Dean, Andy, John and Krist
As most of you know, I supported Dean Phillips in his presidential run that recently ended. I was glad to support Dean – he is the kind of pragmatic, well-intended, bipartisan 55-year old leader that most Americans actually want.
Dean got 20% of the primary vote in New Hampshire, and it would have been much higher if Independents had participated in the Democratic Primary. That 20% was based on about 10 weeks of campaigning in the state and expenditures of about $6 million. There were enough television commercials in New Hampshire where a majority of voters knew who he was.
This was not the case in South Carolina or nationally. In order to succeed, Dean would need to spend $10 – 12 million in the next contested state, Michigan, to build the same kind of name ID as quickly as possible. Focus groups showed that Dean’s ceiling was quite high in Michigan; over 50% of focus group participants said they’d vote for him. That money never came, and his support plummeted down to the low single-digits. Dean dropped out after Super Tuesday and endorsed Joe Biden, a decision I agree with, as his campaign was past a point where it would have been good for the country. And Dean’s interest has always been to do what he thought was right for the country.
Now the focus turns to primaries around the country and of course the November presidential election. There are candidates around the country that I’m excited about. One is Andy Kim, who is running for U.S. Senator in New Jersey against the corrupt Bob Menendez and the first lady of the state, Tammy Murphy. I’ve known Andy for years and he’s an earnest public servant who is as upright as it gets. Watching the Democratic establishment close ranks against Andy – despite the fact that he’s a sitting member of Congress in excellent standing – has been educational.
I’m also excited about John Avlon, who is running for Congress in Long Island. John is a political reformer at heart who is stepping up to run because he thinks he can make New York’s 1st district competitive. John is an author and journalist who is as patriotic as it gets. He’ll be for reforms like Ranked Choice Voting and would be a prominent voice in Congress for transcending partisanship.
On the Republican side, there are 9 candidates running for Senate in Utah to succeed Mitt Romney. Only 1 of these 9 candidates has not endorsed Donald Trump: Congressman John Curtis, who co-founded a group called Conservative Climate Caucus. Yes, a Republican who believes in combating climate change and has rallied people to that cause. I have the feeling I know which candidate Mitt will be voting for in this race. I’ve met John and he’s a great guy running for the right reasons.
This week on the podcast I interview Krist Novoselic, co-founder of the rockband Nirvana and chair of the Washington Forward Party. Krist and Forward are backing positive local candidates around the country. Krist used to be the chair of the local Democratic Party but became an enormous champion of independent politics years ago as the chair of Fairvote. I was in high school when “Smells Like Teen Spirit” hit the airwaves, so it’s a lot of fun working with a bonafide rockstar like Krist to help make good things happen. “We need something different in our politics, I’ve known that for years.”
Indeed, I think that’s one of the joys of Forward – you can get behind any candidate of any party if you think they will help make good things possible.
Dean Phillips was one such candidate. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I’d be glad to.
To everyone who leant Dean a hand or gave him a look, Thank you!
Click here to check out Andy Kim, John Avlon, John Curtis and your local Forward chapter. Let’s get behind good people who want to make good things happen in any party and build what the country needs.
