Primaries-- Tuesday And Beyond

On Tuesday there are primaries in California, Iowa, New Jersey, South Dakota, Alabama, Mississippi, Montana and New Mexico. Three weeks later-- on June 26--there are congressional primaries in Colorado, New York, Oklahoma (and Utah). If you live in any of the states that vote Tuesday, please be sure to get to the polls-- and drag a friend-- or two friends-- with you. Blue America has a special page for California congressional candidates we've endorsed. Kevin de León is the progressive running for the U.S. Senate. And these are 7 candidate for the House who California can contribute to the effort to pass a progressive agenda and put a check on Trump.

• Doug Applegate (CA-49)
• Katie Porter (CA-45)
• Sam Jammal (CA-39)
• Ammar Campa-Najja (CA-50)
• Ricardo Jose Franco (CA-22)
• Wendy Reed (CA-23)
• Marge Doyle (CA-08)

But let's focus on the most important June 26 campaigns in Colorado, New York and Oklahoma, where our candidates are Levi Tillemann in the Denver suburbs and Saira Rao in Denver itself, DuWayne Gregory on Long Island and Alexandria Ocasio in a district in Queens and the Bronx and Tom Guild in the metro Oklahoma City district.

What does it mean to be a progressive candidate in these races? Let's look at how Alexandria defined it in her just released video. Besides helping save the country from Trump and helping save the country, NY-14 and the Democratic Party from Joe Crowley, Alexandria emphasizes that "It's time we acknowledge that not all Democrats are the same. That a Democrat who takes corporate money, profits off foreclosure, doesn't live here, doesn't send his kids to our schools, doesn't drink our water or breathe our air cannot possibly represent us. What the Bronx and Queens needs is Medicare-for-all, tuition-free public college, a federal jobs guarantee, and criminal justice reform. We can do it now."

Does "late money" for the June 26 campaigns do any good? I asked three of our candidates. DuWayne has been elected and reelected over and over to be Chief Executive of the Suffolk County legislature. He told us that "During this phase of the campaign voter contact is critical. We have over one hundred volunteers going out speaking with voters. We can use these funds to pay for supplies our canvassers need like pens, clip boards, campaign leaflets, or to buy a tank of gas. Also, with additional funds the campaign can purchase a last minute cable spot to get our message costs $50,000. To send an additional mailing costs $14,850. It is expensive to finance a political campaign and your contribution will help us meet the critical tasks that have to get done in order to win."

"We have knocked nearly 13,000 doors," said Tom Guild. "We have participated in 16 parades. We have spoken at numerous events. We have put up hundreds of yard signs. We have done a mailer to the district. We have billboards up throughout Oklahoma's 5th CD. We have started display advertising in key publications. We have done online advertising. We need financial support to do one final mailing, buy crucial paid media on TV and radio, and to support our GOTV efforts. Your support can make a crucial difference and put us over the top to win the June 26 primary. That will put me in a position to make a YUUUUGE difference for you, our state, and our nation and to pursue and implement our shared progressive agenda to move our country forward by providing quality affordable health care, repairing our crumbling infrastructure, fixing our corrupt campaign finance system, protecting our environment, providing quality public education for our children, expanding Social Security, and adopting Medicare for All. I’m all in! Are you?"

Levi Tillemann is the candidate the DCCC is trying to undermine so they can get their corrupt conservative candidate, Jason Crow, into the race against Mike Coffman in the suburbs around Denver. This morning, Levi told me that "We can’t beat Republicans by being Republicans. We won't beat them by being more pro-business and anti-worker, or having more photos holding guns, or sacrificing the rights of women, immigrants, or the LGBTQ+ community. Over the last decade, the Democratic establishment’s reach for the center has lost us over 1,000 legislative seats nationally. Voters are looking for people who will fight for them. That’s why I’m fighting for Medicare for All, free college for middle-class Americans, a $15/hour minimum wage, and impeaching Trump and its why I’ve rejected all corporate and PAC money. It’s time to give voters a clear choice between a bought-and-paid-for rubber stamp like Coffman and a true progressive who will fight for them."