Democracy For America is a great organization that really had a presence in Austin, Texas for Netroots Nation. They have supported some great candidates and people this year. DFA has endorsed many New Yorkers, including SD-51 Democratic candidate Don Barber, NY-25 Democratic candidate Dan Maffei and NY-29 Democratic candidate Eric Massa, just to name a few.
They also are, thanks to all of your votes and support, responsible for paying my way in Austin. Thanks to the DFA/Netroots Nation scholarship, I was able to attend Netroots Nation with my registration and hotel paid for. Next year, I hope to assist DFA in their efforts to get more scholarship winners to Pittsburgh.
There is one more person we need DFA to support and that is NY-26 Democratic candidate Jon Powers.
Powers fits the mold of what DFA is all about. DFA touts itself as a "grassroots powerhouse," which is the most appropriate label for the organization. Powers has received strong grassroots support throughout. It wasn't the large counties that got behind Powers at first, but rather the grassroots progressive Democrats in the smaller, rural counties that endorsed Powers and have supported him since last summer. Powers has a strong grassroots presence in this district. While other candidates have to pay "volunteers" and pay people to go out and get signatures, Powers' grassroots base when out and got those signatures for him. They also have been phone banking for several months and have been going door to door in the warm summer months and even in the cold, wintry Western New York weather in January.
More importantly, Powers has been out there with them. He hasn't sat back in his campaign office while his volunteers put in hours of work. He went out there and joined them. Whether it is putting on his pair of combat boots - the same ones that hit the sand in Iraq when Powers was on the ground there serving our country - or whether it was putting on a pair of snow boots, Powers has lived up to the grassroots message by going door to door himself and talking to voters, listening to their concerns.
One thing Powers told me was that he is and will continue to walk door to door five nights a week. As June O'Neill, our state party chair, once told us in Orleans County, you need to put holes in the soles of your shoes. That is one of the biggest traits a grassroots candidate can have. Powers has lived up to that.
In order to get endorsed by DFA, Jon needs our help. So far, his endorsement page has 33 supporters. Let's try to double that number today. Once you support Jon, tell your DFA friends and spread the word about Jon. Jon has earned plenty of support in Western New York. Let's help get DFA behind Jon and recognize Jon for his true commitment to running a grassroots campaign in the 26th congressional district.
ON THE WEB:
Voice your support for Jon on DFA