The article goes on to mention two U.S. Senate candidates and two congressional candidates that are part of the Elizabeth Warren Wing of the Democratic Party. The Senate candidates they mention are former Tom Daschle aide, Rick Weiland (D. SD) and former ACLU director Shenna Bellows (D. ME):What happens when you mix FDR-style populism with a Paul Krugman-esqe love of wonky policy? You get the so-called “Warren wing” Democratic candidates.They are an eclectic mix of upstarts, largely political outsiders, who are running with freshman Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s cause -- whether she likes it or not.
Warren wing candidates are by no means tea party-like in their aims or even in their methods. They are firmly in favor of government and there is little desire to, for example, oust sitting Democrats in a quest for ideological purity.
But both parties are now figuring out how to respond to the clamoring of movements within their parties that demand that they address the same concern: Americans are sick of Washington and no longer believe lawmakers are working with their best interests in mind. - ABC News, 2/18/14
And the two congressional candidates are Daylin Leach (D. PA-13) and Lee Rogers (D. CA-25):Bellows, former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, has championed reining in the National Security Agency's surveillance regime on the campaign trail. Her focus on that issue has netted her new libertarian supporters to add to her base of progressive supporters. Earlier this year, she surprised the political establishment by out-raising incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the last quarter of 2013.And Rick Weiland, who is running for the Senate in South Dakota, asserts that special interests dominating money in politics has been the source of most if not all of the political ills that America currently faces. - ABC News, 2/18/14
If you are looking for great Democratic candidates that will be great allies for Warren in the Senate and the House, these are your candidates. Now guys like Leach are running in blue districts but is in a crowded primary but has been outspoken about being a a proud Warren progressive Democrat:Leach, on the other hand, has championed legalizing recreational and medicinal marijuana in Pennsylvania, and has had a long history of pushing progressive ideas in the state Senate.Expanding Medicare and Social Security is at the top of the list for Lee Rogers, a California doctor running in the 25th Congressional District. - ABC News, 2/18/14
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And candidates like Bellows have also proudly worn the Warren comparison:Daylin Leach, a Democrat running to replace outgoing Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) distanced himself from the centrist think-tank Third Way on Wednesday, telling HuffPost Live, "I would not consider myself a Third Way type of candidate in any respect."Third Way, a Democratic group that sides with liberals on gun control and social issues but frequently backs Republican economic policies, set off an intraparty powder keg last week, after its president and co-founder published a Wall Street Journal op-ed attacking Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and her proposal to expand Social Security benefits. Leach, a self-styled progressive who has been endorsed by Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.), is the latest Democrat to jump into the fray.
“I found the editorial appalling, quite frankly,” said Leach. “Social Security literally lifted up entire generations of senior citizens out of poverty, but it’s not doing enough, we can do more. I support Elizabeth Warren’s proposals and I would not consider myself a Third Way type of candidate in any respect.”
Several of Third Way's top congressional supporters have also criticized the op-ed, including Schwartz, the think tank's honorary co-chair, who is giving up her seat in Congress to run for governor.
Leach told HuffPost Live Wednesday that he plans to pursue progressive stances on LGBT rights, drug legalization and financial regulation if he is elected. When asked about the efficacy of progressive voices in Congress, Leach told Huffpost Live he believes more outspoken liberals are needed on Capitol Hill. - Huffington Post, 12/12/13
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And candidates like Weiland, who has shown his support for a public option and tackling Citizens United, would be proud to have Warren on the campaign trail for him:Today, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) is endorsing Shenna Bellows for the U.S. Senate in a key Senate upset race against Republican incumbent Susan Collins. In the latest fundraising quarter, Shenna Bellows outraised Susan Collins. Collins reported $314,921 for the quarter while Bellows raised $331,454. Over 80% of Bellows’ contributions were $100 or less.“We call Shenna Bellows the ‘Elizabeth Warren of civil liberties’ because she’s campaigning boldly on constitutional freedom and economic populism,” said PCCC co-founder Stephanie Taylor. “Like Elizabeth Warren’s challenge to former Sen. Scott Brown, many insiders thought Susan Collins was unbeatable. Until now.”
Today’s national endorsement and fundraising email to PCCC members is copied below. The PCCC is fundraising for Shenna Bellows’ campaign from it’s membership base of over 5,700 members in Maine and nearly 1 million members across the country. - The New Main Times, 2/4/14
And progressive candidates like Rogers have the amazing chance to turn an old red district into a blue one:Rick Weiland, who is running to replace retiring Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), is also looking for some more political love from Warren.“I think she’s got a tremendous national network, her engagement on the level nationally to help raise the profile and hopefully encourage resources could be extremely helpful to candidates — including me,” Weiland said. “I have not yet met with her. Every time I’ve been in D.C., I’ve tried to meet with her, but our calendars haven’t” meshed. - Politico, 1/23/14
Now candidates like Weiland and Bellows are considered underdogs in their races but they haven been campaigning hard on their platforms. Weiland will most likely go up against former Governor Mike Rounds (R. SD) but a recent scandal involving Rounds and the EB-5 program could hurt him, especially since he has three Tea Party opponents in his primary. However, Rounds has a long history of being a Super PAC candidate pulling off surprising victories in a red state like South Dakota. Maine is a blue state that heavily went to Obama but Senator Susan Collins (R. ME) still remains popular. It's the "balance of power" mentality I believe is why voters continue to re-elect Collins plus she doesn't have to worry about a serious a Tea Party challenger despite Maine Republican voters wanting a more conservative candidate. But it's still early in the year and a lot can happen between now and November. Leach is running a great campaign and has been doing a great job differentiating himself from the rest of his primary opponents. And with Buck McKeon's district starting to tilt blue, Rogers could win this. So if you want to donate or get involved with any of these candidates' campaigns, you can do so here:Leading the way in recent fundraising is Rogers, who collected $93,940 in the most recent quarter, according to the FEC.The Democratic candidate said he has also seen an upsurge in donations since Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, announced Jan. 16 he would not seek re-election to another term.
Rogers said his campaign received funds from 1,300 donors in the week following McKeon’s retirement announcement.
“I believe these numbers reflect the constituency’s desire to send an outsider to Congress rather than two career Sacramento politicians,” Rogers said in a news release. “Washington is broken and it’s clear the public wants to send a common-sense problem-solver, like me, to fix it.”
Despite Rogers’ recent success at fundraising, the largest war chest in the campaign’s early going belongs to Strickland, who reported $418,271 in cash on hand and $39,755 in contributions in the latest filing period.
“I think we’re in a strong position, and since we’ve announced for Congress we’ve had amazing support,” Strickland said Tuesday. “It’s very humbling to see the kind of support that we’ve been receiving throughout the district.” - The Santa Clarita Valley Signal, 2/4/14
