Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Top 10 Candidates & Committees on ActBlue, September 1-7, 2008

Editor's Note: Each week, ActBlue will release key statistics from campaigns across the country, along with brief biographical notes on the week's Top 10 Candidates and Committees.* When we have information that may help to explain why a candidate or candidate has had increased activity on ActBlue, we will provide it in italics below the biography. Descriptive content reproduced in the ActBlue Campaign Newswire is collated from publicly available sources. ActBlue does not take sides in any Democratic primary. You can subscribe to the RSS feed of the Campaign Newswire at http://feeds.feedburner.com/ActBlueCampaignNewswire.

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Barack Obama | President | $78,009.12

Kay Hagan | NC-Sen | $71,962.77

Mark Warner | VA-Sen | $46,003.48

Rick Noriega | TX-Sen | $39,456.16

Andrew Rice | OK-Sen | $36,704.32

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cttee | $29,024.48

Equality for All | | $27,506.00

Joseph Sestak Jr | PA-07 | $18,566.00

Scott Kleeb | NE-Sen | $17,722.09

Gary Peters | MI-09 | $17,423.90

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1. Barack Obama (President)

Illinois Senator Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee for President.

The Obama-Biden campaign has been the beneficiary of fundraising pushes by AmericaBlog, Balloon Juice, and National Anthem, a group of Boston-based classical musicians staging a benefit for the campaign this month (http://www.actblue.com/page/obamaconcert).

Obama's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/16332

Obama's campaign site: http://www.barackobama.com/

2. Kay Hagan (NC-Sen)

Kay Hagan is a Campaign Newswire regular and is in the top 3 for the ninth week in a row. Hagan is running against Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole and was named one of the "top ten most effective state senators" by the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research (NCCPPR). After winning the Democratic primary in May with 60 percent of the vote, the five-term North Carolina state senator continues to pick up high-profile endorsements.

Hagan is one of several candidates to use innovative fundraising techniques to fund media buys this cycle. Hagan spells out the challenge for her supporters: "North Carolina is the most expensive state to compete in this cycle. With 10 different media markets, nearly 9 million people and a little more than two months until Election Day, it is imperative that I have the resources to stay on the air." Reminding her supporters that it was "two powerful television ads" that "brought us ahead," Hagan asks readers to help her put the ad embedded in her fundraising page on television (http://www.actblue.com/page/kayisahead).

Hagan's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18560

Hagan's campaign site: http://kayhagan.com/welcome

3. Mark Warner (VA-Sen)

During his tenure as Virginia Governor from 2002-2006, Warner was hailed by Time Magazine as one of "America's 5 Best Governors" in 2005 and was featured in Newsweek's "Who's Next" issue in 2006. Warner is running for what will be Republican John Warner's vacated Senate seat.

Like Hagan, Mark Warner has embraced innovative fundraising asks this cycle, this week focusing on building a new group of 2009 donors: "As we see in the headlines every morning, our nation faces enormous challenges. From the weak economy, to rising energy prices, to the continued mismanagement of the five year-long war in Iraq, we need leaders who are ready to work together to find solutions to our problems. Please help us meet our goal of 2,009 online donors [.]" Democrats nationwide have shifted the focus this election from dollars to donors, in many cases encouraging the media to follow suit.

Warner's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18420

Warner's campaign site: http://markwarner2008.com/welcome

4. Rick Noriega (TX-Sen)

Noriega is certainly no newcomer to ActBlue success, and has appeared on every Top 10 List since ActBlue launched the Campaign Newswire in June 2008. After Noriega's Army tour in Afghanistan, the two-term Texas state representative and Lieutenant Colonel was appointed Incident Commander of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in Houston, Texas. He's now running against Republican incumbent John Cornyn for the Texas Senate seat.

The Noriega campaign, skilled in online messaging, has once again used an embedded video, rather than text, to bring the campaign's case to voters. In one of the campaign's highest-yielding asks this week, http://www.actblue.com/page/ricknoriega holds a video on Cornyn's "last-minute switch on the Medicare bill." The Noriega campaign also continues to attract donations via Daily Kos's Orange to Blue list (www.actblue.com/page/orangetoblue).

Noriega's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18187

Noriega's campaign site: http://www.ricknoriega.com/

5. Andrew Rice (OK-Sen)

Andrew Rice is running to replace Republican Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma. Rice, who holds degrees from Colby and Harvard Divinity School, was a documentary filmmaker before his brother's tragic death in the 9/11 attacks compelled him to run for the Oklahoma state senate in 2005. He won the election with 70 percent of the vote, and in the state senate has focused on issues affecting children and families, specifically health insurance and tax breaks for struggling families.

