Make no mistake – I am passionately committed to helping Joe Biden become the next President of the United States for a whole host of reasons. As Joe says though – Here’s The Deal. That’s just not going to be enough.
In order to make meaningful change possible in the wake of the November elections, changing the balance of power in the U.S. Senate is going to be critical. There are currently a growing number of competitive Senate races in states that haven’t recently been the most friendly places for Democrats – places like Montana, Iowa, Colorado, Georgia, Maine, Kentucky, Arizona and North Carolina.
Helping Democrats win these Senate races is almost as critical to enabling change as helping Joe Biden win the Presidency. The Republican controlled Senate has been the place where House passed legislation has gone to die for the last two years.
A Joe Biden win would help to reverse many of what I see as the negative consequences of the Trump Presidency. Democrat control of the Senate will ensure the passage of meaningful reform legislation in the areas of election protection and reform, environmental protection and health care. The Democrats need to flip a minimum of 4 to 5 Republican seats in order to regain control of the Senate.
I live in IL but I’m all in for change and I’ll do whatever I can wherever there’s an opportunity to move things along in what I think is a better direction. Here’s a quick list of some particularly critical races.
Steve Bullock: Former Democrat Governor of Montana running against 1st term Republican Senator Steve Daines. Recent polling suggests that Steve has a slight lead in this race.
Here’s a link to his site: https://stevebullock.com/
Jaime Harrison: Former South Carolina High School teacher running to unseat long serving Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. To the surprise of many, recent polling suggests that this race is a dead heat in a state that has, for decades, been reliably Republican.
Here’s a link to his site: https://jaimeharrison.com/
Mark Kelly: Former Space Shuttle Commander and wife of former Democrat Congresswoman Gabby Giffords – who served as a respected member of the U.S. House of Representatives until forced by brain injuries resulting from an assassination attempt to resign her seat – is running to flip the Arizona Senate seat currently held by Republican Senator Martha McSally. Recent polls suggest that Kelly has a healthy lead in this race.
Here’s a link to his site: https://markkelly.com/
Theresa Greenfield: A new wave Democrat with an impressive personal background – growing up on a family farm, widowed and remarried, mother of 4 grown children and former urban planner is running to flip the Iowa Senate Seat currently held by Joni Ernst. To the surprise of many, recent polls suggest Theresa is running neck to neck in a state that has historically been reliably Republican.
Here’s a link to her site: https://greenfieldforiowa.com/
Sara Gideon: Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives currently running against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins. Recent polling suggests Sara has a slight lead over Susan.
Here’s a link to her site: https://saragideon.com/
Amy McGrath: Last but certainly not least, retired U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Amy McGrath is running to unseat long serving and current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Nothing would do more to encourage meaningful new legislation on a whole host of critical issues than seeing Mitch McConnell defeated in November. Recent polls suggest that this is a very close race and that Amy has a real chance of doing just that.
Here’s a link to her site: https://amymcgrath.com/
There are plenty of ways to get in involved or have an impact – the simplest being to donate to candidates. Whether you like it or not – and I don’t – I’ve always been supportive of a publicly financed political / election process – politics in this country runs on money. Anyone – anywhere – can make a difference for the candidate of their choice for the daily price of a specialty coffee at Starbucks.
This is a really impressive line-up of candidates who are, in my opinion, running for all the right reasons and I’ve made multiple donations to every one of these campaigns. I’d just encourage everyone to take a look at their sites. If you’re not satisfied with what’s happening in this country today, believe in the need for change and see something you like, consider chipping in $5. It’s a whole lot easier than you might think.
Cheers