Ken’s List 2010

Here is a list of candidates running in the 2009-2010 cycle that I think are worthy of support.

1. Congressman Tom Perriello (D-VA-05)
Donated: $25 $50 $75 $100
Perriello is a young populist. His honest and steadfast support for doing the right thing on healthcare and the environment, even in the face of a Republican-leaning district, is a welcome breath of fresh air in a federal government full of say-anything, do-anything careerists.

2. Jack Conway (D-KY-SEN)
Donated: $10 $35 $55
Conway is running against Rand Paul – a libertarian Republican whose lunatic fringe supporters are cheering on despite being an uncertified eye doctor who believes, among other things, that the Civil Rights Act infringed too much on private business. He’s an extremist, whereas Conway is a mainstream politician with actual experience in governing – as Attorney General for Kentucky.

3. Gary Slossberg (Los Angeles City Council)
Donated: $40
Result: Gary lost, 28%-72%
I’ve known Gary since 1999. He’s been a passionate advocate for every community he’s lived in, and has been particularly concerned with women’s rights and equality for all. As a lawyer representing battered women in Los Angeles, he has continued that committment after moving out west. I wish him a lot of luck in the upcoming local election against the Council President, where he is being outspent 50:1.

4. Lincoln Chafee (I-RI-Gov)
Donated: $25
If I were a Republican, it’d be a Chafee-style Republican – big on fiscal responsibility, civil liberties, and the environment. Of course, Chafee himself is no longer a Republican, but an Independent running for Governor of Rhode Island.

5. Russ Feingold (D-WI-Sen)
Donated: $20

6. John Callahan (D-PA-15)
Donated: $15
Running for Congress in Pennsylvania, Callahan recently announced that one of his campaign fundraisers will instead raise money to help with relief efforts along the Gulf Coast. That selfless act of charity is quite noble and rare given the cash chase most campaigns have become.

7. State Sen. Andrew Rice (D-OK-StSen)
Donated: $15

8. Chris Coons (D-DE-Sen)
Donated: $15

9. Martin Heinrich (D-NM-01)
Donated: $15

10. Tommy Sowers (D-MO-08)
Donated: $10

11. Mark Critz (D-PA-12)
Donated: $10

12. John Boccieri (D-OH-16)
Donated: $10