Meet the Candidates - Pick a Progressive Patriot: Senate - 2006 These candidates are challangers running for seats in the United States Senate.  Whichever candidate gets the most votes will recieve a fundraising email on their behalf from Senator Feingold. Sheldon Whitehouse (Rhode Island) Sheldon Whitehouse has the experience to be a strong Democratic voice for Rhode Island in the U.S. Senate. As a former Attorney General, U.S. Attorney appointed by President Clinton, and Governor's Policy Director, Sheldon has twenty years of public service working for the people of Rhode Island. As Attorney General, he sued to block the Bush administration attempt to weaken the Clean Air Act and fought for tough new gun control legislation that strengthened penalties for armed criminals. As U.S. Attorney, he successfully prosecuted gang members, and created new programs in schools and neighborhoods to make Rhode Island's streets safer.  Recognizing the healthcare crisis confronting his state's families, he founded the Quality Institute, an organization dedicated to reforming health care in Rhode Island by cutting costs and improving the quality of care. A committed and successful reformer, a recognized environmental advocate, a fearless consumer advocate, and a tough, honest prosecutor, Sheldon is running for the U.S. Senate because he sees the need to work for a change in Washington and a new progressive agenda for our nation. Sheldon strongly believes we need to bring our troops home from Iraq and hold this administration accountable for its disastrous mismanagement of the war and its aftermath.  As a Senator, he’ll work to make health care more affordable, free America from its dependence on foreign oil, restore fiscal responsibility to our federal government, protect a woman’s right to choose, and strengthen Social Security. Sheldon and his wife Sandra, a marine biologist and environmental advocate, reside in Providence with their two children, Molly and Alexander. Learn more at http://www.whitehouseforsenate.com/   Jim Webb (Virginia) Jim Webb has spent a lifetime standing up for what was right.   As a Marine serving in Vietnam to Secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan, Jim Webb has always fought for what was right and just.  Jim grew up in a military family and lived many places, but he always called the hills of Southwest Virginia – the place where his family settled centuries ago – home.  Jim graduated from the Naval Academy and served in Vietnam where he earned the Navy Cross and two Silver Stars.  He completed his law degree and later went on to serve as Assistant Secretary of Defense as well as Secretary of the Navy.  During this time, Jim led the fight to include an African American soldier in the Vietnam Memorial and fought to clear the name of a falsely accused soldier for no pay. Jim believes America is splitting into three parts.  While the people at the top have never had it so good, the middle class struggles with rising healthcare, housing and energy prices.  All the while, America's working poor have no opportunity to improve their situation and prosper.  As Virginia's U.S. Senator, Jim Webb will fight to put the interests of Virginia's working families ahead of multi-billion dollar corporations by reining in skyrocketing health care costs, improving trade policy and keeping good-paying American jobs from being sent abroad.   Jim believes America should export its products, not its jobs. Learn more at http://www.webbforsenate.com   Jon Tester (Montana) Jon Tester was born in Havre, Montana on August 21, 1956, and raised near the town of Big Sandy, Montana, (population: 710) on the same family land that his grandfather homesteaded in 1916.  Today Jon Tester continues to honor the agricultural roots his grandfather planted in Big Sky Country by continuing the Tester family dry-land farming operations. Tester also was a custom butcher operator. Eight years ago, outraged by rate hikes brought on by the deregulation of Montana Power, Tester ran for the Montana Legislature. Senator Tester recently completed his fourth regular session in the Montana Senate. After election as the minority whip for the 2001 session, and minority leader for the 2003 session, Tester was selected in 2005 by his colleagues to lead as President of the Montana Senate, serving as the chief presiding officer of the Montana Legislature’s upper chamber. His tenure as President marked a significant and successful transition for Montana Democrats as they moved into the majority leadership of the Senate for the first time in more than a decade. Learn more at http://www.testerforsenate.com/   Bernie Sanders (Vermont) On January 3, 1991, when Bernie Sanders was sworn in as Vermont’s sole member of the U.S. House of Representatives, history was made. Sanders became the first Independent elected to Congress in 40 years. He has since been re-elected seven times and is the longest-serving Independent in the history of the House of Representatives. As a member of Congress, Sanders has approached his responsibilities from several perspectives. First, as Vermont’s only representative in the House of Representatives, he has worked hard to protect the interests of the people of his State. Secondly, in a Congress heavily dominated by corporate interests, he has attempted to force discussion on issues that the representatives of Big Money would prefer to ignore. Thirdly, he has worked successfully to pass legislation that is improving the lives of people in Vermont and throughout the country. Bernie Sanders believes that in the richest nation in the history of the world, all Americans should enjoy a decent standard of living. He believes that it is unacceptable that millions of people are forced to work for