North Carolina Focus: Democracy America Endorses Elaine Marshall for NC-Sen

As Elaine Marshal catches up to incumbent Obstructionist Republican Burr in North Carolina's Senate race, Democracy for America (DFA) is making a push to help her out. DFA is one of the largest grassroots progressive organizations in the country and hopefully with their help Elaine Marshall can pull ahead. Here are excerpts from DFA's endorsement of Marshall back in April:

To shake up the U.S. Senate we need to give vulnerable Republicans the boot.

Elaine Marshall is working hard to beat Republican Richard Burr and become North Carolina's next U.S. Senator. Senator Burr is vulnerable, running for re-election to a seat that has changed hands every election for seven elections in a row.

And I know you don't need me to tell you that Senator Burr has to go. He supported the Republican attempts to filibuster healthcare and worked against the public option. And just last night, he stood with the rest of the Republican Party again to filibuster Wall Street reform like every other right-wing zombie...

It's not just DFA members getting behind Elaine Marshall, she's been racking up local newspaper endorsements too. Here's what the Charlotte Observer said in their endorsement of her:

"Marshall's story is one of an underdog who has made good. Marshall became the first woman elected statewide to executive office in North Carolina in 1996, when she defeated NASCAR legend Richard Petty in a race for secretary of state. She has won re-election three times since and is the only one of this bunch to have won statewide. In 2008, she won more votes in a contested race than anyone but Attorney General Roy Cooper.

Her 13-plus year performance as secretary of state has been impressive. She was instrumental in bringing about lobbying and ethics reforms. She brought organizational skills and technological upgrades that have vastly improved the performance of her department. She is recognized for her efforts to combat counterfeit goods and protect copyrights. And she has battled consumer fraud..."

Marshall is authentic, smart, experienced and public-service oriented. She has taken on special interests and won.

And here is the email that DFA sent out for a big push for Elaine Marshall for Senate:

The email I sent out on Sunday created a huge response and some great conversations.

It was a difficult message: I'm tired of supporting weak-willed Democrats; I'm going to focus only on the progressives with a backbone. But I'm not backing down from what I said. It is simply a fact that too many Democrats failed progressives on the public option, on climate change and more.

That's why Democrats like Blanche Lincoln are going to lose this year. Blanche Lincoln worked day and night to kill the public option. The public option was popular with the people, but not with the corporations and big-money interests. Now, she's 20 points down in the polls.

But not all Democrats are going to lose. Just look at Elaine Marshall in North Carolina. She's a progressive champion running in the south in a year that's supposed to be terrible for Democrats. But she's beating an incumbent Republican Senator in the polls.

What's the difference between Blanche Lincoln and Elaine Marshall? People power.

When I said we're not going to fight for everyone with a "D" next to their name, I meant it. We're going to fight like hell for progressive leaders like Elaine Marshall -- Democrats with a record of fighting for the people and not the powerful. Corporate Democrats like Blanche Lincoln can fend for themselves.

Help elect a progressive majority that works for the people, not the powerful -- Contribute $10 now.

We have a plan to win this fall. We're putting staff on the ground in critical races across the country. We'll organize volunteers on the ground to make phone calls, knock on doors and get out the vote. It'll be our biggest investment in a mid-term election ever.

We're not just focusing on blue districts, either. We're working to elect progressive Democrats up and down the ballot in all 50 states -- Roxanne Conlin in Iowa, Ann McLane Kuster in New Hampshire, Beth Krom in California, Alan Grayson in Florida, and many more.

These are leaders who I know will stand up for us in Washington because they're already fighting for us on the ground in their home states. But, like I said on Sunday, we can't do it alone. We rely on small contributions from across the country to get the job done. Contribute today to help us elect a progressive majority.

Help put progressive fighters like Elaine Marshall, Joe Sestak, and Roxanne Conlin over the top -- contribute today.

In 2008, Insider Democrats told us we were crazy to support Democrats like Alan Grayson and Donna Edwards. They told us we didn't have a shot at winning. But we won thanks to you. Together, we will build a majority of progressives in Congress and in all 50 states. Contribute today to make it happen again.

Find out more about Elaine Marshall from her website. For some background info, here is Elaine Marshall talking about Healthcare Reform back in February:



And here's Elaine articulating why she is a Democrat from back in 2008:



Join me in supporting Elaine Marshall (and Joe Sestak and Roxanne Conlin) for Senate. These are seriously the kinds of changes we need in the US Senate...not more Republican obstructionism.