Blue America PAC

The Blue America PAC was formed on August 24, 2006 to raise money to put “Have You Had Enough” on the radio in the form of 60 second advertising spots for various Blue America candidates. We did low-dough radio advertising campaigns for Charlie Brown (CA-04), John Laesch (IL-14), Angie Paccione (CO-04), Victoria Wulsin (OH-02), Robert Rodriguez (CA-25) and Chris Murphy (CT-05) and a cable TV campaign for Tony Trupiano (MI-11). For the 2008 elections we are aiming to go beyond “dollah a hollah” media markets and apply the lessons we learned in 2006 to make ourselves more effective and more helpful to the candidates our community backs. Please watch Firedoglake, Crooks and Liars, and Down With Tyranny for updates.

Raised on this page: 1,357 58,611
Raised across ActBlue: 8,754 456,086

Tom Allen

ME-Sen (Map)

Congressman Tom Allen has represented southern Maine—all that state’s population centers other than Auburn-Lewiston and Bangor—since 1996. Since then he has established a reputation as a solidly dependable progressive leader whose initiatives and leadership reflect the forward-looking, independent values of his fellow Mainers. After a great deal of pressure he has agreed to challenge deceitful rubber stamp Senator Susan Collins, who had vowed to step down this year. Lieberman is doing all he can to help her break that vow. Let’s help Tom make her keep it. Take a look at Tom’s q&a session at Firedoglake on June 9.

Raised on this page: 715 16,823
Raised across ActBlue: 1,990 93,545

Mark Begich

AK-Sen (Map)

Finally an independent-minded Democrat who can bring the long-stale career of Ted Stevens to a well-deserved end! Just by campaigning he’s already pressured Stevens into looking out for Alaskans for a change—instead of just for his campaign contributors. With Mark pushing for Webb’s GI Bill, Stevens backed down from his 100% rubber stamp support of Bush on vets matters and voted for the vets for a change.

Raised on this page: 47 668
Raised across ActBlue: 1,646 46,415

Sam Bennett

PA-15 (Map)

Siobhan (“Sam”) Bennett is an incredibly genuine and progressive businesswoman and grassroots community activist running against a fake moderate in a real moderate district. Sam opposes U.S. occupation of Iraq and is a strong advocate on progressive values from Choice to equality. The “moderate” Dent has never been moderate in his support for all of Cheney’s and Bush’s most outrageous policies in Iraq and he is a dependable rubber stamp for the entire extremist agenda put forth first by DeLay and Hastert and now by Boehner and Blunt. Please check out Sam’s first live blogging session at FDL.

Raised on this page: 263 9,351
Raised across ActBlue: 739 140,766

Daniel Biss

IL-HD-017

Daniel is a 29 year old math professor who believes in progressive government with every fiber of his body. He’s an ideal Blue America candidate, running for a state legislative seat in a blue district who will be in a position to represent the values and ideals we believe in, first in Illinois and, hopefully, nationally as well. Check out his first Blue America live session (June 30, 2007).

Raised on this page: 256 2,325
Raised across ActBlue: 1,378 102,918

Charlie Brown

CA-04 (Map)

In his first run for office, Charlie came very close to defeating ethically-challenged and reactionary incumbent John Doolittle. When I asked if he had it to do all over again, what would he do differently, he told me he would have started earlier. In that spirit, Charlie Brown is the first candidate Blue America ‘08 is adding to our fund-raising page. Let’s go all the way this time—for a safer and better California and U.S.A.

Raised on this page: 521 12,150
Raised across ActBlue: 5,120 143,990

Darcy Burner

WA-08 (Map)

More than most candidates, Darcy Burner has been an integral part of the grassroots/netroots conversation which has been developing a cohesive approach to the values, principles and strategies that have gone into formulating a progressive response to the extremist right-wing onslaught against our country. Take a look at the session we had with Darcy at FDL in late September of 2007. Darcy came very close to beating the Bush rubber stamp in her district in 2006. Hopefully this community will step up to the plate this year and make sure he can’t buy the election again in 2008.