sub-standard wages and lack health care, decent housing and educational opportunity. He regards it as a national disgrace that the United States has, by far, the highest rate of child poverty of any industrialized country and a childcare system that is abysmal. He regards it as unconscionable that the United States remains the only country in the industrialized world which does not have a national health care system guaranteeing health care for all, and that millions of seniors lack the prescription drugs they desperately need. Learn more at http://bernie.org/   Barbara Ann Radnofsky (Texas) Texans trust Barbara Ann. She is the Democratic Party’s nominee for U.S. Senate, and the first Texas Democratic woman in history so honored. Barbara Ann won a three-way primary, she won the runoff with 60% of the vote, and Barbara Ann is the first Democratic woman since Ann Richards to win two statewide campaigns. Barbara Ann Radnofsky, mother of three, wife, volunteer teacher, mediator, and practicing lawyer for 27 years, is a professional problem solver. She entered the University of Houston at age 16 on a National Merit 4-year academic scholarship and graduated magna cum laude. She graduated with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 1979. Barbara Ann brings to bear her involvement in local, state, and national Democratic politics and her experience as a problem-solver in her race for the U.S. Senate. She has made over 400 trips across Texas in the last two years, and has campaigned effectively to promote her message of honesty, of credibility, and of bringing effective representation to Texans in the U.S. Senate. Learn more at http://www.radnofsky.com/   Jim Pederson (Arizona) The oldest of six boys, Jim Pederson was born and raised in Casa Grande, Arizona. Jim's father Ed was the City Manager of Casa Grande for 25 years. With six boys to care for, his mother Lillian worked at home until his last brother reached the age where she could resume her career as a registered nurse. Jim's parents emphasized the value of hard work and education. Jim was a standout student of the public schools in Casa Grande and went on to the University of Arizona where he earned his degree in political science and his masters in public administration. While in school, Jim worked three part-time jobs to pay his tuition. As a native Arizonan, Jim has had a lifelong interest in ensuring that his home state continues to present the same opportunities to young people that were presented to him. With his hard work and commitment to Arizona communities, Jim has received numerous awards and distinctions including the Valley Big Brothers Leadership Award, the United Way Gold Award for Outstanding Service, and the City of Hope -- Spirit of Life Award. In 2001, Jim was elected state chair of the Arizona Democratic Party. He worked tirelessly to help elect Janet Napolitano to the Governor's seat and bring the kind of leadership that today is making a positive difference in the lives of middle-class Arizonans. He also chaired the Fair Election Campaign, a ballot initiative to bring fairness to the legislative and congressional redistricting process. Learn more at http://www.pederson2006.com/   Claire McCaskill (Missouri) Claire McCaskill is a 4th-generation Missourian who has spent her entire life in the Show-Me State. Born in Rolla and raised in Lebanon and Columbia, Claire has never forgotten her roots.  Claire clerked for the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City and then got a job as an assistant prosecutor in Kansas City handling arson cases. In 1982, McCaskill won a seat in the State Legislature. She juggled the responsibilities of both mother and legislator and was the first woman to ever give birth while actively serving in the Missouri Legislature. Claire broke new ground again in 1993 when she became the first female Jackson County Prosecutor, a position she held until she was sworn in as Missouri Auditor in 1999. As State Auditor, Claire has been credited for revolutionizing the office and making it into a true watchdog for taxpayers and citizens. In 2004, Claire took on her own party establishment and became the first person to ever defeat a sitting Missouri governor in a primary election. Learn more at http://www.claireonline.com/   Ned Lamont (Connecticut) Ned is running because he loves his country and is deeply concerned about its current direction. Like most Connecticut Democrats, and most Americans, he is tired of being represented by a senator who is not willing to stand up to the President—on the war and on the rest of his wrong headed judicial, fiscal, and environmental policies. "As your senator I will put Connecticut first,” Ned said. “As I travel the state and talk to people, I’m hearing over and over that America is spending $250 million a day in Iraq while we are cutting aid to students and veterans’ benefits. This has got to change." The war, and Bush and Lieberman priorities, are cutting funds from programs that invest in our future. Student loans, Social Security, health care that everyone can afford – these are the issues that Ned will fight for, bringing a businessman’s ability to reach consensus without sacrificing the bottom line. Ned will be a fresh voice in the Senate, working to build coalitions and accomplish change, and speaking out against the destructive Bush administration policies that directly threaten our moral and economic future, our civil liberties, and our nation’s security. Learn more at http://www.nedlamont.com/   Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota) Amy Klobuchar has spent her life helping people and standing up for what's right. She's an innovative leader who has championed new ideas that have produced results. As Hennepin