I spend as much time as I can find building the Courage Campaign, a 750,000-member organization dedicated to building a progressive California and to bringing full equality to Americans nationwide. We focus on issues because elected officials can do only so much. And often they disappoint.

Our members determine the areas in which we act. Often times, we win; other times, we keep on fighting. In the course of my work as Chairman of Howard Dean’s presidential campaign in California, in building Courage and with charitable organizations such as Liberty Hill Foundation, I have seen repeateldy that America wins when political leaders stand up for principles. It’s okay to bend a bit to get something done; but to compromise so completely as to void recognition as a “political necessity” leads to disaster. Too few of our leaders understand and/or live by such principles.

Over the past eight years, I have worked closely with Debra Bowen. Time and again, she has stuck to her principles and accomplished heroic deeds. While she was a state senator, we collaborated on initiative reform, a dry and perhaps procedural matter but one which put us in our current mess. Debra understood clearly that the people want and deserve a voice in government, but the initiative process, originally designed to thwart large corporate and moneyed interests, has been turned on its head. She tried to make changes even though it was tough sledding. There's no reform constituency. Debra would not get campaign money from insiders or oil companies for doing the people's business. She just did the work.

As Secretary of State, Debra operated under the principle that democracy thrives when people participate; it collapses when they do not. Therefore, Debra determined to build trust in our state’s voting regime. Palm Beach and butterfly ballots of 2000 or Ohio of 2004 may seem ancient history, but when Debra took office as Secretary of State, many did not trust the vote counting system. As a result, some felt that voting was not worth their while. Debra focused completely on rebuilding that trust by holding public meetings about electronic voting machines, engaging the skeptical public. She banned the use of certain types of machines much to the chagrin of some country registrars. But she showed people that they could trust the system, which improved the level of participation.

Debra is honest. She cares. She works for the people, not for herself or her self-interest. She listens, but she decides. And if she does not agree with you, she’ll tell you. When Debra goes to Congress, I’ll know that she’ll learn, think, consult her conscience and then stick to her principles. She'll never look to the consultant class to tell her how to vote. And she'll never put her political career ahead of her constitutional responsibility. If you want a member of Congress who cares only about her constituents and our country, Debra is the one. 

(My endorsement is my own and in no way reflects the views of the Courage Campaign which does not endorse candidates.)