(Disclaimer: I am not on Craig's campaign staff. I live in WA-03 and think Craig is the best candidate for Congress in this District.)
Primary season is WA-03 is off to a good start. Even more exciting is that Craig Pridemore has completed his duties in the Washington State Senate and is now free to dedicate the next several months to his Congressional campaign. We have a chance this year to elect a better Democrat to Congress, one that will fight for Progressive values.
Craig's fight for those values has not gone unnoticed. As noted by Darcy Burner:
We need people of courage. . .in the wake of teabagger protests, racial slurs, bricks through windows, cut gas lines, and death threats, these folks have shown they have courage.
Along with other the notable candidates on her Act Blue page, Darcy had this to say about Craig:
Craig Pridemore is running hard to fill a vacant seat in Washington State. A fearless progressive, he's not going to be pushed around by anyone.
There is also other news to report. Craig was endorsed by the Washington State Federation of State Employees. This coupled with his earlier endorsement by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, Local 4, (ILWU 4) and his endorsement last week by the Sierra Club shows that Craig will work to protect family-wage jobs and the enviornment.
Craig is also not afraid to take a stand on issues. That is why he will be a stong advocate for Progressives in Congress. That is why the conventional wisdom that only a Blue Dog type can win this District is wrong. As noted by Jon DeVore at Horse's Ass
As often happens, some of our state’s incestuous little clique of Democratic insiders have bet on the wrong guy. The faint at heart started trembling like scared children in December because some Tea People were on the tee-vee, and naturally they sought comfort in the arms of their favorite thing in the entire world, money.
There is great blog post over at Down With Tyranny! that lays out how the conventional wisdom (CW)in D.C. feels that electing another Blue Dog is the best way to go in this District:
It was obvious from the beginning they would feel more comfortable with a conservative candidate with flexible ethics like Heck. But I'm thinking that when Craig started picking up serious support-- from the Majority Leader of the Senate (Lisa Brown) and the Speaker of the House (Frank Chopp) as well as the local firefighters unions, the International Longshoremen, and, last week both the Sierra Club and the Washington Federation of State Employees (AFSCME)-- the DCCC decided that they had to do more than just tell Heck to make sure to take no positions on anything controversial. So now they're trying the old Rahm Emanuel/Steny Hoyer routine of starving primary campaigns by progressives of contributions.
Down With Tyranny! also has a link to an article from the Seattle P-I that was written in the early 1990's which raises questions about who will get Denny Heck's ear when it comes to issues.
For those of you who are into digging into the FEC of the candidates, you will see that Denny Heck loaned his campaign $250,000 and that most of his contributors are part of the "kewl kidz" crowd. This might be an attempt by that campaign to intimidate Craig but from what I know about the man, it won't happen. He is a tireless campaigner. He knows what you have to do to win and that is work for it, not expect to have it handed to you on a platter. His campaign will be based on people power and not insider power. You can help him in his people-powered campaign by clicking on his Act Blue page. You can also donate through his campaign website. No donation is too small! You can follow Craig on Twitter and Facebook. There is another Facebook page that was created by WA-03 supporters.
The Conventional Wisdom is wrong when it comes to WA-03. People in this District want to make up their own minds. They will elect a candidate who is not afraid to speak his mind on issues rather than triangulating his way through the campaign. They will donate to the candidate they think best represents them. Craig Pridemore is that candidate.
For those of you who would like to learn more about Craig, there will be a public forum at Lower Columbia College, located in Longview, this Thursday, April 22nd, in the Wollenburg Auditorium (which is located in the Rose Center for the Arts, campus map link here) from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m.
Update: I have to take my stepson to his Little League practice. They have a game tonight so send some baseball mojo his way.