California is very lucky to have three candidates who would all make excellent senators— Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff. Most of the time the best we get is a lesser of two evils. This time we have to decide who’s the best of three proven champions. Each has their own strengths, strengths that offer a lot to a generally weak and dysfunctional Senate.
Blue America can’t figure out which one— if any— to endorse. Want to help us? We want to know what you think. So… take a look at this ActBlue page and contribute something to the one you feel the strongest about— even if it’s just a dollar. The candidate you gets the most contributions by next Sunday night (midnight in California) will get a $1,000 Blue America PAC check.
And what’s in it for you? Well, aside from helping the candidate you like most, we’re going to randomly pick one donor to win a rare, collectible gold record, Forever Blue from one of the California artists who Howie worked with, Chris Isaak (born and raised in Stockton).
We asked each campaign for a quote from an endorser telling us why their candidate would make a great senator. In alphabetical order… Barbara Lee’s campaign sent us a statement from Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution: “Barbara Lee has the most progressive record in the House of Representatives and she’s been one of the most effective progressives ever in Congress… From her time as a social worker and organizer with the Black Panthers to her standalone vote against the War in Afghanistan and her success in passing 28 bills in Congress, she has always been in the trenches with the people, and we need her in the trenches in the U.S. Senate.”
Katie Porter sent us a statement from Senator Elizabeth Warren: “I met Katie long before either of us imagined we’d be serving as elected officials. Even as a young student in my consumer law class, she showed a deep-down commitment to making a difference in people’s lives. In the years since then, she’s taken on Wall Street and giant corporations that cheat the American people. Katie delivers because she’s smart and she has a backbone made out of steel. She is exactly who Californians need as their next Senator.”
And Adam Schiff’s campaign asked Ted Lieu for a statement: “Adam is effective. He is courageous. And he is fighting a righteous fight. Not only to protect our democracy from Trump and his other cronies, but to build an economy that works for everyone, to end homelessness, to take action on crises like gun violence and climate change. He is who Californians need in the U.S. Senate.”
If you want to read the legalese version of the contest rules, you can find them here. One more thing, if you want to enter but don’t want to contribute, just send us a postcard with the name of your favorite candidate and you’ll have as much a chance to win as anyone else. Also, if you'd rather not contribute online, and you want to send a check, use this address:
Blue America Contest
PO Box 27201
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Schiff has the biggest money bags behind him. Porter is a surprise talent but hasn't been around long enough in the eyes of the powers. Both have a great marketing sense and that is key to today's political seen. Marketing matters. Porter especially has a knack for it with her visuals. Her appearances are excellent video advertisements all by themselves. Barbara Lee is probably my favorite but she hasn't displayed the knack for self-promotion and viral moments that the other two have. She's older school and there's a racial component involved ala what Paul said below. All these factors have lead to her lacking the name recognition and familiarity the other two have.
i am all in with Adam Schiff. I admire his tenacious fight for democracy and his brilliance. He has changed over time and is more progressive, qualities so desirable in a leader.
while i appreciate the concept of democratization shown here, unfortunately it could also result in a reflection of the systemic racism of the American media and political system. Adam Schiff is famous mostly because he kissed Nancy Pelosi's ass for decades, and she rewarded him for it by promoting him. Katie Porter is famous mostly for viral videos that the (overwhelmingly white) progressive media loves. Barbara Lee has been fighting the good fight as a progressive in Congress for a quarter century -- but doesn't have the public profile that Schiff does because she didn't go along to get along with the (under Pelosi, overwhelmingly white) Dem leadership, and isn't a darling of the (white) media. IOW, there really…