Friday, the DCCC added 14 candidates to its "Red to Blue" program, primarily by moving mediocre candidates from their "Emerging Races" list, although the DCCC has also chosen sides in the crucial Syracuse, New York-area race in which it has previously been unable to pick between Colleen Deacon, a mediocre candidate backed by Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Steve Williams, the Steve Israel candidate. The really good candidate in this race, Eric Kingson, wasn't even considered by the DCCC, which is working furiously to undermine his campaign.The safely blue (D+5) district has been lost over and over by the DCCC's insistence of picking third-rate conservative Democrats in a district that deserves a real Democrat. New Dem Dan Maffei lost the seat in two midterms and the current congressman is Republican backbencher John Katko. The DCCC pick for the June 28 primary is Deacon, primarily because she raised the most money-- $293,565 to Williams' $227,670 (of which $60,265 was self-funded) and Kingson's $199,445. Bernie won 3 of the four counties in the district (Oswego, Wayne and Cayuga) and Onondaga was pretty close at 20,397 (53%) to 18,057 (47%). In the kind of anti-Establishment mood sweeping upstate New York, Kingson's strong association with Bernie's campaign-- while the other two battle for the establishment vote-- may help him tremendously. In fact, Friday Democracy For America endorsed Eric.
Charles Chamberlain, DFA's executive director, said the group has worked with Kingson on income inequality issues for nearly a decade."As a national leader in the fight to expand Social Security benefits for struggling seniors, Eric Kingson is the true progressive in this race and the only candidate ready to address America's growing retirement security crisis from day one," Chamberlain said.This is the latest endorsement Kingson has received from a progressive organization.After Kingson announced his congressional bid last year he was endorsed by Blue America, a group which supports progressive Democratic candidates.DFA's support could provide a boost to Kingson's campaign. The political action committee has 111,750 members in New York and 1 million members throughout the U.S."As a lifelong advocate for working families and seniors I am honored to be endorsed by Democracy for America," Kingson said in a statement. "DFA is a leading voice in the national progressive movement, fighting to take back our democracy, rebuild our economy and create a more just society. I have been a proud ally in DFA's work and I plan to continue that work as a member of Congress."The endorsement comes two days after Kingson learned he would remain on the Democratic primary ballot in the 24th Congressional District.
Steve Israel had instructed Williams to attempt to drain Kingson's campaign account with the spurious challenge the way he had done in Lindy Li's race on behalf of "ex"-Republican Mike Parrish. Fortunately, the state Board of Elections ruled in Kingson's favor. Blue America is about to send out a mobile billboard (one of the signs is above) and if you'd like to help us with gas money here. Or, you can contribute to Kingson's campaign through the thermometer below:
