Progressive Majority

Progressive Majority, one of my favorite grassroots organizations, fielded 41 candidates for local and state level offices in the April 1st Wisconsin general election. The results are in and they are maintaining their 50% success record: 21 of their 41 candidates won their elections.

Looking over their results, they did excellently on school board elections and some of their wins for other offices were big wins. Some of their losses were pretty bad losses, but a consistent 50% win rate is pretty good particularly because they take more risks than most organizations.

Here are the results: (winners in bold)

Lena Taylor
Milwaukee County Executive
Lost with 41% of the vote.

Adam Warpinski
Brown County Board - District 1
Won with 70% of the vote.

Jack Krueger
Brown County Board - District 5
Won with 68% of the vote.

Dan Bertrand
Brown County Board - District 13
Lost with 29% of the vote.

Carole Andrews
Brown County Board - District 15
Won with 55% of the vote.

Patty Kiewiz
Brown County Board - District 21
Lost with 30% of the vote.

Rob Zerban
Kenosha County Board - District 5
Won with 57% of the vote.

Jennifer Jackson
Kenosha County Board - District 20

On April 1st 41 Progressive Majority recruited, trained and endorsed candidates will have their general election for local office in Wisconsin! Progressive Majority is one of America's most successful progressive grassroots organizations.

To all our Wisconsin readers: please get out tomorrow, April 1, 2008, and vote for any of these great people running in your area.

Lena Taylor
Candidate for Milwaukee County Executive (Challenger)

State Senator Lena Taylor is a Milwaukee native who was first elected to the State Legislature as an Assemblywoman in 2003, and quickly ascended to the State Senate after winning a special election in 2004. Lena has championed progressive values for her entire political career, and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Lena earned a Bachelor's Degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1990, and a law degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1993; she is a member of the Milwaukee Boy Scouts advisory board, the Girl Scouts of Milwaukee Area, the NAACP, and Urban League of Milwaukee. Her opponent, conservative incumbent Scott Walker, is rumored to run for Governor in 2010. If Lena wins, we can stop him now.

Howard Dean put it this way: "You have the power!"

His brother, Jim Dean, now head of Democracy for America, put it this way: "We have to take ownership of the process."

Since the highly flawed 2000 election, progressives have slowly, ever so slowly been waking up to the need for taking ownership of the political process. At first, in all honesty, we were pretty lame at it at first. As recently as 2005 I saw the progressive grassroots, at least in NYC, largely unable to get its act together in any effective way. But by 2006 we started to see real results from what began in 2000.

The extreme right wing of the Republican Party took some 30 years to take nearly complete control of our political system. They did it by patiently and doggedly focusing on every elected position, no matter how low, in every state. They did it by repeating their agenda, their talking points over and over until people started absorbing it without even realizing it. They did it by taking over the media, station by station, newspaper by newspaper. They did it by focusing on LOCAL politics.

Progressives had lost that connection with local politics. But they have been rediscovering it. And that has led to a wave of new organizations that are revitalizing grassroots politics and reconnecting Democrats with their local community, a connection that should never have been lost.

Democracy for America, Wellstone Action, Blue Tiger Democrats, and Progressive Majority are, each in their own way, probably the most effective of these new organizations. Each has its own focus, its own strategy, and collectively they are making a real impact.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6th is election day. Continuing my push to get out the progressive grassroots for the 2007 election on TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6th, I now turn to Minnesota. This one is for Paul Welstone!

These are the endorsements of Progressive Majority in Minnesota:

Melvin Carter III, Candidate for St. Paul City Council - Ward 1 (Challenger)

Melvin Carter is a 28 year old, African American, first time candidate for Saint Paul City Council. Melvin is a lifetime resident of Saint Paul with a background in community and electoral organizing; most recently he worked on the Policy Outreach Team in the office of Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman. Melvin is running against a Chamber of Commerce-endorsed and one-term incumbent, Debbie Montgomery. Melvin's election would contribute to shifting the St. Paul City Council from a moderate Council to a progressive Council. Melvin has already secured the endorsements of AFSCME Council 5, Take Action Minnesota, ACORN PAC, and St. Paul Firefighters IAFF Local 21, St. Paul Trades & Labor Assembly, Congressman Keith Ellison, Congresswoman Betty McCollum, Laborers Local 132, SEIU Minnesota State Council, Stonewall DFL, and six of the 12 DFL legislators in Saint Paul. Melvin is a dynamic leader with potential to make a difference in St. Paul.

Click here to support and learn more about Melvin.

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6th is election day. If progressives want a solid voice in American politics we gotta influence elections. And off-year, low voter turnout elections like what is coming up TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6TH are the best chances for progressives to affect the outcome.

Continuing my push to get out the progressive grassroots for the 2007 election on TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6th, I now turn to Arizona.

