ActBlue — Blue America '12

Blue America '12

by Blue America

3,544
Supporters

210,539
Raised

$
Distributed among the recipients below

The Blue America PAC was founded in time for the 2006 midterm elections, in which a host of progressive candidates were elected, including many candidates we backed. Our top pick in 2006, Donna Edwards, was defeated but went on to win in 2008, and was reelected in 2010. Many of our candidates from 2006 and 2008 were defeated for reelection in the tsunami of 2010 when voters told Democrats to get their act together and differentiate themselves from Republicans by standing up for working families. The voters helped them along that path by defeating more than two dozen conservative Blue Dogs, over half of their aisle-crossing caucus. Unfortunately excellent Blue America-backed incumbents like Alan Grayson, Carol Shea-Porter, John Hall, Mark Schauer and Mary Jo Kilroy were swept up in the wave.

In this cycle we'll be using what we've learned since 2006 to help more progressives to overcome the massive financial advantage corporately backed conservatives always have over candidates who fight for ordinary families instead of special interests.

The beginning of the process is to help recruit solid progressives in a slew of races where Republicans narrowly managed to get into office in the midst of a national discontent that wasn't kind to Democratic incumbents. You'll be able to keep abreast of developments along these lines at the three blogs that work together to keep this PAC going, Crooks and Liars, Digby's Hullabaloo and DownWithTyranny.

Blue America doesn't work in safe districts where our help isn't needed. We look for tough races where a little encouragement, some financial help and some advice could go a long way, especially with candidates unlikely to get much help from the DCCC or the DSCC.

Blue America PAC

The money that is donated to the PAC is money that we use to run independent expenditure campaigns-- usually advertising-- in favor of the candidates we back and against their reactionary opponents.

Raised on this page: 1,247 20,460
Raised across ActBlue: 21,441 731,564

Ken Aden

AR-03

Ken's a blue collar New Deal Democrat in a very tough district-- and he's a very tough competitor. A veteran of both the Afghanistan and the Iraq wars, he didn't come to his progressive values and principles by reading them in books but by on the ground real life experience. Anyone who thinks the Arkansas Democratic Party is all about Blue Dogs and corporate whores, needs to meet Ken Aden.

In response to hearing that some Democrats on the SuperCommittee want to join Republicans advocating cuts to Medicare and Social Security, he told us that "Now, more than ever, we as citizens must educate ourselves when it comes to the corporate prostitutes who claim to represent us and our families. We will be able to identify them by their works and voting record. Whether you have a D or R before your name... if you back attempts to cut Medicare and Social Security, you are nothing but a criminal."

Raised on this page: 582 7,410
Raised across ActBlue: 1,114 27,070

Darcy Burner

WA-01

We've supported Darcy's past bids and she's come very close to winning. Hopefully this year, we'll help put her over the top. Her platform is just what Washington needs-- desperately.

Raised on this page: 684 12,118
Raised across ActBlue: 10,140 331,669

Chris Donovan

CT-05

Chris is not just a progressive, he's a progressive who gets things done. He worked his way into the Connecticut House's Speaker's chair and has accomplished the kinds of things in his state that national Democrats are still trying to get to first base with-- from public financing of elections to a public option for healthcare and marriage equality. He's a natch for the open seat Chris Murphy is leaving as he goes off to the Senate.

Raised on this page: 649 5,716
Raised across ActBlue: 7,123 251,747

David Gill

IL-13

A single payer advocate and staunch movement progressive, Dr. David Gill beat back a corporate conservative in the Illinois primary and is now facing Republican Tim Johnson in a seat that has been redrawn to make it a true swing district. Dr. Gill is an independent-minded populist who will shake things up inside the DC Democratic caucus.

Raised on this page: 217 3,055
Raised across ActBlue: 2,534 177,323

Alan Grayson

FL-09

He was the best and most courageous Member of Congress when he was a Member. He'll be even better in the next session!

Raised on this page: 1,579 26,068
Raised across ActBlue: 39,655 1,020,592

Matt Heinz

AZ-02

Raised on this page: 37 885
Raised across ActBlue: 234 73,570

Patsy Keever

NC-10

Finally... a North Carolina progressive is taking on execrable little Patrick McHenry. As an activist and state Rep, Patsy has been a shining light for working families in western North Carolina. Patsy already won her primary against a conservative Blue Dog type that the DCCC recruited and now she's be in a good position to send McHenry into retirement.

