PROGRESSIVE MAJORITY BACKGROUNDER
September 2003
BACKGROUND
Progressive Majority Is A Liberal Group Providing “Early Support To Progressive Candidates” And Building “A Talented ‘Farm Team’ Of Future Progressive Leaders And Decision Makers In Washington, DC And In The States.” “Progressive Majority has a clear and bold purpose: To elect progressive champions who will help change the direction of this country. We will do this by building a nationwide member network that will provide much-needed early support to progressive candidates – helping them to win elections and bring our values back into the halls of government. Progressive Majority is your one-stop connection to innovative and idealistic candidates working to build a practical – and progressive – future. Progressive Majority will foster the emergence of a talented ‘farm team’ of future progressive leaders and decision-makers in Washington, DC and in the states. We know it’s not going to happen overnight. But it can happen with disciplined strategies, determination and yes, your dollars.” (Progressive Majority Website, www.progressivemajority.org, Accessed 9/23/03)
In The 2004 Cycle, Progressive Majority Plans To Fund Candidates And Conduct Outreach, Recruitment And Training To Elect “Progressive Candidates.” “In this political cycle, Progressive Majority will provide early seed money for promising progressive candidates, focusing on Congressional races. We will also conduct outreach, recruitment and training to create new classes of top-flight progressive candidates for key federal, state and local races – and we will provide the campaign support necessary to put these candidates in office.” (Progressive Majority Website, www.progressivemajority.org, Accessed 9/23/03)
Progressive Majority Operates Both A Federal PAC And A Soft Money 527 Committee. (Federal Elections Commission Website, www.fec.gov, Accessed 9/23/03; IRS 527 Committee Search Website, http://www.irs.gov/charities/political/article/0,,id=109644,00.html, Accessed 9/23/03)
So Far This Year, Progressive Majority’s Federal PAC Has Received Strong Support From Labor Unions And Democrat Politicians’ PACs. Below are the PAC’s contributions from other committees so far this year.
2003
AFL-CIO
COPE POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE
$5,000
AMERICA
WORKS COMMITTEE $5,000
AMERICAN
FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES - P E O P L E,
QUALIFIED $5,000
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF PAINTERS AND ALLIED TRADES POLITICAL ACTION TOGETHER LEGISLATIVE AN $2,500
JERRYS
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (JERRYS PAC)
$5,000
JESSE
JACKSON JR FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE
$5,000
LABORERS’
POLITICAL LEAGUE-LABORERS’ INTERNATIONAL UNION OF NA $5,000
MACHINISTS
NON PARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGUE
$5,000
RE-ELECT
MCGOVERN COMMITTEE $2,500
SCHAKOWSKY
FOR CONGRESS $5,000
SERVICE
EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $5,000
SHEET
METAL WORKERS’ INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION LEAGUE $5,000
TRANSPORT
WORKERS UNION POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE $2,500
UNITED
FOOD & COMMERCIAL WORKERS, ACTIVE BALLOT CLUB $5,000
(Political
Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed
9/23/03)
In The 2002 Cycle, The Progressive Majority PAC Received Strong Support From Labor Unions, Drawing Maximum Contributions From SEIU, NEA, CWA, AFL-CIO And AFSCME, Among Others. Below are the PAC’s contributions from other committees last cycle.
2001-02
AFL-CIO
COPE POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE
$10,000
AMERICA
WORKS COMMITTEE $5,000
AMERICAN
FEDERATION OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES’ POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $3,500
AMERICAN
FEDERATION OF STATE COUNTY & MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES - P E O P L E,
QUALIFIED $10,000
BARBARA
LEE FOR CONGRESS $1,000
BARNEY
FRANK FOR CONGRESS COMMITTEE $5,000
BAY
AREA MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS COMMITTEE - FEDERAL
$2,500
BROTHERHOOD
OF RAILROAD SIGNALMEN POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $1,000
CITIZENS
FOR ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON $1,000
COMMITTEE
FOR DEMOCRATIC ACTION (FKA METZENBAUM FOR SENATE - 1988) $100
CWA-COPE
POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE
$10,000
FRIENDS
OF ROSA DELAURO $5,000
FRIENDS
OF THE EARTH POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
$1,000
INTERNATIONAL
BROTHERHOOD OF PAINTERS AND ALLIED TRADES DISTRICT COUNCIL 21 PAC $5,000
INTERNATIONAL
UNION OF PAINTERS AND ALLIED TRADES POLITICAL ACTION TOGETHER LEGISLATIVE
AN $5,000
IRONWORKERS
POLITICAL ACTION LEAGUE $6,000
JERRYS
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (JERRYS PAC)
$5,000
KELLEHER
FOR CONGRESS $250
MACHINISTS
NON-PARTISAN POLITICAL LEAGUE
$10,000
NADLER
FOR CONGRESS INC $5,000
NEA
FUND FOR CHILDREN AND PUBLIC EDUCATION
$10,000
OREGON
LEAGUE OF CONSERVATION VOTERS PAC/OLCV PAC
$1,000
PAC
TO THE FUTURE $10,000
PEOPLE
FOR THE AMERICAN WAY VOTERS ALLIANCE (PFAW VOTERS ALLIANCE OR PFAW VA) $300
PETE
STARK RE-ELECTION COMMITTEE $5,000
SCHAKOWSKY
FOR CONGRESS $10,000
SERVICE
EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE $10,000
SHEET
METAL WORKERS’ INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION LEAGUE $5,000
SOLIDARITY
PAC $5,000
SOLIS
FOR CONGRESS $2,000
TRANSPORT
WORKERS UNION POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE $10,000
UAW
- V - CAP (UAW VOLUNTARY COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM) $5,000
UNITE
CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE $5,000
UNITED
FOOD & COMMERCIAL WORKERS, ACTIVE BALLOT CLUB $10,000
UNITED
TRANSPORTATION UNION (UTU) TRANSPORTATION POLITICAL EDUCATION LEAGUE $600
VOTERS
FOR CHOICE/FRIENDS OF FAMILY PLANNING
$1,100
WOOLSEY FOR CONGRESS $5,000
(Political Money Line Website, www.tray.com, Accessed 9/23/03)
Gloria Totten, Progressive Majority’s Executive Director, Said That Her Group Had Over 10,000 Small-Money Donors In The 2002 Cycle. “The Progressive Majority PAC, for instance, is developing a large base of small-money donors who regularly support progressive candidates. According to Executive Director Gloria Totten, the group’s fundraising goals have been met by more than 10,000 small-money donors.” (“PAC Attack,” The American Prospect, 10/21/02)
Progressive Majority’s Soft Money 527 Committee Has Received Support From Labor Unions, The Sierra Club And Hollywood Producer Steve Bing. Below are some notable contributions to the 527.
