The New Jersey netroots - including Blue Jersey, Dump Mike, Blue7th PAC, Blanton's and Ashton's, The Center of NJ Life and others, have been supporting Linda Stender's candidacy for months. Partly due to this local base of support, Linda yesterday became the latest candidate to earn a spot on the national Netroots ActBlue page, a site maintained by Daily Kos, MyDD and Swing State Project. All three blogs asked readers to nominate candidates, who were chosen based on numerous criteria (and hey - #4 uses Blue Jersey as an example!). The following list of characteristics were considered favorable, though not required:The candidate has a strong record as a Democrat.
The Republican opponent is an easy target. (Think Tom DeLay or Curt Weldon.)
The candidate is running in a blue-leaning district or state.
There's a strong netroots presence in the area. (Example: BlueJersey in NJ.) Our ability to make a difference is strongly impacted by the quality of our information flow.
The campaign itself has shown an interest in grassroots & netroots outreach.
The race fits into a larger strategy or theme (eg, Northeast Strategy, Culture of Corruption, etc.), or can in some way be "nationalized."
The candidate passes the "partisanship litmus test."
House races are strongly preferred. Non-federal races (such as state legislature seats) will also be considered. Again, as per the above, we can have a bigger impact in smaller races. It's easy to see how Linda's campaign is nearly a perfect fit for all these criteria, but the most impressive part is the candidate herself. She is a proven leader with 20 years of service to the public, having served as councilwoman, mayor, freeholder and Assemblywoman.
Linda is a strong candidate and a self-described progressive. Her campaign has already out-raised the two previous challengers combined and she's attracted the endorsements of EMILY's List, John Kerry's PAC, DFA, Sierra Club, AFL-CIO and others. Bush's "invented war" was the motivation for her candidacy and she's not afraid to say that "Bush took us to Iraq on a lie."
The contrast between Linda Stender and Mike Ferguson, who took over $54,000 from Tom DeLay and his PAC, is stark. Linda has been a strong advocate for stem cell research. Mike Ferguson opposes it. When Ann Coulter attacked the Jersey Girls - the widows who lost their husbands on 9/11 - Linda Stender didn't hesitate to respond to her hate-filled bile, while Mike Ferguson remained silent. Linda Stender supports net neutrality. Mike Ferguson votes against it and co-sponsored the telecom bill which lacks protections for it.
All the pundits agree that the district is in play, and Linda represents the best shot at electing a much-needed Congresswoman from New Jersey. The timing of this endorsement is perfect - Linda's campaign continues to build momentum, and with the June 30th filing deadline for the quarter just days away, there's no better time to give than now. Contribute through Blue Jersey's ActBlue page or the Netroots ActBlue page. This is when it counts, so don't wait until next week. |
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