Nominate A Candidate:
An Announcement from MoveOn.org



Deadline:  Tuesday, June 22



Nominate
a candidate for MoveOn's endorsement, and help elect a new generation
of leaders to Congress who will fight for issues WE care about



Every
two years around election time, politicos inside the D.C. beltway make
most of the crucial decisions about support for Congressional
candidates and their campaigns. Their decisions are often based on the
“buzz” from the latest poll numbers, breaking news and scandals, or the
size of the candidate's war chest. But there's little room in this
process for any input or feedback from the constituents these folks
serve.



That is
why we are announcing our first ever MoveOn member-driven candidate
nomination process: MoveOn Members Endorse. There are hundreds of good
people running for office across the country who deserve our
recognition and need our support this election. And the best way to
identify them is by asking the folks who they seek to represent.



We are beginning the process this week by asking for your nominations of outstanding U.S. House and U.S. Senate candidates.
[See below for recommendations from Blog for Iowa.]  We want you
to provide your personal insights, experiences, and stories about these
people – the kind of information that will move other members to get
involved in these campaigns.



Have a candidate you'd like to nominate for endorsement? Just go here.



Whether
the candidate you nominate is a long time Congressperson who has served
you well or a Senate challenger mounting a vigorous campaign against a
wealthy incumbent, we want to hear about him or her. We plan to
announce our first list of endorsed candidates next week, and will
continue to expand this list throughout the summer and fall. For the
first round of endorsements, we need your nomination by next Tuesday,
June 22nd at midnight EST. Nominations received after this deadline
will still be considered for endorsement throughout the summer and
fall, but probably won't make it onto our first slate.



What are
the potential benefits for candidates who are selected as MoveOn Member
Endorsed candidates? First, all endorsed candidates will be listed as
MoveOn PAC candidates on our site, recommended by MoveOn members for
support and campaign involvement. Many MoveOn Members Endorsed
candidates will also be highlighted for financial support to the whole
MoveOn base.



A few details about the nomination and endorsement process:



 * 
After we hear from you, we'll be releasing a first slate of
MoveOn-endorsed candidates – including some races we'll ask MoveOn
members to contribute to directly. These folks will be picked through a
process that considers their progressive credentials, the strategic
value of the race, their likelihood of winning, and, of course, the
feedback we've received from MoveOn members.



 * 
The more nominations a candidate gets from MoveOn members the more
likely those candidates are to become MoveOn Endorsed Candidates. But
we're also looking for quality: a great personal story about a
candidate is worth dozens of one-line nominations. And your story about
why you believe a candidate should be elected will be far more helpful
than information directly from the campaign or the website.



 * 
You may continue to nominate your favorite candidates through the
November election, but again, to be included in the first round of
MoveOn candidates, we need your nomination by Tuesday, June 22nd, 2004
at midnight EST.



Your
voice and candidate nominations will bring important races to the
attention of the rest of the MoveOn membership. Nominate an
inspirational candidate today here.



We're looking forward to hearing from you!



Sincerely,



–Eli Pariser and Hannah Pingree

Executive Director and National Candidate Outreach Director

MoveOn PAC