Raised on this page: 309 5,163
Raised across ActBlue: 422 15,703

Ann McLane Kuster

NH-02

Longtime progressive activist, Annie came close to beating corporate rubber stamp Republican Charlie Bass in 2010. This year she should complete the task.

Raised on this page: 502 7,841
Raised across ActBlue: 39,530 693,573

Joe Miklosi

CO-06

Joe, who's running against one of Congress' most deranged extremists, told us "I have spent the last decade fighting to promote progressive values in Colorado. We’ve stood steadfast with those who are squeezed between Wall Street elites and an unresponsive government bureaucracy. Our dedication to individual empowerment and our commitment to fairness is reflected in a bluer Colorado."

Raised on this page: 490 4,583
Raised across ActBlue: 998 15,669

E Wayne Powell

VA-07

Wayne has spent his life in the real world, serving in the Army and running a small business. Eric Cantor is the epitome of what's wrong with Washington. He’s a career politician, a partisan operator who is the poster child for the obstructionism that is ruining our country today. Wayne is running to reform Congress, to make sure every American has opportunity. "Congress is broken,"he told us, "and I'm running to fix it and end Congressman Cantor's culture of corruption."

And maybe one day the DCCC will get on board too.

Raised on this page: 176 4,337
Raised across ActBlue: 1,559 83,574

Lee Rogers

CA-25

You'd be hard-pressed to find a more corrupt Member of Congress anywhere than Buck McKeon. And you'd be just as hard pressed to find a more together, harder working challenger than Dr. Lee Rogers.

Raised on this page: 313 7,646
Raised across ActBlue: 1,355 153,347

Nicholas Ruiz III

FL-07

As Blue America's first endorsed candidate of 2012, Nicholas offers an extremely high standard with which we'll have to consider other candidates. He's running against a reactionary teabagger, Sandy Adams, but he isn't some kind of conservative Democrat who is looking to keep the status quo. What attracted Blue America to Nicholas is his way of thinking outside-the-box to find solutions to the problems facing the country and facing Florida's working families. Reactionaries like Adams want to demolish Social Security. Conservatives want to keep it the same or even "compromise" with reactionaries and make it "a little" worse. Progressives want to strengthen it. Take a look at Nicholas' guest post about health care reform and then try to imagine a whole Congress filled with Members of this calibre.

Raised on this page: 995 11,485
Raised across ActBlue: 1,309 23,807

Carol Shea-Porter

NH-01

Like Alan Grayson, Carol, got swept up in the Tea Party tidal wave in 2010. New Hampshire voters have seen what that's resulted in and have reconsidered. We think Carol, a lifelong grassroots activist and dedicated progressive, will regain her old seat... with a little help from like-minded progressives.

Raised on this page: 235 3,265
Raised across ActBlue: 5,873 335,065

Nate Shinagawa

NY-23

Raised on this page: 13 152
Raised across ActBlue: 1,184 162,723

Aryanna Strader

PA-16

Progressives have been hoping to get rid of right-wing barnacle, religious fanatic and anti-Choice extremist Joe Pitts for a very long time-- and especially after he reneged on a pledge (and a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition) in 2002 to not serve in office more than 10 years. Hard to do when the Democratic Party didn't bother running a candidate against him that year. Lois Herr, without any real support from the DC Dems, took him on in 2004, 2006 and 2010. This year Lois is backing Aryanna Strader, a 29 year old army vet, a mother of two and a bona fide, passionate 99% Movement progressive. Republicans in the state legislature were unkind to Pitts when it came to redistricting this year. They took away rural, conservative deep red parts of Lancaster County and added in Reading and Coatesville, which are Democratic. Obama lost the 16th to McCain 48-51%. But under the new lines, he would have won it.

Raised on this page: 67 1,338
Raised across ActBlue: 110 3,566

Trevor Thomas

MI-03

In Michigan both party Establishments are running conservative, anti-Choice, anti-LGBT self-funding multimillionaires against Trevor. He has a fresh vision for a progressive can-do country based on shared responsibility and a new approach to fairness for American working families. Primary day-- August 7.

Raised on this page: 199 3,796
Raised across ActBlue: 951 65,481

Rob Zerban

WI-01

Rob is a Kenosha County Supervisor who is taking on the brave task of challenging Wall Street's #1 priority candidate-- Paul Ryan. Yes, THAT Ryan, the one fronting the GOP plan to kill Medicare-- the Ayn Rand freak who poses the biggest danger of any Republican in Congress to the future of our country. Please check out the lively discussion we had with Rob at Crooks and Liars on February 14.

Raised on this page: 437 8,283
Raised across ActBlue: 12,936 376,936

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