Fighting for Equal Representation
Washington, D.C. – Today, as Former Kentucky State Representative Charles Booker launched his 2022 bid for the U.S. Senate, six major national progressive organizations announced their joint endorsement in his bid to become the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate to take on and defeat Rand Paul. The organizations — The Collective PAC, Democracy for America PAC, Black Male Voter Project, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Sunrise Movement and Working Families Party — represent a combined tens of millions of members and are some of the leading groups working to elect a new class of progressive candidates from the local to national level.
“The Collective PAC is thrilled to endorse Charles Booker for the U.S. Senate in Kentucky. He is a proven leader who has effectively served in the Kentucky House of Representatives and fought for racial justice, stronger labor unions and gun safety reform,” said Co-founders Quentin James and Stefanie Brown James. “The Collective PAC was proud to support Charles during his bid for the Senate in 2020 and we’re confident that he can flip this seat from red to blue with his common sense policy approach designed to benefit all Kentuckians from the ‘hood to the holler’. The Collective PAC looks forward to helping Charles Booker make history as the first Black Senator from Kentucky.”
“Charles Booker shook the establishment to its core last year and sparked a progressive movement for the people of the Bluegrass State. This year, his campaign is picking up on that momentum to deliver a win for democracy in a matchup against antidemocratic, Trump supporting Rand Paul. DFA couldn’t be more thrilled to be backing him on day one of his campaign,” said Democracy for America CEO, Yvette Simpson.”
“The amount of support from local and national organizations is a testament to the work that Charles Booker has done. Last year Black Male Voter Project engaged every Black man—that’s registered to vote in Kentucky—because of Booker’s commitment to progressive issues. We are at a point that’s beyond stand still and requires a complete abandonment of the status quo, Charles Booker is that for Kentucky and for that reason Black Male Voter Project is excited to endorse Booker in his effort to defeat Rand Paul,” said Mondale Robinson Founder and Principal of Black Male Voter Project.
“The Progressive Change Campaign Committee is proud to endorse Charles Booker for Senate. Booker is a bold progressive who wants a ‘Kentucky Green New Deal’ to stop climate change and create jobs. As a diabetic, he wants expanded health care. Booker is the one candidate in Kentucky who could defeat Republican Senator Rand Paul in 2022 and help expand the Democratic majority,” said Caitlin Lang, Progressive Change Campaign Committee spokesperson.
“We stood with Charles out the gate in 2020 because we saw that Kentuckians were ready for change, and that’s why our local hubs and our national movement is standing with Charles on Day 1 as he takes on Rand Paul as well,” said Evan Weber, Sunrise Movement co-founder and Political Director. “Charles’ vision for a Kentucky New Deal, ending generational poverty, and combatting structural racism can unite Kentuckians from the hood to the holler, expand Democrats’ Senate majority, and transform American politics forever.”
“Charles is a powerful progressive champion in the fight for racial justice and against climate change, and he has a proven ability to connect with voters and spark grassroots energy,” said Maurice Mitchell, the national director of the Working Families Party. “We are excited to join Charles’ people-powered campaign to unseat Trumpist Senator Rand Paul and to fight alongside him for a future where all Kentuckians can thrive.”
ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE PAC
The Collective PAC is working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. The Collective PAC is strategically focused on creating a truly equitable democracy where our nation’s local, state and federal governments have diverse and talented elected leadership and Black people are fully represented in positions of power to create the policies necessary to progress our communities forward.
ABOUT DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA
Democracy for America is a member-driven, people-powered progressive PAC with a one-million strong community taking on many progressive issues, including voting rights, healthcare, income inequality, money in politics, and structural racism. Since the organization’s founding in 2004, DFA members have contributed over $70 million and made more than 33 million voter contacts to elect over 1,000 progressive candidates up-and-down the ballot, all across the country. For more information about Democracy for America, please visit DemocracyForAmerica.com
ABOUT THE BLACK MALE VOTER PROJECT
Black Male Voter Project is the nation’s first and only organization with the sole purpose of increasing Black men’s participation in electoral politics, utilizing programs that are data advised, but cultural competency and behavioral psychology based.
ABOUT THE WORKING FAMILIES PARTY
The Working Families Party is a progressive grassroots political party building a multiracial, multigenerational, and feminist movement of working people to transform America. In 2020, the Working Families Party waged a $2.5 million voter mobilization effort in Georgia to elect Raphael Warnock to the U.S. Senate. The WFP helped elect progressive champions Jamaal Bowman and Mondaire Jones in heavily-contested Congressional races, and drove a wave of victories for progressives in state legislative races in Rhode Island, New Mexico, Delaware, and New York.
ABOUT THE PROGRESSIVE CHANGE CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE
The PCCC is a close ally of Senator Elizabeth Warren and raised $700,000 in the Georgia Senate run-offs for the two candidates and local groups on the ground, as well as over $34.9 million for progressive candidates and committees in the last decade. The PCCC has been fundraising for Booker’s exploratory committee since April. Thousands of PCCC members donated to Booker’s campaign in 2020.
ABOUT THE SUNRISE MOVEMENT
The Sunrise Movement is a youth movement to stop climate change and create millions of good jobs in the process through a Green New Deal. We unite to make climate change an urgent priority across America, end the corrupting influence of fossil fuel executives on our politics, and elect leaders who stand up for the health and wellbeing of all people. With 500 chapters across the country, we are the major organized climate movement in electoral politics and played major roles in the election campaigns of candidates like Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Senator Ed Markey, and the election of President Biden. Most recently, the Sunrise Movement contributed to delivering the Democratic Senate Majority by mobilizing 1 million calls, 1 million texts and registering and turning out thousands of young people in Georgia in the runoffs.