(Disclosure: I am the Political Director for Common Sense for the Valley, a progressive PAC in the Shenandoah Valley.)
Virginia progressives have a great opportunity to score a victory in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley and prove progressivism in the Commonwealth is not limited to NOVA and Charlottesville. Progressive candidates running for local office in Harrisonburg have a strong chance of winning this year, and you can help!
Common Sense for the Valley has supported progressive candidates in the Shenandoah Valley since 2005, and this year 5 candidates have received the PAC's endorsement. You can read the press release here.
I'm asking you to visit our unique ActBlue page dedicated to this year's candidates and make a contribution to bring progressive leadership to the Valley and fight back against special interests. Make your contribution now!
Background information on Harrisonburg and the candidates after the jump ...
In 2005 Harrisonburg voted Democratic for the first time in decades, handing majorities to Lowell Fulk, Tim Kaine and Creigh Deeds. In 2006, Jim Webb came within a handful of votes of beating George Allen in the city, despite only having visited once (and being greeted by an overfill crowd).
So far in 2008 Mark Warner has held a kickoff event in Harrisonburg, Senator Webb visited last week, a candidate for the House of Delegates has already announced for 2009, and 3 candidates have already visited in advance of 2009: Creigh Deeds, Jon Bowerbank and Steve Shannon.
Harrisonburg is a regional commercial powerhouse (without counting the thousands of students JMU provides each year), and its influence in Democratic politics is growing (DPVA Chair Levar Stoney graduated from JMU, as have key figures in the Kaine administration and the Moran campaign).
Barack Obama's Campaign for Change opened an office in Harrisonburg in July and expects to win the city (but it will be close).
There are 3 local races in the area this November: Harrisonburg City Council, a special election for Harrisonburg Treasurer, and a special election for Rockingham County Commissioner of Revenue (Harrisonburg is an independent city but is also the seat of Rockingham County).
Read more about the candidates!
The City Council race is about growth: how much is too much, how fast should it occur, how much high density residential housing is good for the city, and whether the incumbents on City Council can ever say no to their developer buddies. Richard Baugh and Dave Wiens have spent over a decade on the Planning Commission and have held the line against development subsidized by taxpayers.
Joined by Kai Degner, these progressives received the Democratic nomination and are knocking on hundreds of doors to reach out to presidential voters who might not vote for a local election. (This is the first year City Council elections have been held in November, and no one knows how many voters will skip local races.) There are 8 total candidates for 3 seats.
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After the former treasurer was indicted and resigned, a special election was called to serve out the remainder of the term, which will be up again next year. Bill Ney is a retired business owner and manager of the highly respected Ney clothing stores and is running as a Democrat for Treasurer. Bill's family has been in Harrisonburg since 1870, and his 40 years of community involvement and customer service make him a trusted and liked figure in the city. Bill is facing two other candidates in his race.
Esther Nizer is running again for Rockingham County Commissioner of Revenue. Last year Esther ran against the Republican incumbent, who suddenly died in mid-October. The local Republican Party told voters that a vote for the recently deceased would trigger a special election, but after the incumbent won the Republican-controlled Board of Supervisors decided to delay the special election until this year, when a generic Republican would have a better chance of winning. Esther would be the first ever African-American elected to a Rockingham County office.
Please make a contribution today to water this grassroots effort in the Shenandoah Valley. Common Sense for the Valley has pledged to give all contributions to the candidates. Together we can spread common sense progressive values across the Commonwealth and expand the map for 2009.
Thank you!