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. When we have information that may help to explain why a 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://campaignnewswire.blogspot.
|||
1. Accountability Now | $146,210.97
2. Kay Hagan | NC-Sen | $36,083.47
3. Martin Heinrich | NM-01 | $20,475.90
4. Al Franken | MN-Sen | $19,652.58
5. Rick Noriega | TX-Sen | $14,786.13
6. Scott Kleeb | NE-Sen | $12,856.81
7. Jon Powers | NY-26 | $11,523.75
8. Gary Peters | MI-09 | $10,860.60
9. Russ Warner | CA-26 | $9,947.26
10. Annette Taddeo | FL-18 | $9,185.67
|||
1. Accountability Now PAC
The Accountability Now PAC is an organization aiming to increase Washington's responsiveness and public accountability. In particular, the group is "devoted to a defense of our basic constitutional framework, restoring core political liberties, enforcing the equal application of the rule of law to the political class, replacing America's spiraling imperialism with a return to the values of a Republic, and imposing the genuine checks and limits on government power designed by the Founders," and intends "to remove from office those who trample upon those values, support those who defend these values, and coordinate campaigns to influence the public debate over these vital issues of liberty and accountable government."
This is Accountability Now PAC's first time on the ActBlue Top 10 list. Firedoglake's fundraising push for the PAC helped it clinch the number 1 spot this week.
Accountability Now PAC's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/20432
Accountability Now PAC's web site: http://accountabilitynowpac.com
2. Kay Hagan (NC-Sen)
Hagan is running against Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole and was recently 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.
A continually strong fundraiser on ActBlue, Kay Hagan recently announced fundraising totals topping $1.6 million in the second quarter of the year, narrowing the fundraising gap with Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole and attracting national media attention. Hagan's totals this week reflect high traffic to Hagan's website and continuing efforts by the campaign to expand its fundraising base.
Hagan's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18560
Hagan's campaign site: http://kayhagan.com/
3. Martin Heinrich (NM-01)
Albuquerque City Councilor Martin Heinrich is running for Congress in New Mexico's 1st District. Heinrich, once director of a foundation dedicated to science and environmental education, has served on several boards focused on environmental, open space, and urban issues, and has used his time on the City Council to work toward making New Mexico a leader in alternative energy and energy efficiency. Heinrich is running against Republican Darren White, who was recently aided by a George W. Bush fundraiser in Albuquerque.
The Heinrich campaign is once again leading the way in terms of innovative fundraising asks. This week, we noticed that one of Heinrich's mentees, Javier Benavidez, created a page, as he says, in the spirit of Sam Cooke. On the page, called "A Change is Gonna Come," Benavidez explains what he saw in Heinrich as a boss and mentor, and asks his closest friends for help. See the ask at http://www.actblue.com/page/achangeisgonnacome.
Heinrich's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18006
Heinrich's campaign site: http://www.martinheinrich.com
4. Al Franken (MN-Sen)
Al Franken is an award-winning satirist and author, host of Air America's "The Al Franken Show," and a candidate for Senate in Minnesota, running to replace Republican Norm Coleman. In 2003, Franken served as a Fellow at Harvard's Shorenstein Center, part of the Kennedy School, and later became the first nationally syndicated radio talk show host to visit Iraq. He has visited the troops seven times with the USO. Franken has written for the Huffington Post since 2005, and is the author of, among others, The Truth (With Jokes). Franken will face Minnesota attorney Priscilla Lord Faris in the state's September 9th primary.
Franken's totals on ActBlue are driven by enthusiastic support from the Daily Kos community (http://www.actblue.com/page/orangetoblue) and by friends of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, reaching ActBlue through GiveEmHellHarry.com.
Franken's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/16471
Franken's campaign site: http://www.alfranken.com/
5. Rick Noriega (TX-Sen)
Noriega is certainly no newcomer to ActBlue success, and has once again taken a spot on our Top 10 list. 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.
In addition to high-profile endorsements (Senator Barbara Boxer at http://actblue.com/page/boxer4noriega and General Wesley Clark at http://actblue.com/page/clark4noriega, e.g.), the Noriega campaign is the beneficiary of innovative fundraising efforts like "Two for Tuesdays," sponsored by the Progressive Electorate, wherein donors are asked to give $2 to one candidate each Tuesday until November. Noriega continues to receive recurring small-dollar contributions through the "Fill Rick's Boots" effort and others, a traditional marker of sustainability in campaigns. Noriega also features prominently on a number of slate pages sponsored by major bloggers, including Daily Kos, and Senate Guru. This week, fundraising totals also reflect ticket sales to a fundraiser in South Denton County, organized via ActBlue at http://actblue.com/page/denton.
