The GOP had high hopes of taking back the Senate and defeating President Obama in this election. But it's quickly becoming clear that they overestimated their candidates -- and underestimated the American public. Voters nationwide recognize just how out of touch conservative politicians are with the issues that matter to the middle class, and dozens of polls over the last weeks show them rallying around candidates dedicated to making sure the GOP's hopes don't become America's reality.
Republican contenders for the Senate in North Dakota, Montana, New Mexico, and Hawaii continue to disappoint conservative strategists at the polls, and Republicans are trailing their opponents in key swing states like Ohio and Florida. Meanwhile in Missouri, Rep. Todd Akin is still clinging to the pieces of his floundering Senate campaign along with his grossly outdated and ill-informed ideas about women. The latest battleground polling also shows the president leading in the key swing states of Colorado, Ohio, Virginia, and Florida. Coming out of the party conventions, the door is open for Democratic gains in states across the country.
But more than just Democratic victories, this election offers big opportunities for true progressives who have shown a commitment to rebuilding the American Dream.
MoveOn members are hard at work to ensure victory for progressive leaders like Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren, Mazie Hirono, Tammy Baldwin, and Chris Murphy -- bold candidates who are willing to roll up their sleeves and help build an economy that works for everyone again. MoveOn members have already donated well more than $1 million to progressive candidates and will donatemuch more before Election Day. They're volunteering their time and energy spreading the word to their friends and neighbors about the changes we will see if we have visionary new leaders in Congress. And they're providing the grassroots muscle that we'll need to stop Republicans from implementing their radical vision.
MoveOn is also endorsing progressive leaders in House races across the country -- candidates who will take the fight for the middle class to Washington, DC. Candidates with a demonstrated commitment to the issues that matter to voters nationwide, from creating good jobs to safeguarding every woman's right to make her own healthcare decisions.
The candidates who've earned MoveOn members' support this cycle are the most dedicated fighters for the 99%. Because if we send these true progressives to the Senate, and give the President a second term, working families across the country will have the security of knowing they have leaders who care more about improving thelives of their constituents than about giving tax breaks and other perks to corporate special interests.
MoveOn's endorsed candidates understand that America's strong middle class isn't an accident of history -- that progressive policies made it possible for anyone who worked hard and played by the rules to make a decent living and provide a better future for their kids. They believe that, if we work together, we can build a stronger, more durable middle class for the twenty-first century. That's why MoveOn members endorsed them, and that's why it's so important that they win on Election Day.
We know conservative candidates and right-wing Super PACs will vastly outspend our candidates this election cycle, but we also know that grassroots activism by everyday voters can win out over special interest spending. And the contributions of hundreds of thousands of MoveOn members, which average just $23, when added together can help make a difference.
Voters deserve strong, progressive representatives who will fight for the 99%, not insult hard-working Americans and call them victims. From now until Election Day, MoveOn and our millions of members nationwide will be hard at work to make sure that's exactly what they get.