CD-48 Candidate Beth Krom Named “Grassroots All-Star Champion”

On July 27, Democracy for America announced today that the Beth Krom for Congress campaign has taken first place in their national “Grassroots All-Star” competition.

The competition started two weeks ago with a field of 99 Congressional candidates from across America. After taking first place in the preliminary round, Krom then went head-to-head in the top 10 competition, again finishing first. Democracy for America challenges candidates to activate their networks and mobilize support, utilizing social media and other forms of communication.

“Having won five consecutive races for local office, I’ve learned firsthand the value of building and activating networks,” says Krom. “I’m grateful for all the people who used email, Facebook and Twitter to engage their friends, family and business associates. Collectively, every one of those contacts helped us demonstrate the power of people in our democracy.”

The Krom campaign has committed to working city by city from now until Election Day to reach voters throughout the district.

Kamala Harris: NWPC CA’s Pick for CA Attorney General

San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris won the June Primary and is now advancing to the General Election, where she’ll face GOP opponent Steve Cooley. Harris has earned a number of notable endorsements recently including that of Senator Dianne Feinstein, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, The Los Angeles Times, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, The San Francisco Chronicle and The Sacramento Bee.

Harris is the first woman to be elected San Francisco District Attorney, is the first African American woman and South Asian American woman in California to hold the office, and was named one of “America’s 20 Most Powerful Women” by Newsweek. During her time as San Francisco’s District Attorney she has brought the office’s overall felony conviction rate to its highest point in nearly 15 years and has a long history of commitment to fighting violent crimes such as homicide, robbery, gun violence and child sexual assault.

Kamala Harris is NWPC California’s pick for California Attorney General. To find out more about Kamala Harris, or how you can get involved with her campaign, visit her campaign site.

Beth Krom for Congress

For the first time ever, California’s 48th Congressional District has the chance of electing a strong female candidate. Beth Krom, the former mayor of Irvine (and current council member), has been elected to local office for the past decade and is well respected within the community by both Republicans and Democrats.

Beth has been the top vote getter in Irvine which makes up over 25% of the district. Though there is a Republican registration advantage, President Obama carried this well educated, multi-cultural district in 2008, proving that the right candidate – regardless of Party – wins in this district.

Because her community believes in her, Beth has (six months out) already raised over $150,000 more than any other previous challenger during their entire election cycle. In addition to NWPC California’s endorsement, Beth has received national endorsements from NOW, National Women’s Political Caucus, Women’s Campaign Forum, Planned Parenthood, National Education Association and the Sierra Club. Here in California, she has received the endorsement of California Teachers Association, California Nurses Association, and the California Labor Federation.

To learn more about Beth and why you should be supporting her, visit her campaign website.

Campaign Update: Betty Yee for State Board of Equalization – District 1

Betty Yee was elected to the State Board of Equalization as its First District Member in November 2006 and served for two years prior to that, as the First District’s Acting Member. In her 2006 election she won with 65 percent of the vote.

Betty has been a champion for K-12 education, health care, public safety, the Asian Pacific Islander community, and women. She has a demonstrated commitment to public and community service through youth mentors programs, non-profit health and social service programs, and as a board member for California Women Lead, which supports women seeking elected or appointed office.

Betty has earned the endorsement of many notable organizations. In addition to the endorsement of NWPC California, Yee has also been endorsed by the Women’s Campaign Forum, the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee, California NOW PAC, and most recently, the California Democratic Party, California Young Democrats and the California Federation of Labor, among many others.

Yee’s campaign for re-election has a number of upcoming events throughout California. You can find out more about her campaign, the upcoming events, and how you can support her campaign here.

Betsy Butler Leads Fundraising Race in AD53

Democrat Betsy Butler is continuing to hold a substantial lead in the fundraising race in AD53.  Butler built upon her advantage with an extremely strong showing during the 7/1/09 to 12/31/09 period, raising over $185,000 – far more than any of her opponents.  Four candidates have had to resort to large personal loans in order to remain competitive.