County's chief prosecutor, she manages an office of nearly 400 employees, including 160 lawyers, and currently serves more than 1.1 million residents — almost a quarter of the state's population. Amy believes in accountability. She has revolutionized the way the Hennepin County Attorney's Office operates, using business models to manage cases and run her office. Her office sets yearly goals and issues public reports on the results. She has balanced her office budget every year, and has saved taxpayers millions of dollars by reducing reliance on outside counsel. Amy also believes that being fair is as important as being tough. She understands that someone who commits a crime with a computer should be held equally accountable under the law as someone who commits a crime with a crowbar. That's why she has prioritized the investigation and prosecution of major financial crimes, including embezzlement, contractor fraud, investment swindles, and financial exploitation of seniors. For example, her office has successfully prosecuted commercial airline pilots for tax evasion, members of an identity theft ring who stole personal information from hospital patients, and a Minnesota Court of Appeals judge who stole more than $400,000 from the trust fund of a mentally disabled woman. Learn more at http://www.amyklobuchar.com/   Jean Hay Bright (Maine) Jean Hay Bright is a pro-peace, pro-choice, pro-labor, progressive Democrat, running against one of the most hawkish, Bush-enabling members of the U.S Senate. Her core issues are getting U.S. troops and corporations out of Iraq; supporting working families through national health care and a living wage; making renewable, sustainable energy independence a national goal; defending the U.S. Constitution; and returning fiscal responsibility to Washington. Hay Bright is running a grass-roots, retail-politics campaign, powered by hundreds of Democratic, Green and unenrolled volunteers. Maine has strong and active peace, human rights and environmental communities.  The campaign has been energized recently by the primary wins of anti-war candidates in nearby Connecticut and Rhode Island.  "People are realizing that not only are they not alone," she says, "but there are enough of us to have an impact on the outcome of an election." Jean is a wife, mother, author and activist. She is a commercial organic farmer and an AFL-CIO member (NWU Local 1981). She was a key member of the Maine Kucinich for President team and a founding member of the Maine Progressive Caucus.  She has strong support among veterans of all ages because of her stance on veterans benefits, and her disavowal of preemptive war. Jean has been endorsed by ImpeachPAC.Org, Maine NOW, Maine chapters of DFA, the Maine Veterans Party, and by the Maine State Building and Construction Trades Council. She has the personal endorsement of Rep. Kucinich. Learn more at http://www.jeanhaybright.us/   Dale Groutage (Wyoming) I was born in Rock Springs, Wyoming in 1944. My father was a coal miner and my mother a hospital delivery room nurse's aid. My parents instilled in me the values of hard work, independence and education. I learned at an early age to take nothing for granted - especially success, so I worked extra hard at everything I did. I loved science and dreamed of going to college, so I set a goal to attend the University of Wyoming.  In 1957, Russia launched the first Sputnik satellite and challenged America in the race for space. I took the challenge personally. In that same year, I successfully launched a 4-foot model rocket and constructed a remote-controlled model submarine that won second prize in the Wyoming State High School Science Fair. This planted the seeds for my future — a career as a scientist. Wyoming needs a Senator who will fight for affordable healthcare, who will protect social security, who will never ignore the needs of our veterans, and who does his homework about all the issues that affect your future. Learn more at http://www.dalegroutageforsenate.com/   Harold Ford, Jr. (Tennessee) At a time when politicians define themselves by their parties or ideologies, Harold Ford, Jr. is the rare politician who puts solutions before partisan politics. He focuses on making government work for people.  When government is ineffective or gets in the way, he works to reform it and remove barriers that prevent people from getting ahead. Elected in 1996, Ford has been re-elected four times by an average of 80% of the vote and enjoys a reputation as a consensus builder. In 1998, Ford was 28 years old when he cast his vote for the first federal balanced budget - the first time America's budget had been balanced since 1969. He has played pivotal roles in advancing legislation to reform the nation's campaign finance laws, to crack down on corporate cheaters by strengthening corporate governance laws, to encourage more Americans to serve their country and to raise standards in public education. As a candidate for the U.S. Senate, Ford wants to make government work for all Tennesseans, not just a few. He is working to make our country independent of Middle East oil, wants a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, and is sponsoring bipartisan legislation, the ASPIRE Act, to provide an investment account for every child born in America. He believes in the transformative power of early childhood education and the ability of faith and community based organizations to heal our communities. Learn more at http://www.fordfortennessee.com/   Erik Fleming (Mississippi) Courage. Judgment. Integrity. Dedication. Those are the characteristics that every public servant should have, especially those men and women that serve in U.S. Senate. I believe that Mississippi deserves such an individual to