This morning we have our first guest submission, from Bill B., fearless leader of PDX For Pete and Joe. Bill welcomed me to the PDX family when I moved here from California last year, and helped set me on a path to first finding my voice in the political arena. I owe him a lot.
Bill and his PDX crew have taken a look at each of the 22 candidates endorsed by Pete Buttigieg’s PAC, WinTheEra, and have released the five they think should be put at the front of the line. And, they’re adding their own name to the list: Carolyn Long, running for the critical congressional seat in Washington’s third district.
Please consider Bill’s perspectives below when deciding where to spend your contribution dollars.
There’s no question all of the Win The Era candidates are fantastic. As I’ve been reviewing them I would say this was the criteria I applied to narrow this down:
1) Which are similar to Pete…in age, military background, running in areas not normally blue, civic-minded and appealing to voters on both sides of the aisle. It’s also nice that at least three of these candidates are running for office in the towns they group up in (the Shortest Way Home, so to speak).
2) Did they support Pete in the campaign…not as heavily weighted as #1 but I’m a believer in standing up for those that stood up for us.
3) Who could really use our help…some of these candidates are very well-known and will undoubtedly have a larger network to gain supporters from, whereas I’m more inclined to volunteer for candidates who don’t have that benefit. A few of these candidates are getting support nationally based on who they’re running against, which is helping them too.
Using this criteria, these are the five candidates I landed on for us to consider supporting:
Jevin Hodge (running for Maricopa County (AZ) Board of Supervisors) Jevin Hodge is running to represent a district in Maricopa County that has 900,000 residents. That’s larger than five states. An Arizona native, with a degree in Public Policy from George Washington University, Jevin already has been deeply involved in public service and community organizing. He’s already shown a keen sense of connecting with supporters and has embraced his endorsement from Pete.
Website: https://jevinhodge.com
Lauren Underwood (running for re-election to US House IL-14) A registered nurse with a Masters in research from John Hopkins, Lauren was an Obama appointee working on public health emergencies and disasters. In 2018 she flipped a conservative Illinois district and is running for re-election against at least seven Republican opponents.
Website: https://www.underwoodforcongress.com
Sandra Jauregui (Assembly District 41) A survivor of the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, you may remember Sandra as of the elected officials who endorsed Pete’s presidential run in Nevada. Sandra is a former staffer for Harry Reid, working directly with constituents on housing-related and foreclosure issues.
Website: https://www.sandrafornevada.com/about/
Gina Ortiz Jones (US House TX-23) Air Force Veteran Gina Ortiz Jones fought a well-run campaign for this San Antonio seat in 2018 and came very close to winning. In fact, she lost to the sitting incumbent by just 926 votes and now that incumbent isn’t running. She’s built a career in national security, intelligence and defense. She was appointed by President Obama as Senior Advisor for Trade Enforcement.
Website: https://ginaortizjones.com
JA Moore (SC House 15) A Lowcountry South Carolina native, you’ll remember JA for his endorsement and active support for Pete’s campaign. He’s running again for the SC House District 15 and has been recognized as a community organizer and nationally known spokesperson for his district and its issues.
Website: https://jamooreforsc.com
In addition to these candidates. we will also help an important campaign just north of us — flipping the WA-3rd District.
Meet Carolyn Long running to flip the WA 3rd District
Running against Jaime Herrera Butler (R-Battle Ground), who has voted in line with Trump 82% of the time, Carolyn Long is running a strong campaign we’re supporting. This district is exactly the kind Pete talked about — conservative but flippable. It cannot be considered a safe district by either party.
Website: https://electlong.com
YouCantBeatBlue 