As a San Franciscan, I am thrilled that ActBlue has now entered the municipal races in San Francisco, along with Cleveland, Boston, and Cook County, IL.  I’ve always been an ActBlue evangelizer, and everywhere I go in San Francisco I am asked how local candidates can work with ActBlue.  And up until this point, I’ve always had to say, sorry, but no.

But, with today’s announcement of a new pilot program, all that changes.  I will personally be notifying several friends that are running for Board of Supervisors and other races in the City. Hopefully, this pilot will eventually be expanded across the state and nation.

If you are a local candidate in San Francisco, you can sign up your campaign at the ActBlue Setup Site.  And since this is for San Francisco, if you are thinking of signing up, there is a good chance that I know you.  Give me a shout if I can help.

If you haven’t used ActBlue before, you will be pleasantly suprised at the power of the toolset. It allows you to not only simplify reporting, but also to empower your supporters to help raise money for the campaign. ActBlue has enabled netroots and grassroots activists to collectively donate over $50 million between 2004 and June 2008. The numbers have only climbed since.

With the constant pressure to nurture new leaders under our ridiculously short term limits law, it is critical to build a strong bench through local elections.  This pilot is an exceptional opportunity to do just that.