represent them in Washington, D.C. Our people are entitled to have the best possible person in the nation's Capitol protecting their hard-earned rights, as well as presenting progressive ideas that will help them in their everyday lives. We have seen up-close how ideological stubbornness can paralyze a legislative process. I believe it is time for statesmanship to return to the process. My political philosophy has been that a politician only thinks about the next election, but a statesman thinks about the next generation. Government shouldn't rule by popularity, but by sound policy that will positively affect generations to come. Learn more at http://www.fleming2006.org/   Bob Casey (Pennsylvania) At a time of great unease both in Pennsylvania and across our country, Bob Casey is running for the U.S. Senate because he wants to help bring much-needed change to Washington. Bob Casey believes Pennsylvania deserves a senator in step with the values and concerns of its citizens. And he believes this country deserves a government committed to changing the direction of the United States. As a U.S. Senator, Bob Casey will focus on creating jobs, restoring fiscal responsibility, lowering the cost of health care, improving education, safeguarding Social Security, protecting our environment, and strengthening homeland security. Learn more at http://www.bobcasey.com/   Jack Carter (Nevada) When I came home from the Navy, I earned degrees in physics and law before I joined my father's race for the Presidency. During that campaign in 1975 and 6, I was struck by the intelligence, the common sense, and the unselfish drive for honesty and integrity by the average Americans I met. They had no hidden agenda, no special requests for themselves. All they wanted was good government. Common sense, honesty, integrity and a desire for good government: these are part of our American Values. For the last 30 years I've been involved in business. I've run small businesses and worked for big ones, in and out of the country. Sound business judgment is part of our American Values. Americans share a special common core of values, and Nevadans, with our emphasis on personal freedoms and hospitality hold these values more deeply than most. Learn more at http://www.carterfornevada.com/   Ben Cardin (Maryland) Ben Cardin has dedicated his life in public service to a basic belief – that by putting principles into action, we can give every Maryland family the opportunity to achieve their dreams. A third-generation Marylander, Ben Cardin has never forgotten the lessons of his family’s success.  Through hard work, Benjamin Green – Ben’s grandfather – opened a family-run, neighborhood grocery store and turned it into a successful wholesale food distribution company. His grandfather’s success taught Ben that nothing is more important than the family around you and the job at hand. Ben’s foremost passion in Congress is improving our health care system to give more Americans access to quality care.  He has put those principles into action by authoring meaningful laws to expand Medicare to cover preventive benefits such as screenings for breast cancer, prostate cancer and osteoporosis.  Ben has also introduced legislation to fix the new Medicare prescription drug bill, which he has called a raw deal for America’s seniors. Ben also led the fight to oppose President Bush’s plan to privatize Social Security.  Alternatively, he authored legislation to help all Americans build and strengthen their retirement accounts and put more money into their IRAs and 401(k) accounts. Worth Magazine named Ben "one of the 100 people who have changed the way Americans think about money." Learn more at http://www.bencardin.com/   Sherrod Brown (Ohio) Sherrod Brown was raised in Mansfield, Ohio and attended the local public schools. The son of a small town doctor who made house calls and treated everyone regardless of their ability to pay, Sherrod has never forgotten where he comes from. As a Congressman from the 13th District since 1992, he’s earned a reputation as an independent voice for ordinary Ohioans and middle-class families – a man of principle who has made a career of standing up to special interests who have too much influence in Washington. While many in Washington have simply gone along with corporate-backed free trade deals that have devastated Ohio’s manufacturing sector and sent good-paying American jobs overseas, Sherrod has been a tireless advocate for policies that help workers and their families. Because he understands that representing people is more important than partisan politics, he stood up to both Democratic President Bill Clinton and Republican President George W. Bush to fight against the North American and Central American Free Trade Agreements. Learn more at http://sherrodbrown.com/   Pete Ashdown (Utah) For the first time in the history of human democracy, we have the opportunity to make our government truly representative. Pete Ashdown is uniquely suited to make this opportunity a reality. Through the use of modern communication and collaborative technologies, the public can have a voice equal to paid lobbyists who see our elected officials every day. Unfortunately, the majority of our federal representation not only lacks the ability to implement these changes, but the will to do so as well. They retain office through a system which depends on keeping the general public uninformed and cynical towards politics. Enabling the American voice to focus on our toughest problems will eliminate apathy towards our government. Implementing transparency in our representation will ensure that American public interest comes before private. This change will start by electing Pete Ashdown. Learn more at http://www.peteashdown.com/