ActBlue videos from Denver

We've been sitting on these videos from last summer's Democratic National Convention for too long.

First, Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie interviewed me and some of the other folks hanging out at the Big Tent — blogger HQ for the week.

And then, Internet company Level 3 did a series of videos as a project they called the Red Couch.  Here's mine (wmv).

And on to Texas: Rick Noriega

We started this series in Texas, and 23 days out from the election, we figured it was about time we returned.

Running in one of this year's hottest races, ActBlue Democrat Rick Noriega is challenging Republican incumbent John Cornyn for the Texas Senate seat. Noriega, who has served in both the armed forces and in public office, has been a forceful presence on ActBlue, raising more than $1.5 million from more than eighteen thousand supporters.

Rick Noriega has served with the Army in Afghanistan, among others. After his tour, the two-term Texas state representative and Lieutenant Colonel was appointed Incident Commander of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in Houston, Texas. During the summer of 2007, Rick was drafted by activists, both online and offline, to run for U.S. Senate.

ActBlue Democrats, here's Rick Noriega:

You've seen the polls, and you've seen the debates, and you know that winning in November is going to take every effort from every one of us. Go to www.actblue.com today and do your part for the candidates you believe in.

Annette Taddeo (Or, ActBlue Goes to Florida)

With 36 days left until the Election, we're continuing to profile candidates in the closest races across the country. This week, we're on to Florida, where Annette Taddeo won the Democratic primary on August 26. 

Annette Taddeo will challenge incumbent Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) for the Congressional seat from the Florida 18th. For over 15 years, Taddeo has run LanguageSpeak, a comprehensive language services company that she started to offer translations, conference interpretations and private tutoring in more than 100 different languages. In 2007, DiversityBusiness.com named her company one of the Top 500 Diversity Owned Businesses in the country. The continued success of her company and her leadership in the community has earned Taddeo many accolades and honors, including the "Latina Excellence Award" from Hispanic
Magazine and a spot in their list of the "Top 50 Latina Entrepreneurs in the US." Taddeo currently serves as Chair of the Women's Enterprise Nation Council's Leadership Forum and was a former Chairwoman of the Coalition of Dade-County Chambers of Commerce and the Women's Chamber of Commerce of Miami-Dade County.

Endorsed by the DCCC's Red to Blue program, EMILY's List, Blue America, and Daily Kos' Orange to Blue program, Taddeo has been a barnstormer on ActBlue, raising $28,510 from more than 1500 supporters and winning Blue America's House contest several weeks ago. She has had an active presence in the blogosphere, and liveblogged with Howie Klein on August 2.

ActBlue Democrats, here's Annette Taddeo:

Thanks for watching. Thirty-seven days left, and not a minute to lose. Go to www.actblue.com today and do your part for the candidates you believe in.

Until next time.

Debbie Cook: "ActBlue has made it really easy."

On to the West Coast.

For this week's ActBlue candidate video, we're profiling Democrat Debbie Cook, a candidate for Congress in California's Forty-Sixth congressional district.

Born to a military family, Debbie Cook ran a small family business for fourteen years before the career shift that would propel her to public life. In 1989, when her city's politicians were proposing, over protests from community, to turn the central park into a golf course, Cook organized the effort to save Huntington Beach's natural resources, gathering 18,000 signatures in six months and gaining passage of the protection measure by a three-to-one margin.

After the campaign, Cook went to law school, joined the California bar, and served as an attorney for the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, securing protection of the largest unprotected wetlands south of San Francisco.

Twice elected mayor of Huntington Beach, Cook continues to support protection of beaches, parks, safe drinking water, open spaces, and natural habitats in the area.

Cook is running for Congress against incumbent Republican Dana Rohrabacher, and is supported by more than thirty community fundraisers on ActBlue.

ActBlue Democrats, here's Debbie Cook:

To make the difference for the candidates you believe in, go to www.actblue.com today and set up your own fundraising page.

Stay tuned for more next week.

Martin Heinrich: "ActBlue Has Been an Enormous Help to Us"

We're back again with a profile of one of our more successful Congressional candidates. New Mexico's Martin Heinrich, running for the Congressional seat for New Mexico's First District, has raised more than $395,000 on ActBlue from more than 2,000 contributors like you, making it possible for Heinrich's insurgent campaign to top his opponent's by five points in the most recent Roll Call poll. That's your work, and something to be proud of.

For those of you who don't know much about Martin Heinrich, here's a primer. Once director of a foundation dedicated to science and environmental education, Heinrich has served on several boards focused on environmental, open space, and urban issues, and has used his time on the City Council to work toward making New Mexico a leader in alternative energy and energy efficiency. Heinrich, who was appointed by Governor Bill Richardson to be Natural Resources Trustee for the State, has also led efforts to reduce crime, raise the minimum wage, and create good jobs in the city. Heinrich is running against Republican Darren White.

ActBlue Democrats, here's Martin Heinrich.

Go to www.actblue.com today and start working for the Democrats you believe in.

Stay tuned for more next week.

Ben Ray Luján: "Make Sure To Take Advantage of ActBlue"

We're back from the Democratic Convention in Denver. Something about that Western air made us choose Ben Ray Luján for this week's candidate profile.

