and Democrats and third among all Democratic challengers.
Victoria Wulsin, MD (OH 02)
Dr. Vic ran against controversial Republican Jean Schmidt in 2006 and lost by less than 1%, or just 2,517 votes. She is running again on her strong progressive platform. A long time advocate for public health with much experience in both the public and private health sectors, Wulsin would make significant progressive changes to health care policy once elected. She won her competitive primary on March 4th by taking 58% of the vote vs. 38% for the second place finisher. With your help this momentum will continue through November.
DAPAC's Endorsed Candidates
We would like to take this time to highlight some key developments with our six endorsed candidates. What follows is a brief summary of important information about each of our endorsed candidates. Please take this time to donate directly to us so we can continue to support such strong, progressive candidates in the future. Also, please contribute directly to their campaigns so we can take back more Republican-controlled seats in the US House of Representatives. Visit our website at www.dapac.org where you can find a quick and easy way to contribute directly to us, remember we are receiving a 12 to 1 match for our candidates, and links to the candidates webpages, so you can contribute to them as well. Through DAPAC's efforts we project to help our endorsed candidates to raise an extra $600,000 over what they would ordinarily raise.
Sam Bennett (PA 15)
There are only 7 Congressional districts in the nation that were won by both Gore in 2000 and Kerry in 2004 that are currently represented in the U.S. House by a Republican; this is one of them. Sam also has vast campaign experience gained while helping run successful state campaigns for other Democratic candidates, as well as conducting the most effective GOTV effort in her county's history. Currently the chair of the Allentown Democratic party and vice-chair of the Lehigh County party, she will fight for change on progressive issues including women's rights, health care, education, and the war in Iraq, unlike her Bush-supporting opponent. The primary is approaching on April 22nd, and with your support she should have a good shot at taking the seat in November.
Jim Himes (CT 04)
An article in the political publication Roll Call just named this district the main Connecticut battleground. “During the 2006 midterm elections, Connecticut was one of the most fiercely contested states in the battle for the House, with three of its five seats in the Democratic cross hairs. But now - 16 months after Democrats Joe Courtney (DAPAC-endorsed) and Christopher Murphy ousted then-GOP Reps. Rob Simmons and Nancy Johnson and GOP Rep. Christopher Shays held off a stiff challenge for the second consecutive cycle - the Nutmeg State has lost much of its luster as a campaign hot spot for 2008. The biggest target remains Shays, who faces a new challenger, Jim Himes - an investment banker, leader of an affordable-housing nonprofit and Greenwich Democratic Town Committee chairman. Himes has racked up an impressive fundraising record, even outraising Shays for one quarter last year.
Democrats privately say that having a new candidate helps them in 2008, and Himes' fundraising totals have been impressive. While the incumbent raised $1,168,000 through December, Himes was not far behind at $951,000 and ended 2007 with slightly more money in the bank than the incumbent.
Democrats here say that Himes is focusing intensively on assembling the kind of get-out-the-vote efforts that could have put Farrell over the top. They also say that Shays' continued support for the Iraq War keeps him out of sync with the district.
Democrats say that in this generally Democratic state, the fact that it's a presidential year should produce conditions similar to the 2006 midterm wave. The district includes wealthy areas that have been trending Democratic as well as more urban areas with a strong Democratic lean.”
Mary Jo Kilroy (OH 15)
Mary Jo ran for Congress in 2006 and narrowly lost by 1,055 votes, or about half a percentage point. This cycle the Republican incumbent, Deborah Pryce, has announced her retirement, and having a wide open seat should help push Mary Jo to victory. Like all of our endorsed candidates, she is 100% pro-choice. She has also been endorsed by NARAL Pro-Choice America and the AFL-CIO of Ohio. She will work for fiscal responsibility and renewable energy if elected. She has already won her primary, so now it is time to help her prepare for her real challenge in November.
Jared Polis (CO 02)
Jared has been fighting for public education for many years. He served on the CO State Board of Education, co-chaired a successful $300 million bond initiative for schools, co-founded an agency that provides homeless youth the opportunity to earn high school diplomas, co-chaired a commission on high school improvement, and chaired a national association of study boards on education. He also served as a member for the Colorado and Boulder Democratic Party Executive Committees from 2000-2007. He is running in Mark Udall's old seat which Udall is vacating to run for the Senate. The primary is in August and Jared needs as much support as he can get to help him win this competitive race.
Dan Seals (IL 10)
Dan won his primary by a wide margin, and The Democratic Campaign Congressional Committee recently named Congressional Candidate Dan Seals (IL-10) to its "Red to Blue" program. Seals earned a spot in the exclusive program by demonstrating his early strength and inspiring people from across the district with his commitment to bringing change to Washington.
The Red to Blue program is designed to provide financial and structural aid to the strongest Democratic candidates across the country. In 2004, the Red to Blue program raised nearly $7.5 million for 27 campaigns across the country with an average of more than $250,000 per campaign. In 2006, the program raised nearly $22.6 million for 56 campaigns across the country with an average of more than $404,000 per campaign.
Additionally, Congressional Quarterly recently released its analysis of the best-funded House challengers in the country and Dan Seals ranks sixth in the nation among both Republicans and Democrats and third among all Democratic challengers.
Victoria Wulsin, MD (OH 02)
Dr. Vic ran against controversial Republican Jean Schmidt in 2006 and lost by less than 1%, or just 2,517 votes. She is running again on her strong progressive platform. A long time advocate for public health with much experience in both the public and private health sectors, Wulsin would make significant progressive changes to health care policy once elected. She won her competitive primary on March 4th by taking 58% of the vote vs. 38% for the second place finisher. With your help this momentum will continue through November.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)