Raised on this page: 649 17,038
Raised across ActBlue: 9,442 346,087

Steve Cohen

TN-09 (Map)

Steve Cohen was a Tennessee state senator for 24 years and he did such a great job that when Congressman Harold Ford decided not to run again, Steve won a 15-way primary and then a 3-way general election—by a landslide. Since then he’s been busy doing something I wish more congressmen would do—keeping his campaign promises. He’s already co-sponsored 4 bills and 2 resolutions—the binding kind—that would end the war in Iraq.

Raised on this page: 436 6,130
Raised across ActBlue: 460 7,173

Debbie Cook

CA-46 (Map)

As the mayor of Huntington Beach and a long time member of the City Council, Debbie is used to dealing with real people’s real problems. She’s running against one of Congress’ silliest clowns, Dana Rohrabacher, not just another Bush rubber stamp, but an odd duck who enjoyed dressing up like a Taliban so much that he skipped off to Afghanistan, met Osama bin-Laden and did a bunch of photo-ops with muhajadeen. I think Orange County deserves better.

Raised on this page: 126 3,523
Raised across ActBlue: 517 57,946

Larry Joe Doherty

TX-10 (Map)

“I have no problem in standing up for the constitutional equality of any American regardless of race, color, creed, sexual orientation, or mental condition. We have to stand up for equality in America for everybody.” That may not sound earth shaking to you but Larry Joe is running against a reactionary Bush rubber stamp who could never say that in a million years—at least not with a straight face. Meanwhile, please check out Larry’s first blog session at FDL.

Raised on this page: 56 3,194
Raised across ActBlue: 78 6,829

Donna Edwards

MD-04 (Map)

Donna was one of the most exciting and refreshing candidates Blue America backed last year. Her race is a primary against corrupt and reactionary Al Wynn on FEBRUARY 12. Think about how soon that date is and dig deep. There are few contrasts as clear between Democrats as the one between Donna and Wynn. Donna Edwards is the grassroots candidate who represents forward-looking ideas and solid progressive values. Al Wynn represents the corruption and reactionary politics of Harold Ford.

Raised on this page: 1,668 63,209
Raised across ActBlue: 8,445 456,113

Judy Feder

VA-10 (Map)

This is the second time Judy Feder is challenging rubber stamp Republican backbencher Frank Wolf in increasingly purple northwest Virginia. This year she doesn’t have to start from zero. In 2006, as a political newcomer, she garnered more than 98,000 votes. Her expertise in health care policy is going a long way towards making her race one of the most hotly contested in the country.

Raised on this page: 71 1,216
Raised across ActBlue: 153 26,610

Joe Garcia

FL-25 (Map)

South Florida was expertly gerrymandered to create 3 Republican districts that have been occupied by three clueless extremists. One is Mario Diaz-Balart who is facing his first serious opposition since being elected in 2002. Joe Garcia is a strong progressive leader who knows how to answer GOP fear and smear tactics. Diaz-Balart wants to make the election about Cuba; it won’t work, not with his rubber stamping of virtually every item on the Bush agenda, from S-CHIP to Iraq to the deregulation policies that have caused the mortgage meltdown. Joe is one of the most outstanding candidates running for Congress anywhere.

Raised on this page: 58 2,906
Raised across ActBlue: 2,861 55,237

Alan Grayson

FL-08 (Map)

As a no-nonsense attorney prosecuting war profiteers in Iraq, Alan Grayson has already accomplished more outside of DC than the hapless and corrupt incumbent could ever imagine. Alan would be the worst nightmare Insider criminals could ever imagine. He literally knows where all the bodies are buried. And he’s not shy about discussing impeachment. With Alan Grayson in Congress, no one will be sweeping the crime of the century under the rug. Be sure to check out his live FDL debut (Jan. 26) if you want to see why we’re so enthusiastic about him.

