Meet the Candidates - Pick a Progressive Patriot: Senate Challengers We are excited to present our first 'Pick a Progressive Patriot' of the new year.  The candidates listed below are facing tough races in 2008 and need our support.  Click here to vote for your favorite! Ronnie Musgrove - Mississippi   From Ronnie Musgrove's Campaign Website Ronnie Musgrove has dedicated his life to serving the people of Mississippi. For over two decades, he's taken a leading role in the State to improve education, expand economic development, and ensure that government lives within its means.  Now, he's running for the U.S. Senate to change the way Washington works and restore honesty and integrity to our government. During Ronnie Musgrove's tenure as Governor of Mississippi, he helped create over 52,000 new jobs, brought more than $14 billion in new investments to the state, invested in creating rural jobs, and brought Nissan to Mississippi, which was the largest economic development project in state history. Musgrove has served in many leadership positions throughout his career of public service.  During his time as a state senator, Musgrove chaired the Education Committee. In 1998 he was recognized nationally as a leader among his peers, serving as chair of the National Conference of Lieutenant Governors. He served as chair of the Southern Regional Education Board, as the chair-elect for the Southern States Energy Board, on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and the Executive Committee for the Democratic Governors' Association, where he served as vice chair of policy. Learn more at http://musgroveforsenate.net/   Rick Noriega - Texas From Rick Noriega's Campaign Website Rick has served the United States throughout his career.  After graduating from the University of Houston on an ROTC scholarship, Rick served in the U.S. Army.  As a national guardsman, he was deployed for 14 months in Afghanistan before returning to his native Houston to coordinate Hurricane Katrina relief efforts. In addition to his military background, Rick has an extensive background working in state government.  Rick was elected 4 times to the Texas House, where among other accomplishments he championed legislation that provided in-state college tuition to certain immigrant children – legislation which is now being copied at the federal level in the form of the DREAM Act. During the summer of 2007, Rick was drafted by activists, both online and offline, to run for U.S. Senate. Rick feels our nation is headed in the wrong direction, and is ready to stand up for those who have been marginalized by the Bush administration. Rick is proud of how much he has accomplished by living up to high standards, and intends to dedicate himself toward restoring integrity in the U.S. Senate. Learn more at http://www.ricknoriega.com/     Andrew Rice - Oklahoma   From Andrew Rice's Campaign Website Andrew invested himself in politics after losing his brother in the 9/11 attacks and watching the Bush administration lead a war in Iraq rather than focusing on reigning in the sources of terrorism in Middle East and bringing the perpetrators of 9/11 to justice.  Shortly after 9/11, Andrew fell upon his bachelor's degree in religious studies and his master's in theological studies and worked at the Texas Faith Network, where he organized Texas religious leaders to advocate for moderate and progressive public policy ideas.  Andrew also organized education programs about religious intolerance all over Texas. Andrew returned to Oklahoma in 2003 to establish the Progressive Alliance Foundation, which advocates fairness and equity in public policies.  In 2005, Rice launched a bid for State Senate District 46, a diverse inner-city district that includes small business owners, ethnic neighborhoods and Oklahoma City University.  He defeated two Democratic opponents in the primary and won the general election with 70 percent of the vote after personally walking the entire district and meeting or contacting every voter. In the Oklahoma state senate, Andrew has proven himself a bipartisan leader and a strong advocate for children and families.  During the 2007 senate session, Andrew co-sponsored the 'All Kids Act,' which gave health insurance to 38,000 kids in Oklahoma.  With the same energy and dedication that won him 70% of the vote in three-way primary to win his seat in the state legislature, Andrew is confident he can take Senator Inhofe's seat for the democrats in 2008. Learn more at http://andrewforoklahoma.com/   Jeanne Shaheen - New Hampshire From Jeanne Shaheen's Campaign Website Jeanne has been involved in New Hampshire – as a parent, and a high school teacher, in local government as chair of Madbury’s zoning board, and a State Senator before being elected Governor. As Governor, she lead New Hampshire towards smart energy solutions, an accomplishment she hopes to reproduce in the Senate to stop global warming.  Jeanne led the effort to prepare our children to compete and lead in the world economy by raising standards for teachers and making public kindergarten available to more than 16,000 additional children.  She also expanded health insurance to nearly 20,000 children who had none. Jeanne believes we need a firm date to begin withdrawing our troops and a plan for a phased withdrawal that protects the safety of our men and women in uniform.  As a former high school teacher, she believes we need to reform No Child Left Behind, make critical investments in early learning, and make college affordable for all Americans. Learn more at http://www.jeanneshaheen.org/     Mark Udall - Colorado   From Mark Udall's Campaign Website Mark began his career in public service in the Colorado State House in 1997.  Since 1998, he has represented Colorado's Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Throughout his career, Mark's operating style has been to avoid burning bridges with people, including those with whom he has philosophical differences. This bipartisan attitude allowed him to pass legislation turning the Rocky Flats, the former nuclear weapons facility, into a wildlife refuge.  As an avid outdoorsman, Mark has fought in Congress to protect our natural resources and reducing our dependent on foreign oil and curbing the effects of climate change have been among his top priorities since he was first elected. Mark is proud of his vote against the rush to war with Iraq in 2002 and his vote against the PATRIOT Act.  He has fought tirelessly to redeploy our troops out of Iraq and will continue to do so as Colorado's Junior Senator. Learn more at http://www.markudall.com   Tom Udall - New Mexico From Tom Udall's Campaign Website Following in a proud family tradition of public service, Tom has served his country and the State of New Mexico as a U.S. Attorney, as Chief Counsel to the Department of Health and Environment, as Attorney General for 8 years, and as a Congressman currently in his fifth termm winning an amazing 75% of the vote in his 2006 election. During his tenure in Congress, Tom Udall has earned a reputation as a courageous and principled legislator who is not afraid to stand up for what is right.  At the same time, he is known for reaching across party lines to find common ground, for being an effective and thoughtful advocate for his constituents and for exercising the kind of bold leadership we need in these troubled times.  Nothing more clearly demonstrates Tom's dedication to his district than the dozens of town hall meetings he has hosted around the state to hear from his constituents and to learn how he can better serve them.  His town hall visits, he says, remind him of where he came from, why he is in Washington and who sent him there. In the Senate, Tom is dedicated to improving access to healthcare, protecting our constitutional freedoms, conserving our natural treasures, and ending the misguided war in Iraq. Learn more at http://www.udallforusall.com     Mark Warner - Virginia   From Mark Warner's Campaign Website Before entering public service, Mark was a high tech business leader who co-founded the Nextel.  As Governor of Virginia from 2002-2006, he inherited budget shortfalls that ultimately grew to $6 billion and ended with a surplus that allowed the largest single investment in K-12 education in Virginia history, a reinvestment in one of the nation's premier public college and university systems, and a record investment in the cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay. In 2005, TIME Magazine named him one of 'America's Five Best Governors,' and his bipartisan, results-oriented approach led to Virginia being designated the country’s best-managed state and the best state for business. Learn more at http://www.markwarner2008.com/