21st Century Democrats

21st Century Democrats is an American political organization founded by Senator Tom Harkin, commentator Jim Hightower and Congressman Lane Evans to help elect "progressive" or "populist" candidates.

21st Century Democrats
Formation1986
TypePolitical action committee
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Executive Director
Jennifer Petty
Key people
Tom Harkin, Jim Hightower, Lane Evans, founders
Website21stcenturydems.org

Background

21st Century Democrats started out relatively small, surpassing $1M in contributions for the first time in the 1996 election cycle.[1] By the 2004 election cycle, according to the Political Money Line, it was the 13th largest Political Action Committee (PAC) in the United States raising nearly $7 Million. Among progressive ideological PACs, it ranked fourth behind America Coming Together, EMILY's List, and MoveOn.org. However, since 2004 its contributions have gradually fallen, to under $2.2M in 2010 and under $1.2M in 2014.[2]

Unlike traditional PACs, 21st Century Democrats focuses on recruiting, training, and hiring field organizers to organize grassroots campaigns on behalf of candidates for local offices, statewide office, and even targeted presidential swing states.[3] The group has ties to Democracy for America, which grew out of Howard Dean's presidential campaign.[4]

Partner organizations

In 2009, 21st Century Democrats joined Service Employees International Union, MoveOn.org, and Daily Kos in a new effort called Accountability Now PAC. This new Political Action Committee promised to use party primaries to challenge Democratic incumbents that PAC members do not support.[5]

Washington Examiner accusations

A 2014 Washington Examiner article claimed "A PAC called 21st Century Democrats has raised $5.3 million since 2009, but not a penny of it has gone to candidates' campaigns or independent expenditures on their behalf, according to Federal Election Commission records." It also accuses the group as listing an advisory board of prominent democrats who deny involvement with the group, such as former DNCC chairman Donald Fowler, who it quotes as saying "I have no sense of giving them the approval to use my name, and I suspect none of the other people who they purport to be their advisory board will, either."[6]

See also

References
  1. Attlesey, Sam; Stahl, Lori (January 23, 1996). "New Group Seeks to Re-Focus Democratic Message". Dallas Morning News.
  2. "21st Century Democrats Summary - OpenSecrets". www.opensecrets.org. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  3. Garofoli, Joe (September 22, 2004). "Attention overwhelms tiny slice of swing state". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
  4. "About us". Democracy for America. 2008. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
  5. Robert Schlesinger (February 27, 2009). "Progressive Acccountability Now PAC Will Target Wayward Democrats in Primaries". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original (Article) on March 2, 2009. Retrieved March 11, 2009.
  6. "Most troubled PAC in history flies under radar, squanders Democratic donors' cash". The Washington Examiner. February 13, 2014.
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