Carlos Del Toro Endorsed by the Washington Post

On Thursday the Washington Post endorsed retired Navy Commander Carlos Del Toro in his race for the Virginia House of Delegates (VA-88). Carlos is in an extremely tight contest with obstructionist Republican Mark Cole. In its endorsement announcement the Post explained:


Mark L. Cole, the Republican incumbent, was among the die-hards who opposed the $400 million annually in new transportation funding. Another member of the free-lunch club, he supposes that hundreds of millions of dollars can be siphoned off to pay for roads without harming state funding for education, public safety and health care -- snake oil masquerading as policy. His accomplished Democratic opponent, Carlos Del Toro, is an articulate former Navy destroyer commander who is more lucid, intelligent and honest about Virginia's fiscal realities.

Twenty-First Century Democrats would is proud to support Commander Del Toro as he fights for a better Virginia. You can learn more about his campaign by visiting his website DelToroForDelegate.com.

21st Century Democrats Endorses Pakou Hang

Paul Wellstone inspired many people who worked on his campaign. Among the inspired is one of his past political directors, Pakou Hang. Pakou is running for a seat on the St. Paul City Council this fall. She knows campaigns are won by building grassroots support and that is exactly what she is doing.

Motivated by a desire to secure justice for all, Pakou is using her energy and working with Eastsiders to create a vision for the future. With the support of the community, she will make it a reality, day by day, brick by brick. She's amazing and is already inspiring others to be involved and do public work. On the farm team, Pakou will do some great things, and she'll be a leader that people across the country will be talking about. Those of us who share a desire for social justice should support and work to ensure Pakou is elected this November.


21st Century Democrats Board of Directors President, Jim Scheibel, with Pakou Hang

More Dirty Tricks in Virginia

Things are heating up in Virginia as the election approaches and desperate Republicans are pulling out all the stops to try and avoid a Democratic takeover in the State Senate. One of the tightest races this November is between Fairfax County School Board member Janet Oleszek (At-Large) and conservative Senator Ken Cuccinelli (VA-37). Willing to do and say anything to win, Cuccinelli has repeatedly tried to mislead Virginians by distorting Janet's record on education. In a recent television spot, Cuccinelli makes deceitful claims about test scores in Fairfax County Schools during Janet's tenure on the School Board. What Cuccenelli fails to mention is that the school system is ranked among the best in the nation - thanks in no small part to Janet's leadership on the Board. The Oleszek campaign has released a video which sets the record straight about education in Fairfax. You can see it here:


We can not let the Republicans win any more elections using the Karl Rove playbook of slash and burn politics. At 21st Century Democrats we are committed to making sure that voters are able to evaluate candidates on their records and not Republican rhetoric.

Albert Pollard Endorsed by the Washington Post

Yesterday, the Washington Post endorsed former Delegate Albert Pollard in his race for the Virginia State Senate (VA-28). Albert's district is one of a handful of excellent opportunities for the Democrats to pick up seats as they try take control of the legislature. In its endorsement announcement the Post explained that Albert had "distinguished himself in three terms in the House of Delegates as a thoughtful and independent-minded lawmaker committed to transparency and ethics in government." Twenty-First Century Democrats would like to congratulate the Pollard campaign as we work together to get Albert elected this November.

21st Century Democrats Endorses Tom Allen

Twenty-First Century Democrats is proud to endorse Democrat Tom Allen in his campaign for the U.S. Senate. Executive Director Mark Lotwis made the endorsement announcement on October 15, 2007 at a press conference in Portland, Maine. “Twenty-First Century Democrats supports bold visionary leaders,” Lotwis explained, “and Tom Allen’s outstanding record as a Congressman makes him the best choice for Maine voters next November.”

As a member of Congress, Allen voted against the war in Iraq and has since worked to prevent permanent U.S. military bases from being built there. Allen stood up to the big drug companies and supported seniors with his legislation to allow the federal government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare recipients. He is working to strengthen environmental protections for Maine’s coast and reduce global warming by introducing the Safe Climate Act in the House.

Unfortunately Allen’s opponent in the November 2008 election, junior Senator Susan Collins, does not have such a admirable record. Collins, who was first elected to the Senate in 1996, has consistently failed to protect the Constitutional rights of Americans. Recently she voted against restoring the right of Habeas Corpus and in support of warrant-less spying on U.S. citizens. Tom Allen would have voted to safeguard the civil liberties of his constituents and, unlike Collins, he would have valued the rights of the people ahead of the desires of George W. Bush.

