by Jennifer on 06.09.2010
I'd like to tell you about one of my national colleagues, another Secretary of State and U.S. Senate candidate, Elaine Marshall, a Democrat from North Carolina. Like me, she was told to stay out of her state's U.S. Senate race. Like me, she didn't look back.
On May 4th, she was the top vote-getter in a five-way Democratic primary in North Carolina. She now faces a runoff election on June 22nd (she needed 40% and she won 36%). Her prospects look promising to win the runoff, and the latest Public Policy Poll shows the Republican incumbent, Senator Richard Burr, vulnerable when pitted against Secretary Marshall (Burr 43%, Marshall 42%).
Here are some of the things I really like about Elaine Marshall:
Secretary Marshall, like me, is benefiting from direct help on the ground from the Women's Campaign Forum. One of my key Senate race supporters contacted me Monday when she received a WCF email supporting Elaine Marshall. My supporter forwarded the email to her adult daughter, saying:
"This is the group of the future; one that truly supports women who run for office. Sign up on their website and support them. Only by standing and working together will we make the necessary advances. Thank you Sam Bennett & WCF!"
So here's what I'm asking you to do:
Sign up on Elaine Marshall's website to get updates and be part of her campaign.
Sign up with the Women's Campaign Forum to stay in touch with a longstanding national organization that "gets it" that women don't move ahead by trying to fit into the way that it's always been done. WCF understands that, especially in primaries, when fund raising is tough and times are unpredictable, party machinery often characterizes diversity and a fresh approach as "inexperienced" and not worth the risk. (Elaine Marshall is the first woman elected to statewide executive office in North Carolina; she defeated legendary NASCAR driver Richard Petty, who, less than a year earlier, had been considered virtually unbeatable.)
WCF is helping Secretary Marshall. I can't say enough about the difference the Women's Campaign Forum meant to my campaign. When funds were being shut down, WCF didn't walk away from me because I couldn't meet a moving-target-money-threshold test. Sam Bennett at WCF said to stay tough, and WCF would be there for me. They were. WCF donors contributed to my campaign as our silver bus criss-crossed the state. Now they're fighting for Elaine. And we need to, too.
A U.S. Senate race in North Carolina is important to more than the people of North Carolina. Elaine will be there for you and me. Let's help her get elected in North Carolina. Please offer her your financial support and help WCF help others like her, because progressive grassroots campaigns and a tough fight on the ground need our money.
Thanks for all you do.
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by Jennifer on 05.29.2010
The campaign we ran for U.S. Senate taught us a new way to campaign in Ohio.
That's why I'm not done, and I hear from so many of you that you are ready for the next challenge. That's why we're forming an organization to help candidates, especially those outside of the special interests that have dominated campaign funding for years. We know that women and people of color and differing national origins, sexual orientation and gender identity have not typically been afforded easy access to the mainstream of campaign funding, even though they are increasingly moving into the mainstream of our communities.
We are in a time of profound social change and seeing it in health care reform, banking regulation reform and immigration reform. These are tough issues. With new challenges like the Citizens United decision that allows corporations to become directly involved in candidate campaigns, the stakes for preserving real democracy are even higher. It's important that our government "look like us" and represent the diversity of our experiences.
New candidates who step up buoyed by a passion for public service to solve problems of our complex communities can no longer sustain the established ways that force money to the top of all the issues in a campaign. Candidates must be able to run consistently with their values. When candidates actually spend time with voters and supporters, both in person and virtually through online communication and video, everyone benefits. Voters can see and hear directly from the candidate, and the candidate better understands their needs. In the end we all get better, people-centered government. So, let's get started.
I'm working on closure for my Senate primary campaign and will be transitioning activities to a new organization called, "CouragePAC." We call it CouragePAC, because candidates who are willing to push through the trappings of big money and the naysaying of established machine politics will need a little courage. We want to help them.
But first, I need a little help to get closure on my Senate race. We have a modest debt to be paid so we can move forward and help others. Will you chip in? Your contributions were so helpful in making our grassroots campaign strong and to prove there is a new way to campaign. Just a little more, and we can help others do this, too. The contribution limit is $2400, but we're happy with $5 or whatever you want to contribute. Your contribution will help us quickly pay off primary election debt so we can move forward to help other candidates get started.
Thanks for your help,
Jennifer Brunner
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by Jennifer on 05.04.2010
I congratulate Lt. Gov. Fisher, our nominee for the U.S. Senate, and I join all Democrats in Ohio in looking forward to a vigorous campaign in the fall.
Early on, we decided to try and campaign in a different way. I got out of the call room and onto a bus. I traveled 6,000 miles to make 96 stops in 43 cities and talked directly to Ohioans about the issues that are at the center of their lives. I urge candidates and voters to embrace the spirit of this new campaign and call on the candidates to come out from the call room and talk to the voters.
Thank you very, very much to the many people who gave so much, in so many ways, to support our campaign.
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