Raised on this page: 133 4,704
Raised across ActBlue: 156 8,165

John Hall

NY-19 (Map)

Are you wondering why we decided to help John Hall raise campaign funds again? Easy! He’s a stellar progressive who ran on a platform of great ideas and promises—and since he’s been in office he’s been working with intelligence and energy to fulfill them.

Raised on this page: 341 3,639
Raised across ActBlue: 423 29,584

Martin Heinrich

NM-01 (Map)

As a member of the Albuquerque City Council Martin was elected President by his fellow council members because he is a unifier who can reach out and work with people who have disparate positions. At the same time, his own enlightened and progressive views are well-grounded and effectively advanced. He’s been an outspoken advocate for the rule of law and recently did a guest post at DWT about why retroactive immunity is a fatally flawed approach. Recently he won an overwhelming victory at the Democratic convention among the crowded field of candidates seeking to replace Bush rubber stamp Heather Wilson.

Raised on this page: 86 3,778
Raised across ActBlue: 1,798 308,169

Jim Himes

CT-04 (Map)

Jim Himes is an energetic and enthusiastic young businessman from Connecticut who’s life’s work has been tied up in affordable housing issues. He’s taking on one of Congress’ worst Republican hacks, Chris Shays, a deceitful rubber stamp and a posterboy for the WINO coalition. Take a look at the archive of Jim’s first live blog session at Firedoglake on July 28, 2007.

Raised on this page: 440 9,436
Raised across ActBlue: 1,431 71,910

Larry Kissell

NC-08 (Map)

Of all the candidates we endorsed in 2006, there was no race as heartbreaking as the one in NC-08 between Larry Kissell and pathetic rubber stamp Republican Robin Hayes. Larry wowed our community with his first visit to FDL in June and 667 of us donated over $10,000 to his campaign. It was the closest race in the country and after spending $2,475,169 (compared to Larry’s $779,341, with no help from the Inside the Beltway crowd), Hayes squeaked by with a 329 vote victory. With Rahm Emanuel moved out of the DCCC Chair it is a safe bet that Kissell will be getting financial assistance from Washington this year—as well as even more help from the grassroots Democrats who know and admire him. One of those admirers, Ambassador Joe Wilson, was down in North Carolina campaigning for Larry last week and he sent us this:

We all know that every election is hard fought and that the Republicans will do everything they can to hold on to power. Even as I was flying into Charlotte, the NRCC was again peddling the lies about me, and I’m not even running. Does anybody still believe that the President was not misleading the country about the justification for the invasion of Iraq? The Republican propaganda machine is still pushing the big lie even though it is so last year. They take the American people to be fools, and will continue to do so until we defeat them decisively. Larry is our man to do that in this race in North Carolina.”

Raised on this page: 243 10,029
Raised across ActBlue: 1,687 117,983

Dan Maffei

NY-25 (Map)

Last year Dan came closer to beating a Republican rubber stamp incumbent than anyone else in NY State who didn’t actually do it. In 2008, Dan looks like a good bet for accomplishing just that. Listen to Dan on this video making a case for ending the occupation of Iraq.

Raised on this page: 232 2,598
Raised across ActBlue: 2,432 70,872

Eric Massa

NY-29 (Map)

Eric Massa was great candidate in 2006 and he came close to beating rubber stamp reactionary Randy Kuhl. He’s learned a great deal since then and we’re hoping that he’ll join many of our freshmen congressmen who won on their second tries.

Raised on this page: 368 5,820
Raised across ActBlue: 6,244 374,945

Jerrold Nadler

NY-08 (Map)

Rep. Jerry Nadler is an unabashed progressive who has been fighting—very effectively—the good fight since 1992, battling against every awful agenda item the Bush Regime has sent down the pike. Please add .01 to your contribution to alert the congressman’s committee that you would like your donation to go towards his leadership PAC so that we can help him ascend the ranks inside the Democratic Caucus so he can have a greater say in continuing to push the leadership in enlightened, progressive directions. And please take a look at the archive of his extraordinary live chat at Firedoglake on April 7, 2007.