Here are two endorsements by Progressive Majority, one of the most effective progressive grassroots organization in the country, for Arizona voters:

Marie Lopez Rogers, Candidate for Mayor of Avondale (Incumbent)

Mayor Marie Lopez Rogers of Avondale is running for reelection as the only Latina in a Latino/a city. She was appointed Mayor in January 2006, has lived in the district for 50 of her 57 years, and is a former member of CWA. She is endorsed by the police, firefighters, AFL-CIO and SEIU. Marie is a strong progressive, and she is the key to halting or slowing legislation from a city council that is dominated by conservatives.

This was previously an agricultural town that is rapidly growing with scores of subdivisions along Interstate-10 west of Phoenix. It also includes Phoenix International Race Way that attracts tens of thousands of people to NASCAR races. Marie wants to preserve the quality of life in Avondale by working for safer streets and neighborhoods, providing efficient cost-effective city services, and ensuring a vital economy through an appropriate balance of residential, commercial and recreational development.

If progressives want a solid voice in American politics they sure as hell better vote, vote carefully and, ideally, get out the vote for the best candidates. And off-year, low voter turnout elections like what is coming up TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6TH are the best chances for progressives to affect the outcome. So from now until Tuesday, get busy to prove progressives are a force in American politics.

Continuing my lead up to the 2007 elections on TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6th, I now cover the Democracy for America and Progressive Majority endorsements for Washington State.

Jackie Minchew- Everett City Council - Position 7 Endorsed by Democracy for Washington, Democracy for America, Sierra Club, Washington Conservation Voters...and many more)

Charlene Rawson - Everett City Council - Position 4 (Endorsed by Democracy for America, Democracy for Washington, Everett Firefighters, The Sierra Club, Washington Conservation Voters...and many more)

Al Runte - Seattle City Council - Position 3 (Enddorsed by Democracy for Washington, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 77...and many more).

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6th is election day. If progressives want a solid voice in American politics we gotta influence elections. And off-year, low voter turnout elections like what is coming up TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6TH are the best chances for progressives to affect the outcome.

I now turn to some California endorsements from Democracy for America's Silicon Valley group and from Progressive Majority, one of the most successful grassroots organizations around.

First, Silicon Valley: (with links)

Los Altos City Council

* Randall Hull (also endorsed by the California League of Conservation Voters and Sierra Club)

Palo Alto City Council

* Pat Burt
* Dan Dykwel
* Sid Espinoza
* Yiawey Yeh (also endorsed by Sierra Club and California League of Conservation Voters)

Palo Alto Unified School District
( vote for three only )

* Claude Exran
* Wynn Hauser
* Barbara Klausner
* Camille Townsend

Sunnyvale City Council

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 6th is election day for 2007. PLEASE VOTE! These low turnout elections are the ones that progressives can really influence by getting out the vote. Progressive Majority is one of the most effective grassroots organizations in America today. These are their endorsements in Pennsylvania for Tuesday November 6th:

Bill Scott, Candidate for Chester County Board of Commissioners - At Large (Open Seat)

Bill Scott is running for one of three open seats for Chester County Board of Commissioners. Except for one four-year term, the Chester County Board of Commissioners has been controlled by conservatives. Bill served as the chair of the West Chester Democrats from 1998 through 2006 and is an elected member of the Democratic County and State Committee. He also served on the West Chester Borough Council for two terms, two of which he served as the chair. Bill is running as a team with Kathi Cozzone - together they have recently won endorsements from both the Sierra Club and Planned Parenthood. The team will face Carol Aichele and Terence Farrell in the general election.

Click here to support and learn more about Bill.

Kathi Cozzone, Candidate for Chester County Board of Commissioners - At Large (Open Seat)

Kathi Cozzone is running for Chester County Board of Commissioners. Kathi brings extensive background in financial management and planning to the Board of Commissioners, helping to ensure fiscal responsibility for county operations. Kathi ran for County Controller in 2005, and narrowly lost in an open seat race. Kathi is running as a team with Bill Scott, and together they recently won endorsements from both the Sierra Club and Planned Parenthood. The team will face Carol Aichele and Terence Farrell in the general election.

Progressive Majority is one of the most effective and important Progressive organizations out there. They focus on local elections, helping new people enter politics as progressive, grassroots candidates within the Democratic Party. They help progressive challengers in primaries as well as helping progressive Democrats against Republicans in the general election. If you are dissatisfied with both parties, THIS IS THE ORGANIZATION FOR YOU. Progressive Majority has around a 70% success rate in getting their candidates elected, which beats pretty much any other grassroots organization I am familiar with. And they focus on pretty much all levels from school board on up.

Here is their latest primary election succcess. Let's help them in supporting these excellent winners for the general election.

In Washington state's Tuesday's primary election, 11 of our 27 candidates faced primaries, many of them stiff challenges.

As of this morning, 10 of our 11 candidates have won their primaries and moved on to the general election this November. This is another day of victories for Washington state progressives, and for progressives across the country!

Snohomish County: A New Progressive Majority.
The most important race in the primary was for Snohomish County Council, where Brian Sullivan won the Democratic nomination against a long-time elected official. As his district is strongly Democratic, he faces only token conservative opposition in the general election. Sullivan replaces a conservative Democrat and changes the balance of power on the council from conservatives to progressives!