Tomorrow We Pick The Winner Of The Ken Aden Filter Guitar

Ken and his wife Renea are having a baby in 3 weeks

Given Ken's exemplary military background and his commitment to our nation's veterans, we thought Memorial Day would be the most suitable day to pick the winner of the Filter "Hey Man Nice Shot" guitar. You still have a nice shot yourself-- here

Ken, who is already the stepfather of two children is about to have a baby daughter with his wife, Renea, probably in three weeks-- Tatum. And Ken's excited. This morning he told me that "Of all the things which have happened to me in my life, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that her birth will eclipse everything else. At this point and time I am focused on her health. At future campaign events I will have baby Tatum in tow or at the hip and speaking about what's right for Arkansas families. Our campaign manager Jake has four children of his own, so for the last few months I have been getting a crash course in parenting."

And, as Mother Jones pointed out in their feature last week, 9 Progressive Vets to Watch in the Battle for Congress a lot has already happened in Ken's life.

Most folks in the United States first heard of this former Army staff sergeant, Iraq vet, and nonprofit organizer in January, when his campaign manager's cat was found murdered with the word "LIBERAL" scrawled across its body (warning: graphic image at the link). This month, Aden paused in the middle of his 253-mile run for hunger-awareness to rescue a motorist from her flipped car. He's hoping to turn back a freshman congressman best known for joining the "shutdown caucus."

Pros: Did we mention that he rescued a woman from a flipped car in the middle of his 253-mile run against hunger?

Cons: At least one resident of his district is willing to use violence against progressives.

Ken's most recent community project, right after being recognized by President Obama as one of the most outstanding community activists in the country and naming him one of the 2012 Cesar Chavez Champions of Change, the Run 2 End Hunger was a huge success. Ken and his team raised over 14,000 cans of food and are still passing it out across northwest Arkansas. But not everyone in his district is focusing on what's positive about his campaign and there are plenty of nay-sayers.

"As our campaign continues to move along in Arkansas," Ken told me this morning, "we have been receiving a great deal of feedback in regard to our stance on Marriage Equality. Being only one of two congressional candidates in the entire state to stand up for what's right, this has of course started to draw a few 'nasty' comments from those on the wrong side of the issue. This, just like anything else is to be expected when you're running a strong race and you aren't afraid to stick your neck out there above the fray. I'm so fortunate to be in this position today and am more than capable of weathering any hateful remarks and or actions directed at this campaign. Almost nine months ago I was working at a job that paid $7.75 an hour and now we are well on track to win this congressional seat and put it back into the hands of the people. The grassroots support we've gotten has meant so much and it has enabled us to continue the fight! The bottom line is, our primary is over and we are in this for the long haul. Some people in NW Arkansas think 'Progressive' is a dirty word. I ask this question of anyone who takes this stance. Just what is wrong with having an open political discussion? Just what's wrong with actually making the attempt to work together? It doesn't matter what your political leanings are, each and every one of us has a unique idea, a suggestion worth looking at seriously that could be used to benefit this district and this nation. There are so many things which need to be corrected and seriously worked on. The most dangerous in my opinion is the toxic injection of corporate money into our political landscape today. Some people including my opponent have made careers out of prostituting themselves out to the highest corporate bidder, but NOT me." Here's the classic 2002 Filter guitar, signed by all the original band members. We'll randomly select its lucky new owner tomorrow afternoon. Here's your last chance to get in on this.