Raised on this page: 351 4,580
Raised across ActBlue: 356 6,905

Rick Noriega

TX-Sen (Map)

You want someone who combines core progressive values, proven competence and demonstrated strength of character in Washington? How about someone like that replacing the single worst Republican in the entire U.S. Senate? Meet Texas Rep. Rick Noriega.

Raised on this page: 369 6,585
Raised across ActBlue: 10,685 984,285

Tom Perriello

VA-05 (Map)

Tom is an accomplished young man who doesn’t shy away from talking about his values or the strongly held principles that have guided his life and that he hopes will guide his work in Congress. We want to help him make a successful run for his southern Virginia’s congressional seat so that he can replace the culture of corruption in Washington with a culture of service.

Raised on this page: 17 556
Raised across ActBlue: 1,258 287,254

Gary Peters

MI-09 (Map)

These days it isn’t that hard to find Democratic candidates who espouse the solidly progressive positions that are required to win a Blue America endorsement. It isn’t even that hard to find men and women, like Gary Peters, whose own records show their dedication to those positions. But Jane, John, Digby and I are looking for something even beyond that in our candidates—men and women who show signs of being selfless leaders of a progressive movement that will change the course of go-along-to-get-along politics. There is plenty of factual information about Gary on his website and we think we have found the leadership qualities we are looking for in Gary Peters. See if you agree at Gary’s first live session at FDL.

Raised on this page: 15 317
Raised across ActBlue: 1,337 288,735

Steven Porter

PA-03 (Map)

Steve was a great Democratic candidate in 2006 and has decided to run as an independent in 2008, not unlike Bernie Sanders has done in Vermont. In fact, we have every reason to believe that Steve would be the same kind of progressive, independent statesman that Bernie has been. Our inclusion of Steve has sparked a major controversy with allies who feel only Democrats are worthy of support. Check out the discussion at FDL. Because Steve is running as an independent rather than as a Democrat, Act Blue doesn’t accept contributions for his campaign. You can, however, donate directly through Steve’s website.

Raised on this page: 17 850
Raised across ActBlue: 23 1,175

Jon Powers

NY-26 (Map)

Jon Powers turned 29 on July 3. He was born and raised in small town Western New York near Buffalo and served in Iraq as an Army captain which he followed up by founding War Kids Relief. And now he’s taking on rubber stamp Republican Tom Reynolds in his first bid for elective office. He wrote eloquently on the Huffington Post about why he felt betrayed by George Bush. On the important social issues he is a progressive who believes the power of community action and government can be harnessed to better peoples’ lives.

Raised on this page: 278 6,148
Raised across ActBlue: 2,316 282,498

Andrew Rice

OK-Sen (Map)

Andrew Rice, a progressive leader in the state senate, is taking on the giant of Oklahoma extremist politics, James Inhofe. And as bad as Inhofe is, that’s how excellent Andrew is! We’re not talking about some barely-better-than-a-Republican red state Democrat. We’re talking about a real leader for all of America. And we’re talking about the Oklahoma here who gave us Woody Guthrie, Will Rogers and Bill Moyers. Andrew joins us for a live discussion at FDL on Oct. 6. This was my very first take on him last May. And here’s his first live session at FDL on October 6, 2007.

Raised on this page: 255 10,014
Raised across ActBlue: 3,889 163,819

Mark Schauer

MI-07 (Map)

Mark is the progressive Democrat who represents the Battle Creek and Jackson area of south-central Michigan. He’s also the state’s Senate Democratic leader. He’s been drafted to run for the congressional seat, which is now held by one of the most extreme right wingers in Washington, DC, Tim Walberg. There is a large coalition of bipartisan support coalescing around Mark, someone who has proven himself in tough, sometimes lonely, battles for the values and principles that motivate him.