(IRS 527 Committee Search Website, http://www.irs.gov/charities/political/article/0,,id=109644,00.html, Accessed 9/23/03)
Gloria Totten Is Executive Director Of Progressive Majority. “Gloria Totten took the helm of Progressive Majority in May 2001. Prior to that, she served as Political Director for the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) since 1996. At NARAL, she ran a multi-million-dollar department budget that was more than $9 million in 2000 and was responsible for all of the electoral and political organizing work, as well as managing NARAL’s 27 state affiliates. While there, Gloria also worked to develop the organization’s first nationwide pro-choice voter file, which consisted of 2.9 million pro-choice identified voters in 2000. She also devised all of NARAL’s advocacy campaigns, including numerous ballot initiative campaigns, legislative battles and the Stop Ashcroft! campaign in 2001. From 1993-1996, Gloria was the Executive Director for Maryland NARAL. During her tenure, she served as the organization’s chief lobbyist and strategist, chairperson for the state pro-choice coalition, director of the Political Action Committee (PAC) and was responsible for raising the annual operating and program budgets. In her home state of Minnesota, Gloria worked as the Education Director for Pro-Choice Resources, President and Lobbyist for the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault, and as a grassroots organizer on campaigns from the Presidential to Mayoral levels.” (Progressive Majority Website, www.progressivemajority.org, Accessed 9/23/03)
Totten Serves On The Board Of Fair And Balanced PAC, Which Launched The BushRecall.com Website In August 2003. “A new committee called the Fair and Balanced PAC plans to launch its www.bushrecall.org Web site Thursday. The PAC’s founders include Joe Lockhart, a press secretary to former President Clinton, and Mike Lux, a Democratic political consultant. … The Fair and Balanced PAC’s board members include Gloria Totten, executive director of another Democratic-leaning group, the Progressive Majority, and former political director of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League.” (Sharon Theimer, “Dems Start Group To Try To ‘Recall’ Bush,” The Associated Press, 8/21/03)
Totten Stated That With National Parties Banned From
Raising Soft Money, “Outside Groups Will Absolutely Have To Pick Up The Slack.” “Now that national political parties are
barred from accepting the unlimited ‘soft money’ that once fattened their
treasuries, outside groups from the left and right are sending the message that
they would be happy to become alternative recipients. The pro-labor Progressive Majority, for example, is
researching the Democratic Party’s major contributors and sending out
feelers. The group, whose goal is to
elect more liberals, wants some of those soft money dollars to fund ambitious
plans for 2004 that include recruiting candidates, training them, and financing
campaigns – all work that political parties normally do. ‘Outside groups will absolutely have to pick
up the slack’ as long as the new campaign finance law forbids the national
parties from accepting soft money, said Gloria Totten, Progressive Majority’s
executive director.” (Julia Malone, “Soft Money
Ban Sparks Alternatives,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 6/2/03)
PROGRESSIVE MAJORITY’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Senator Jon Corzine
Senator Patty Murray
Representative Tammy Baldwin
Representative Sherrod Brown
Representative John Conyers, Jr.
Representative Peter DeFazio
Representative Rosa DeLauro
Representative Lane Evans
Representative Bob Filner
Representative Barney Frank
Representative Raúl Grijalva
Representative Luis Gutierrez
Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr.
Representative Sheila Jackson Lee
Representative Barbara Lee
Representative Betty McCollum
Representative George Miller
Representative Jerrold Nadler
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton
Representative John Olver
Representative Nancy Pelosi
Representative Martin Sabo
Representative Jan Schakowsky
epresentative Hilda Solis
Representative Pete Stark
Representative Chris Van Hollen
Representative Maxine Waters
Representative Diane Watson
Representative Henry Waxman
Representative Lynne Woolsey
(Progressive
Majority Website, www.progressivemajority.org,
Accessed 9/23/03)