Twenty-First Century Democrats is excited to be working with the Allen campaign at the grassroots level. We look forward to knocking on doors and talking to voters one by one about how Tom Allen will provide the change we need to move this country forward.

A Critical Opportunity in Virginia

The intense focus on the presidential primaries and the 2008 elections make it easy to forget that there are places around the country with important races this year. The 2007 Virginia legislative elections are a perfect example of this phenomenon. The State Senate elected this year will vote on the creation of new congressional districts following the next census – affecting state and national politics for the next decade. If Democrats want to expand the playing field for presidential and congressional elections, it is essential that we do not allow the Republicans to redraw the lines again in 2010. The entire State Senate is up for election and the Democrats only need to pick up 4 seats to end the Republican majority.

Two of the best opportunities to grab seats in the Virginia Senate are Janet Oleszek (Fairfax) and Albert Pollard (Stafford County, Northern Neck). Their campaigns are working hard to turn these critical seats blue, and judging by the dirty politics being practiced by their opponents, the Republicans are terrified. Janet’s opponent, ultra-conservative Ken Cuccinelli, has repeatedly either misrepresented or lied about her record and positions. (Check out GoodbyeKen.com’s blog for a full accounting of his misbehavior) But recently Cuccinelli sunk to a new low when he sent voters a manila envelope that read: "Notice: Your new Fairfax County income tax payment is due," with the sender identified in bold letters as the "Fairfax County Income Tax Authority" (which does not exist). Of course, voters who opened the letter expecting to receive a notice from the government instead found a Cuccinelli campaign flyer attacking Oleszek.

When asked about the deceptive mailer, Cuccinelli tried to say that it was a "gimmick" and part of his "marketing campaign." Well, Cuccinelli may think that it’s OK to play games with Virginia voters, but this type of deception is unacceptable - especially when it is used to mislead people like the elderly.

Albert’s opponent in the race for Virginia’s 28th Senate district, Republican Richard Stuart, has been telling Virginians that Albert voted to tax farmers and small businesses. The truth is Albert introduced a bill in the Virginia House of Delegates to exempt farmers and small businesses from having to pay the estate tax.

It is critical that we do not allow Republicans to steal any more elections with this type of duplicitous behavior. We at 21st Century Democrats are committed to helping candidates like Janet and Albert combat Republican misinformation campaigns. We have launched a 'Virginia - Red to Blue - Action Plan' to replace dishonest Republicans with dynamic, forward-thinking Democrats committed to effecting positive change. We have knocked on over 2,000 doors in the last month alone, and we plan to flood these critical legislative races with canvassers as the election approaches.

(If you are in the Washington, DC metropolitan area you can come knock on doors with us and help these candidates win by talking directly to voters. If interested, please contact Allen at 202-626-5620)

This election is critical! We simply cannot allow the Republicans to continue to win by distorting Democrats positions and playing on voters fears. Please donate some time or money over the next 22 days and let's make sure that Virginia voters get the Democrats' REAL records -- not misleading Republican rhetoric.

Georgetown University College Democrats Training

In preparation for the upcoming elections, Twenty-First Century Democrats recently held a training with the Georgetown University College Democrats. National Political Director Dan Lucas shared some of his experiences with the students and equipped them with the skills to make a difference on the ground on November 6th. Lucas has been a political adviser to presidential candidates, members of Congress, labor unions, and progressive organizations for almost 30 years. He taught the group about key campaign concepts including the importance of resources, strategy, research, and having a good field plan.

The training is a critical part of our “RED to BLUE Action Plan,” that puts canvassers into some of the most competitive districts in Virginia. Thus far, our supporters have donated close to $15,000 to help us buy gas, water and food as we work in target precincts. We have already knocked on over 2,250 doors and talked to hundreds of voters about our candidates and their goals for the state. Many of the Georgetown students who attended the training will join Twenty-First Century Democrats as we make a big push to turn out every vote possible next week.

The Virginia Senate races are especially important this cycle because the Democrats only need to pick up four seats to take control of the chamber. With a Democratic majority in the Senate we will have a voice in the redistricting process following the 2010 census. Success in Virginia this year will set the stage for bigger victories in the future. It may seem like a long way off, but winning today will help us build a lasting progressive majority tomorrow.

Twenty-First Century Democrats’ endorsed candidates Albert Pollard and Janet Oleszek are in two of the tightest races in the state. We are committed to making sure they are able to make a difference in Richmond. If you would like to help us as we fight for a BLUE Virginia, please click here to make a donation to Twenty-First Century Democrats OR if you live in the Washington, DC metropolitan area come knock on doors with us by contacting Dan at dan@21stdems.org, or call him at (202) 626-5620.