Andrew Rice has enjoyed enormous success this week at Orange to Blue, the list of progressive candidates endorsed by Daily Kos (www.actblue.com/page/orangetoblue). After Inhofe questioned Obama's love of country last week, the Daily Kos community raised $10,000 this Saturday night to challenge the Oklahoma incumbent.

Rice's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18228

Rice's campaign site: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18228

6. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is charged with electing a Democratic Senate. Its counterparts on the Federal level are the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), charged respectively with electing a Democratic President and a Democratic House.

The DSCC is engaged in a nationwide fundraising push in the run-up to the November elections.

The DSCC's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/8339

The DSCC's website: http://www.dscc.org/

7. Equality for All

Equality for All is a diverse coalition encouraging Californians to vote against a ballot initiative ("Prop 8") that would rewrite the California Constitution to define marriage as a valid union between only a man and a woman. Equality for All is comprised of nearly 50 organizations, including LGBT, pro-choice and civil rights organizations, and organized labor and religious groups. California supporters can take the "Vow to Vote No" on Prop 8 at http://eqfed.org/campaign/vow.

Equality for All's totals this week reflect composite efforts by a number of community fundraisers. In a prime example of a personalized fundraising ask, "Dan's 'No on 8' Page" makes the case to potential supporters: "It's been years since I've donated to a political campaign. Defeating Prop. 8 is so important to me that I've made a monthly pledge between June and October. I invite you to join me in any way you can....No On Prop 8, Equality For All is the coalition that is leading the fight to defeat Prop 8 and defend the fundamental right to marry for all Californians. Never in California's history have voters taken away a right, but without our involvement, that could happen. Please give if you can, or wear a button, post a sign, or talk to your friends. Let people know you're voting No on 8!"

No Prop 8, Equality for All website: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/19788

No Prop 8, Equality for All campaign hubpage: http://noonprop8.com

8. Joseph Sestak Jr. (PA-07)

Former Navy Vice Admiral Joseph Sestak, Jr., was elected to Congress in 2006, defeating ten-term Republican incumbent Curt Weldon, and is running for re-election this year. Between tours in the Navy, Sestak earned a master's degree in Public Administration and a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard, and later served as Director for Defense Policy on the staff of the National Security Council under President Clinton, and as director of "Deep Blue," the Navy's anti-terrorism unit. Sestak is the senior military veteran in Congress and the highest-ranking former military officer ever elected to Congress. Sestak was among ActBlue's ten most successful candidates in 2006.

The Sestak campaign is planning several events this month, and continues to fundraise principally through the Sestak ActBlue hubpage.

Sestak's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/12839

Sestak's campaign site: http://www.sestakforcongress.com/

9. Scott Kleeb (NE-Sen)

Kleeb is a fourth generation Nebraskan, who lived in military bases overseas as a child and has worked in the Sandhills of Nebraska and as a ranch hand in eastern Colorado. While working on the dissertation for his Ph.D. from Yale, Kleeb traveled all over the Western United States and saw firsthand the difficulties that farmers, ranchers and small business owners were facing as part of a shrinking middle class. Kleeb now works to promote locally-grown food and responsible business practices as Director of Operations for Morgan Ranch, a Nebraska-based beef company.

An Orange-to-Blue candidate, Kleeb has embraced the twofold power of the video embed, using online video both to communicate directly with supporters and to encourage donors to help the campaign buy ad time on Nebraska networks. The campaign's efforts this week have landed them once more on ActBlue's Top Ten list.

Kleeb's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18920

Kleeb's campaign site: http://www.scottkleeb.com

10. Gary Peters (MI-09)

Gary Peters is running against Republican incumbent Joe Knollenberg for Michigan's 9th District congressional seat. While serving in the state Senate, Peters was the Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus, and the ranking Democrat on many prominent Senate committees, including the Finance and the Judiciary committees. Peters won accolades for his success as Commissioner for the Michigan State Lottery, a post he was appointed to in 2003. Peters has also managed branches for two major Wall Street firms, and served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

The Peters campaign's success this week on ActBlue reflects high numbers on its hubpage.

Peters's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18229

Peters's campaign site: http://petersforcongress.com/

* All fundraising totals represent the amount raised from 12:00 a.m. on September 1 until 11:59 p.m. on September 7..



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