Tea party rival group propels progressive candidates
With a very real chance of being elected to Congress in November, New Jersey Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman makes no bones about the fact that shes benefited heavily from a well-organized progressive machine that has begun to rival the tea party in its ability to hand-pick candidates and propel them into office.
Ms. Watson Coleman, a state legislator running for New Jerseys open 12th Congressional District seat, is one of five Democratic candidates this cycle to triumph over a less-liberal primary opponent after being endorsed by the increasingly influential Progressive Change Campaign Committee.
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The 1-million-member group has backed candidates in Hawaii, Arizona and elsewhere across the country, each sharing one common denominator that they adhere to pure progressive values and represent what the PCCC has proudly dubbed the Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party.
Without PCCCs help I dont think I wouldve been able to get my message out, Ms. Watson Coleman told reporters on a conference call Thursday as she prepares to face Republican Alieta Eck in the November general election.
Founded in 2009 by former organizers of MoveOn.org, the PCCC is at the forefront of what some political analysts say is a purity movement within the Democratic Party, similar in some ways to the evolution of the GOP in 2009 and 2010.
The organization and its candidates hold fast to a number of progressive ideals, and count Mrs. Warren, a first-term senator from Massachusetts, as their standard-bearer.
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Tighter regulations on Wall Street, a massive overhaul of the campaign finance system, and expansions of entitlement programs such as Social Security are among the groups core tenets.
Thus far in the 2014 cycle, the PCCC also has helped candidates such as Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz, Arizona congressional candidate Ruben Gallego and others fend off Democratic primary challengers deemed too conservative, or insufficiently liberal.
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Tea party rival group propels progressive candidates