Join Bernie Sanders in Supporting Tom Perriello for Virginia

Nobody ever said that taking on the establishment and the billionaire class would be easy. We're going to win some—including a great victory by Christine Pellegrino in a New York State Legislature special election last week where she won by a landslide in a district that heavily supported Trump. And we're going to lose some—including Rob Quist's defeat in the Montana congressional special election where Rob ran 14 points ahead of Hillary Clinton in a very conservative state, but still lost.

There is no question, however, that the political momentum is with us. All across the country people are becoming increasingly involved, and Trump's support is in decline. In Virginia, there will be a very important Democratic gubernatorial primary on June 13th. Tom Perriello is taking on the Virginia political establishment, and his grassroots campaign has made real progress. He started out as an underdog but, because of his progressive agenda and incredibly hard work, the last public poll had him slightly ahead. Tom will win this election if the turnout is high, and if he has the resources to put together a strong get-out-the-vote effort. Please join me in supporting Tom's campaign.

Tom's candidacy is about improving the quality of life for working people, students, people of color, women, kids, seniors, and those that the government often ignores. He has pledged to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, make community college free, and opposes the construction of fossil fuel pipelines.

He is also tackling racism at the institutional level. The school-to-prison pipeline funnels children, disproportionately children of color, down a path devoid of the hope and opportunity that we must nurture within every child, in every school, and in every home. Tom wants to end this system that sees the state spend millions of dollars locking people up when we could provide real education opportunities instead at a lower cost. Additionally, his guarantee for paid family leave and affordable child care will give young families across Virginia the break they sorely need.

In Virginia there are virtually no campaign finance restrictions, and Tom is the only gubernatorial candidate rejecting corporate contributions from the state's largest utility—an entity that has dominated politics there for years. Despite the strength of his campaign, Tom has been outspent by the establishment candidate who is flooding the state with TV commercials.

Please join me in supporting Tom Perriello. We need a governor like Tom who will fight for the progressive values that we support. A progressive victory in the governor's race in a conservative state like Virginia will be a shot heard around the country, and help us expand the national momentum we already have.

The gubernatorial election in Virginia is an opportunity to put our stamp on 2017. The election is in just two weeks, and will be one of the most-watched in the entire country.  Will you join me in this fight?

Please contribute to Tom Perriello's progressive campaign for Virginia Governor today.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders

Protect Journalists: Montana congressional candidate Greg Gianforte charged with assault of journalist

Beyond Trump's violent and divisive language targeted at the media, a new normal is being created that makes it ok to violate the rights of individuals who are not loyal to the Trump view of the world - including journalists.  Now, more than ever, the concept of protecting journalists has become even more important.  Now, more than ever, protecting journalists has become even more important. 

Reporters are placing themselves in harms way to report on the truth, and on the attrocities being perpetrated by Trump loyalists.  It sounds like I am talking about foreign correspondents reporting from war zones abroad - while they are reporting from war zones, they are doing so domestically.    They are being verbally abused, and now physically attacked.

 

Let's work to keep the truth front and center.  Real news by real journalists can help keep the truth visible, keeping the rest of us safe.  If we are not vigilant, we will be contributing to creating a voiceless society.

Lauren Underwood, local nurse & Obama alum, may run against Rep. Hultgren (R-IL)

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Families across the Illinois Fourteenth Congressional district deserve a representative who shares important values of family, community, duty, and citizenship.  A representative who is willing to respect all opinions, especially those counter to her own, and seek common ground to develop our shared path forward.  Our current Representative has ignored outreach from constituents across the district, abandoned his promises to preserve access to care and has instead voted in lockstep with the Trump agenda at each turn.  It’s time for new leadership in IL-14, it’s time for our community to be led by independent voices and engaged citizens.

I grew up in the 14th District – this is my home.  This is the community where I first learned the importance of service and earned my first Girl Scout badge.  Its where I played in my first t-ball and basketball leagues, earned my first paycheck, and graduated from a world-class public high school.  As a teenager, I was appointed to serve on a local housing commission, where I had my first introduction to public policy, and worked to preserve residents’ equal access to housing without discrimination based on age, gender, and many other protected classes.  This community gave me the tools and confidence to step out into the world and make a difference, and I’m proud to be back home. 

I began my career as a registered nurse and worked in clinical research at the National Institutes of Health, our country’s leading institution of scientific discovery, to improve health and save lives.  I continued in public service, later working to implement health care reform and improve healthcare quality for millions of Americans in the private insurance market and the Medicare program.  Expanding access to health care, including preventive services, has long been a critical priority for me and I’m ready for this fight to protect our health care.  More recently, I worked to help communities across the country prevent, prepare for, and respond to disasters, bioterror threats, and public health emergencies.  I’ve seen firsthand how resilient our communities are, but I also recognize that they need strong, reliable federal, state and local partners to be able to reach their full potential.  

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200,000 Votes Suppressed

A shocking new report last week revealed that Wisconsin's oppressive voter ID law -- passed by Republicans and signed into law by Scott Walker -- prevented 200,000 people from voting. Donald Trump only won Wisconsin by 22,000 votes.

Our right to vote is under assault all across the country, and the consequences are catastrophic.

We have to fight back. Add your name and say you'll stand with Democrats to defend access to the ballot box.

The GOP's nationwide voter suppression campaign is being spearheaded by Republican governors and state legislatures, but you can bet that Donald Trump is doing his part.

Last week, Trump created a new commission that is specifically charged with investigating voter fraud, which study after study has proven is virtually non-existent -- more people get struck by lightning each year than commit in-person voter fraud.

And this commission will be led by Kris Kobach, the man responsible for some of the most heinous voting restrictions in the country, who has spent years lying about voter fraud in order to keep African Americans and Latinos from the polls. It's terrifying to think of the new voter suppression tactics he'll come up with the backing of the federal government behind him.

So we have to be prepared to fight back. Add your name and say you'll resist the GOP's attacks on our access to the ballot box. It's going to take all of us:

ADD YOUR NAME

Thanks,

Tom Perez
Chair
Democratic National Committee

New Report Praises UC for Enrolling Low-Income Students; Criticizes Those Who Don't

A new report released by Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce, praised University of California campuses and the University of Southern California for being proactive in enrolling large numbers of low-income Pell grants recipients.  At the same time the study criticized the large number of elite schools for falling far short.  The nine UC campuses, USC and several other California colleges exceeded the minimum standard of admitting least 20 percent of their undergraduates who receives Pell grants.

Source:  The 20% Solution: Selective Colleges Can Afford to Admit More Pell Grant Recipients