In 2006, PowerPAC began working on candidate campaigns that we believed would further our goal of increasing voter participation and turnout among our targeted communities of young people and people of color. The California work is based on demographic research PowerPAC conducted (link to research below). Below is a summary of past and current campaigns:
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Tracking Arnold: PowerPAC organized a team of video bloggers to track the statements of our elected Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who was running for re-election in 2006, around relevant public issues including the budget, immigration, environment and race. View the video blog here.
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San Bernardino City Council Special Election: PowerPAC supported Gwen Terry for a seat on the San Bernardino City Council in the fourth District after it was unexpectedly vacated in 2006. The race was significant because the city Council was split between conservative and progressive members. San Bernardino is one of the state's fastest-growing cities and is a flashpoint for many important and state issues such as a draconian anti-immigrant initiative that was proposed in earlier that year.
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Westminster School Board: In 2006 two community education activists, Lupe Fisher and Frank Tran, we're running to unseat incumbent's on the Westminster school board in Orange county who were involved in the firing of Superintendent Kim Oanh Nguyen-Lam, just one week after she was hired to lead the district. The firing was considered to be unfair and racially motivated by a broad cross-section of the community and Westminster. PowerPAC supported the effort to to elect Fisher and Tran.
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San Bernardino City Clerk: In 2007, PowerPAC supported the campaign of San Bernardino City Clerk Rachel Clark, who was being challenged by Joseph Turner, an ardent anti-immigrant activist.
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San Bernardino City Council: In 2007, PowerPAC supported the City Council campaigns of Carolyn Tillman and Rikke Van Johnson, who shared common values of community building, with attention focused on safety, modernization, and respectful governance.
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Barack Obama: Barack Obama's campaign for president of the United States in 2008 is historic in many ways, including the potential order bringing millions of new voters into the political process. PowerPAC supports Obama as a candidate of conscience, and because his exciting candidacy and message furthers our goal of increasing voter participation in California and across the country.
Obama eloquently represents a voice of progressive change, uniting people of all races - but especially the African American community - around new economic and social policies that challenge the status quo and provide real opportunity for justice and prosperity for all our people. As momentum builds going into Super Tuesday primaries, PowerPAC will independently support Obama through media and grass-roots efforts to increase voter participation in several Feb. 5 states, including California, targeting African-American and young voters.
PowerPAC is working to identify other strategic candidate campaigns for 2008 in our targeted regions throughout California, including San Bernardino County, Orange County, San Diego County, Contra Costa County, and Alameda County. We may also support candidates in other parts of the country in 2008.