Raised on this page: 131 4,209
Raised across ActBlue: 1,151 226,504

Howard Shanker

AZ-01 (Map)

There’s going to be a tough primary in the seat being evacuated by Arizona’s crookesdest Republican congressman, Rick Renzi. It smells like a Democratic year for this district and Howard Shanker is the progressive, grassroots candidate, a natural resources and environmental attorney with a keen understanding of how dismally the Bush Regime and his congressional cronies has run our government. If you know Arizona politics, suffice it to say that Howard will be a lot more like Raúl Grijalva than like Harry Mitchell. In other words, Howard’s very much from the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. Please take a look at our first live blog session with Howard (Oct 20) to get a feel for what a really exceptional candidate he is.

Raised on this page: 185 4,941
Raised across ActBlue: 858 30,964

Carol Shea-Porter

NH-01 (Map)

Carol Shea-Porter is the quintessential grassroots congressmember, truly someone who represents her constituents, not special interests and not the Inside-the-Beltway political establishment. That alone makes her a treasure worth cherishing. From the first we heard about her race to replace rubber stamp incumbent Jeb Bradley, it was obvious she would be an independent voice in Congress. She’s been a promise keeper and an indefatigable worker to right the wrongs created by the Bush Regime. She has also asked the DCCC to stay out of her race. It’s an honor to assist this great woman, great and truly, one of us, to fight to keep her seat.

Raised on this page: 436 7,626
Raised across ActBlue: 1,480 99,261

Dennis Shulman

NJ-05 (Map)

The can do candidate from Northern New Jersey, Dennis knows about overcoming obstacles to achieve lofty goals. I wish he was running for president instead of Congress. But… first things first. Check out his visit to Firedoglake on November 3.

Raised on this page: 162 4,615
Raised across ActBlue: 611 99,651

Hilda Solis

CA-32 (Map)

Hilda is one of the dozen most progressive members of Congress, a vibrant and inspiring leader who lives and breathes our values and principles. This is a woman we want to see rise in the leadership of the Democratic Party so her voice will be heard when priorities are set and strategies are discussed.

Raised on this page: 350 4,676
Raised across ActBlue: 355 4,777

Regina Thomas

GA-12 (Map)

State Senator Regina Thomas is challenging reactionary Democrat John Barrow for a race to represent GA-12. Regina’s positions on economic issues and on Iraq-related issues are far more aligned with voters in the district. Barrow has been one of the most consistent Bush rubber stamps of any Democrat in the House. Regina has been consistent in her support of working families and will make an ideal representative for this Savannah and Augusta based district.

Raised on this page: 137 5,324
Raised across ActBlue: 1,719 42,206

Russ Warner

CA-26 (Map)

CA-26 is a moderate suburban district and it has been represented by an extremist from Kansas City, hypocrite and rubber stamp Bushite, David Dreier. Russ Warner calls him an “out of touch elitist” and promises to go to Washington as “a regular person, not a career politician.” He sees his role in Washington as a public servant working for his constituents. If he replaces Dreier that change would be cataclysmic—in a good way, a really good way. Please check out the archive of Russ’ live session at FDL on August 4, 2007.

Raised on this page: 229 3,139
Raised across ActBlue: 1,326 319,660

Barry Welsh

IN-06 (Map)

Of all the solid, progressive candidates Blue America didn’t get around to endorsing last year, one of the ones that irked me the most was Indiana’s Barry Welsh, who I covered quite a bit at DWT. In any case, we’re not leaving him out this year—and I hope you won’t be either. You won’t find a more dedicated, selfless progressive running for anything anywhere.

Raised on this page: 206 3,133
Raised across ActBlue: 574 16,252

Victoria Wulsin

OH-02 (Map)

Victoria Wulsin was the House candidate for whom Blue America raised the most contributions last year—just over $27,000. She came within just a percentage of beating Mean Jean Schmidt, the best any Democrat has ever done in OH-02. Take a look at the video of the song we used to help her cause last year. And let’s do way more to bring this incredible woman to Congress next year.

Raised on this page: 575 16,776
Raised across ActBlue: 808 31,220