Progressive 11th News Update/Round-Up

Competition Standings

Democracy For America - Grassroots All-Star (Voting Closed)

DFA/Blog For America: Voting is now closed. Ballots will be verified and audited over the weekend. Check back next week for the final winner!

http://www.blogforamerica.com/

Mark Warner/Forward Together - Map Changers (6/19-6/29) - Vote!

Forward Together: Standings as of June 24, 2006 @ 10:03 AM EST

1. MT-Sen Jon Tester
2. CA-11 Jerry McNerney
3. TX-Gov Chris Bell

http://www.forwardtogetherpac.com/mapchangers

Jerry McNerney

From the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund statement of endorsement of Jerry McNerney for Congress

""The choice voters face this fall could not be clearer. We can count on Jerry McNerney to protect special places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling. We know he will fight to keep oil rigs away from California's coasts and help conserve natural treasures like California's Yosemite National Park and the Los Padres National Forest. And perhaps most importantly, we know Jerry McNerney will bring his expertise in clean renewable energy to Congress as he works to reduce our nation's dependence on oil and meet our energy needs, all while keeping California's economy moving. His vision stands in stark contrast to Richard Pombo, who is all too willing to sacrifice our natural treasures on behalf of special interests.

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"This fall, voters in California's 11th district will choose between two very different candidates: Richard Pombo, who is working to tear down environmental protections to benefit special interests, or, Jerry McNerney, who wants to conserve our natural heritage for future generations. For anyone who cares about the world their children and grandchildren will live in, the choice could not be clearer."" (source)

Morgan Hill Times: McNerney Fights for 11th Congressional District (source)

CQPolitics: CA 11: Dems Attempt to Mend Fences, Rally Around McNerney (source)

DNC Blog/DailyKos: 50-State Strategy: California - Talking with Jerry McNerney (source)

Democratic Party

"Looking at the results of netroots backed candidates in 2006 so far, I think the results show that the netroots are quite representative of the Democratic Party as a whole. With victories from James Webb, Jon Tester and Jerry McNerney, the netroots were clearly representative of Democrats in those states and districts. With close calls in IL-06 and TX-28, again I think the netroots have shown that they do represent a very large portion of the Democratic Party base. In all cases, the candidates supported by the netroots were outgunned for all or most of those campaigns in terms of media attention, party support, and fundraising, yet they all performed above expectations and, in many cases, actually won." (source)

MyDD: On Representing the Democratic Base (source)

"Since 2003, I can think of several movement candidates who have caught the national eye, including Howard Dean, Christine Cegalis, Ned Lamont, and now Jerry McNerney. Starting with the only example form the previous election cycle, can anyone seriously argue that Howard Dean's 2004 Presidential campaign drained resources from the Democratic Party? Since saying that you helped Howard Dean raise $50 million online is one of the easiest ways to secure a job as a Democratic staffer in D.C. these days, I doubt there is anyone in D.C. who would make that argument. Further, can there be any doubt that Howard Dean's campaign was one of the main reasons, if not the main reason, that the Kerry campaign was able to raise $100M online during the general election? I don't know of anyone who would make that argument either. As one of the first candidates representing the new progressive movement, Howard Dean brought droves of activists into the Democratic Party..." (source)

MyDD: The Importance of Movement Candidates (source)

Calitics: CA-11: Is there a role for the DCCC? (source)

Richard Pombo

"The Sierra Club will spend "hundreds of thousands of dollars" in an effort to defeat Pombo this fall, targeting newcomers to the fast-growing conservative district east of the San Francisco Bay area." (source)

"Richard Pombo is arguably the biggest anti-environmental extremist in the House of Representatives and was the Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund's 2005 Wildlife Villain of the Year. He has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from oil, gas, timber and mining companies and turned right around and pushed their agenda in Congress. He has proposed drilling off California's coast, selling public lands to mining companies, and led the fight to weaken the Endangered Species Act on behalf of developers. His only concern seems to be the dismantling of the environmental laws that protect us all, today and for generations to come." (source)

Assosciated Press: Pombo seeks Schwarzenegger backing on offshore drilling bill (source)

Say No To Pombo: Pombo Finally Creates "Jobs Program" (source)

National Wildlife Federation: Sportsmen Unite to Oppose Land Grab (source)