I’m in Marcy’s district and many of you know that I was asked to run against Jane Harman, but I knew it was Marcy’s time and I’m so happy for her.
So far I’ve been contacted on the phone and at my door by Marcy’s campaign and they were very nice and very thorough, but I haven’t heard a word from any of Harman’s people. Not even a mailer. I guess voters in her district aren’t that important unless they give big donations.
The LA Times ran a great article on her campaign.
The candidate, trailed by a volunteer, is knocking on doors in Mar Vista — down Beethoven Street, across Lucille Avenue, along Greenwood Avenue and on. The June 8 election is just weeks away. There is much ground to cover.
“I’m Marcy Winograd, and I’m running for Congress,” she says, over and over again. Her blue jacket is spotted with rain. “I’m a grass-roots Democrat who believes in jobs and bringing our troops home.”
Winograd is challenging Rep. Jane Harman, a wealthy eight-term incumbent, in the Democratic primary for the 36th Congressional District. Her Marina del Rey campaign headquarters buzzes with activity. Volunteers man phones. Tables are stacked with slick mailers exhorting voters to “imagine sending a teacher, anti-war leader, and healthcare champion to Washington to be your voice in Congress.”
Though it is unusual for a sitting member of Congress to face a robust primary challenge, Winograd has taken on Harman before; she ran against her on an antiwar platform in 2006 and won nearly 38% of the vote.
Allan Hoffenblum, whose California Target Book handicaps races in the Golden State, calls the contest “an ideological battle for the soul of the Democratic Party” — a liberal challenger taking on a more conservative incumbent.
“If it was an open seat, she very well could be a real contender,” Hoffenblum said. “But against a well-known, well-funded incumbent, it would be a real shocker” if Winograd won. “It’s not the suburbs of San Francisco.” Still, Winograd is forcing Harman to work “a bit more than she might like to be working on her reelection,” said political scientist Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a senior fellow at USC. “It would be nice if [Harman] could just hang out in Washington….But she’s been around. If someone can move an incumbent to do that, that’s OK.”
The election is June 8th, so if you’re in our district please make the right choice. On January 16, Blue America formally endorsed her, and she joined us for a live chat on C&L. We produced this ad for her too:
And what Digby says:
Blue America endorsed Winograd months ago because we are all about waging an ideological battle for the soul of the Democratic Party. (It’s a war that never ends, by the way.) And Winograd in Congress would be a true leader in that cause.
If you’d like to help Marcy you can donate here or volunteer for her grassroots campaign.
Howie Klein gives a good rundown on all the props that are on the ballot too if you’re interested and praises our Marcy.
If you live in the 36th congressional district– a stretch along the coast that starts up in Venice and heads south to San Pedro, taking in Mar Vista, El Segundo, Torrance, Manhattan Beach, Hawthorne, West Carson, Redondo Beach, Marina Del Ray and Hermosa Beach– you have an opportunity to vote in one of the most iconic elections of the year, pitting a conservative longtime incumbent serving corporate interests (the odious Blue Dog Jane Harman) against a scrappy and highly principled progressive tribune of ordinary working families, Marcy Winograd. Marcy was Blue America’s first endorsement of 2010.
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