Ben Ray Luján is the Democratic nominee for Congress is New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District. A Public Regulation Commissioner and three time former chairman of the Commission, Luján has built a reputation as a dedicated fighter for renewable energy, firefighting services, and improved health care. Before his election to the Public Relations Commission, Luján served in the New Mexico Cultural Affairs Department. Luján is running to fill the seat currently held by Tom Udall (D-NM), who is running for the Senate seat soon to be vacated by Pete Domenici (R-NM). Luján has raised more than $86,000 on ActBlue this cycle.

ActBlue Democrats, here's Ben Ray Luján:

You have the power to change Congress. Go to www.actblue.com today and do your part.

Jon Powers: "ActBlue Has Been Critical to our Campaign"

We're back with another video from Netroots Nation, where we assembled care packages for the troops with Jon Powers, who is running for Congress in New York's 26th District.

Powers is an Army Captain and a decorated Iraqi War veteran, a schoolteacher, and a nonprofit leader. After serving in Baghdad and Najaf, Powers returned to New York planning to become a social studies teacher in the Clarence, NY public schools. But he felt compelled to return to Iraq to address some of the problems facing Iraqi children in the wake of the war. Powers founded War Kids Relief, a nonprofit youth services group in Baghdad that was recognized by NBC Nightly News.

Hailed by his fellow troops as a "very passionate" and an "exceptional leader," Powers has been endorsed by General Wesley Clark and Senator John Kerry, among other national leaders, and by local and national unions. Powers will face New York attorney Alice Kryzan and manufacturer Jack Davis in a September 9th primary. Powers has raised more than $341,000 on ActBlue.

ActBlue Democrats, here's Jon Powers:

Make a difference for the candidates you believe in. Go to www.actblue.com today and do your part.

Sam Bennett: "ActBlue Has Been an Incredible Partner"

Goodness, what a crew! For the fifth week in a row, as promised, we're bringing you a portrait of a candidate who's doing great things on ActBlue.

We've been out West for a while, so we thought it was about time to head back to the other coast, this time to Pennsylvania.

Siobhan "Sam" Bennett is challenging Bush Republican Charlie Dent for a congressional seat in Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District. The Allentown native has spend more than 30 years working in her community, and her congressional bid has been named one of the DCCC's top 20 emerging races.

When high schoolers in Bennett's neighborhood were graduating without the skills they needed to find jobs, Bennett founded a construction company to teach them valuable trade skills and a work ethic. When Allentown's older homes were crumbling, Bennett set up a non-profit to reward homeowners who repaired historic properties. When developmentally disabled adults in the region needed support, Bennett ran a cookie business and gave them jobs. And when her community's arts fair was on the brink, Bennett used the skills she had honed as a corporate executive and brought the fair back to life.

ActBlue Democrats, here's Sam Bennett:

(*ActBlue does not take sides in a contested primary, and does not endorse particular candidates for office.)

Make a difference for the candidates you believe in. Go to www.actblue.com today and do your part.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned for next week's candidate profile!

Jeff Merkley: "Go to ActBlue Right Now and Set Up a Page."

Once more from the mist.

In the fourth part of an occasional series, we're in Oregon, where Democrat Jeff Merkley is challenging Republican Gordon Smith for the United States Senate.

Merkley led a band of progressives to take control of the Oregon House eighteen months ago, and has used his tenure as Speaker to fight for health care, family-wage jobs, and environmental legislation, and against payday loan scandals. Merkley is the first Oregon Democrat to serve as Speaker in 16 years. Before entering politics, he ran Habitat for Humanity in Oregon and served as a national security analyst at the Pentagon and in Congress.

And beyond all of that, he understands the power of community fundraisers like you, and the power of ActBlue. And he's got a favor to ask of you.

ActBlue Democrats, here's Jeff Merkley:

(*ActBlue does not take sides in a contested primary, and does not endorse particular candidates for office.)

You heard the man.

Go to www.actblue.com today and do your part for the candidates you believe in.

Thanks for stopping by. More next week, so stay tuned!

Our Very Favorite People

We've just come back from Netroots Nation, and while we were there, we ran into some of our very favorite people: our candidates.

The crop of Democrats working to take back Washington this fall is like none we've ever seen: talented, driven, and passionate about change. And we figured, what better than to show you some of what we saw?

Starting this week, and continuing every week until the election, we'll use this space to introduce you to some of ActBlue's best and brightest from around the country, from California and Washington to New York and Florida. Hear what they have to say about community fundraising, the issues that have compelled them to run, and the state of the race.

*    *    *

Our first stop: The Nevada Second, where Jill Derby is running for Congress. A fourth generation Nevadan, Jill served eighteen years on the Nevada Board of Regents, guiding the state's System of Higher Education. Jill holds a Ph.D. in cultural anthropology, a specialty she chose after living and working in the Middle East, and has taught at four universities.

And then there's her political skill. As chair of the Nevada State Democratic Party, Jill oversaw this year's historic Nevada Caucuses, exceeding all predictions about turnout and helping more than 120,000 Nevadans to participate at more than 1700 precinct meetings across the state.

ActBlue Democrats, here's Jill Derby.

Want to send great ideas to Congress? Go to www.actblue.com today and do your part.

Thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned for next week's candidate profile! Not to tease, but it rhymes with, er, 'Rhymes.'