Noriega's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18187
Noriega's campaign site: http://www.ricknoriega.com/
6. 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.
The Kleeb campaign launched its first television ad campaign last week, and asked supporters to pitch in and raise the $15,000 needed to "bring this ad's powerful message to every Nebraskan home." Like many other candidates on our Top 10 list this week, the Daily Kos community has had a huge impact on the Kleeb campaign's ActBlue fundraising total. The prominent blog's ActBlue page, 'Orange to Blue,' has brought in a total of over $14,500 for the Kleeb campaign, giving the candidate a strong debut on our list this week.
Kleeb's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18920
Kleeb's campaign site: http://www.scottkleeb.com
7. Jon Powers (NY-26)
Jon Powers, running for Congress in New York's 26th District, is an Army Captain and decorated Iraqi War veteran, schoolteacher, and nonprofit leader. On returning from Baghdad and Najaf, Powers returned to New York planning to become a social studies teacher in the Clarence, NY public schools. But he felt compelled to return to Iraq, and founded War Kids Relief, a nonprofit youth services group in Baghdad that was recognized by NBC Nightly News. Hailed by his fellow troops as a "very passionate" and "exceptional leader," Powers has been endorsed by General Wesley Clark and Senator John Kerry, among other national leaders and local and national unions. Powers will face New York attorney Alice Kryzan and manufacturer Jack Davis in a September 9th primary.
Powers's fundraising success on ActBlue this week was driven by the Daily Kos community. After introducing Powers to the Daily Kos community as part of its 'Orange to Blue' page, Daily Kos diarists have been enthusiastically supporting Powers and encouraging readers to donate to his campaign. One of these diarist is no other than Senator John Kerry, who met Powers nearly three years ago and said of Powers that "there isn't a more impressive young man getting involved in public life today." The work of this blogging community has not gone unnoticed by the candidate: Powers has had a diary on Daily Kos since January 2008, and last week thanked his online supporters for their dedication to his campaign.
Powers's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18111
Powers's campaign site: http://www.powersforcongress.com
8. 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.
This week is Peters's fourth appearance on the Campaign Newswire. The former Michigan state Senator has been the beneficiary of big name fundraisers on ActBlue, including Michigan Senator Carl Levin, the DCCC, and Blue America. His weekly total reflects the efforts of his campaign and the commitment of his donors, many of whom have pledged to make recurring contributions to his campaign until the November election.
Peters's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18229
Peters's campaign site: http://petersforcongress.com/
9. Russ Warner (CA-26)
Russ Warner is a candidate for Congress in California's 12th Congressional District, which encompasses the San Gabriel Valley from La Crescenta to Rancho Cucamonga. Warner is a veteran of the magazine distribution trade, and is the father of three sons, one of whom recently returned from service in Iraq. Warner is running against Republican Congressman David Dreier.
Warner is a Blue America candidate, who has attracted continuous support on ActBlue since winning the Democratic Primary on June 6. Over 15 California Congressmen and women have endorsed Warner, as well as General Wesley Clark, current California Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi, and numerous Labor Unions and Democratic organizations.
Warner's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/16419
Warner's campaign site: http://www.warnerforcongress.com/
10. Annette Taddeo (FL-18)
Taddeo is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.). For over 15 years, Taddeo has run LanguageSpeak, a comprehensive language services company that she started to offer translations, conference interpretations and private tutoring in more than 100 different languages. In 2007, DiversityBusiness.com named her company one of the Top 500 Diversity Owned Businesses in the country. The continued success of her company and her leadership in the community has earned Taddeo many accolades and honors, including the "Latina Excellence Award" from Hispanic
Magazine and a spot in their list of the "Top 50 Latina Entrepreneurs in the US." Taddeo currently serves as Chair of the Women's Enterprise Nation Council's Leadership Forum and was a former Chairwoman of the Coalition of Dade-County Chambers of Commerce and the Women's Chamber of Commerce of Miami-Dade County. The primary for the Democratic nomination will take place on August 26, 2008.
After a busy week picking up endorsements from Emily's List, Blue America, and Daily Kos, Taddeo is making her Campaign Newswire debut. Taddeo live blogged with DownwithTyranny founder Howie Klein on August 2, when Blue America introduced her to its community. On Monday, August 4, Markos of Daily Kos welcomed Taddeo as the newest addition to the blog's 'Orange to Blue' program, which has already raised over $7,500 for her campaign.
Taddeo's ActBlue hubpage: http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/18934
Taddeo's campaign website: http://www.votetaddeo.com/
