Please click here to make an end-of-the-year donation to the Organic Consumers Fund.
Early in 2008, the Organic Consumers Fund launched the Grassroots Netroots Alliance project to identify true grassroots candidates and elected officials who could inspire the Change in America that we so desperately needed. We compiled a survey that covered all of the important issues (war, climate change, health, the economy and the state of our democracy), while still emphasizing our core passion, organic food and farming, by putting organic agriculture at the center of questions on climate change, food safety, health, and job creation. We launched a Web site that connected voters with their local, state and federal politicians so they could urge them to respond to the GNA survey.
Hundreds of politicians responded to the survey and earned our support with their thoughtful answers. Many of these GNA candidates (see list below) will be beginning legislative sessions in 2009 by introducing legislation to further the causes of peace, justice, health, democracy and sustainability. We’ll be tracking their progress and creating action alerts on particularly innovative legislation they introduce. We’ll also be working with the GNA candidates who fought the good fight but lost their races, as they continue to press for change in their communities.
2009 Races: It’s time to start revising the GNA survey for 2009 state legislative races in Virginia and New Jersey, and the many local elections for mayor and local legislature that are held in “off-years.” Please submit your edits in the GNA survey Writeboard (password: phoebe).
GNA “true grassroots” candidates who won their races:
Berta Gardner, Alaska House District 24
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports strict organic standards and consumers’ right to know whether their food contains ingredients that have been genetically engineered, cloned, irradiated or produced through the use of nanotechnology, as well as mandatory labeling for the country of origin of foods.
Bill Monning, California State Assembly District 27
Survey Response Highlights:
Monning got a 100% score on the GNA survey and won his three-way race with 70% of the vote!
Wilmer Amina Carter, California State Assembly District 62
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports the conversion of 20% of U.S. farmland to energy-efficient and carbon-sequestering organic farming by 2020 and 50% by 2040, with at least 5-10% of the USDAs annual $90 billion budget immediately being targeted to rebuild local food systems and help farmers make the transition to organic.
Jyl Lutes, Salinas, CA, City Council District 6
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports the creation of five million new “Green Collar” jobs, with a special emphasis on training and providing jobs for inner-city youth and veterans, to retrofit the nation’s homes and buildings and conserve 20% of our energy use by 2015.
Jeanne Labuda, Colorado State House District 1
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports the Employee Free Choice Act, which would guarantee that when the majority of workers in a corporation, an industrial farm, or a sizeable workplace sign union cards, the employer would be required to enter into a collective bargaining process with the workers.
Claire Levy, Colorado State House District 13
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports a conversion to clean energy and the implementation of major energy conservation measures to reduce climate pollution 90% by 2050.
Georgia State Representative District 85
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports the full restoration of our Constitutional liberties, including an end to warrantless wiretapping and an immediate repeal of the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, and the Detainee Treatment Act.
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports a law requiring to get at least 50 miles to the gallon by 2020 and a moratorium on all new coal and nuclear plants.
Danny K. Davis, US Representative, Illinois District 7
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports a cost-efficient, publicly-funded, universal health care program with a preventive focus, a major emphasis on better nutrition, physical exercise, stress reduction, reduced exposure to toxins, and the use of complementary and natural medicine.
Mike Bolan, Illinois State Representative District 71
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports progressive tax policies that create fairness for low-income communities and the middle class, including an increase in earned income tax credits for the poor.
Lawrence Bliss, Maine State Senate District 7
Survey Response Highlights:
Endorses the “precautionary principle” as a foundation for public health, environmental, and consumer safety legislation.
John Hinck, Maine State House District 118
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports “Health Freedom” the right of consumers to choose the type of health care they want and the right of practitioners to practice freely within the scope of their licensure.
Joan Welsh, Maine House District 46
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports legislation that would protect the first amendment right to cite scientific information on the benefits of organic and natural foods and dietary supplements.
David Bly
, Minnesota State Representative District 25B
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports free television and radio broadcasts for local, state and federal candidates.
Carlos Mariani, Minnesota State Representative District 65B
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports immigration reform, to give the nation’s 12 million undocumented immigrants a path to legal status.
Bill Hilty,
Minnesota State Representative District 8A
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports Instant Runoff Voting in local, state and federal elections, and a national popular vote for president.
Franke Wilmer, Montana State House of Representatives District 64
Survey Response Highlights
:
Scored 100%.
Carlos Cisneros, New Mexico State Senator District 6
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports a full release of all evidence, and a new, truly independent investigation of all the events of September 11, 2001.
Ellie Kinnaird, North Carolina State Senate District 23
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports the dismantling of all U.S. military bases in the Middle East.
Susan Fisher, North Carolina State House of Representatives District 114
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports increased funding for public broadcasting and a public trust to support independent documentary films and noncommercial news programming.
James Roebuck, Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 188
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports legislation to prevent Internet companies from rigging the system to serve only the highest-paying users and discriminate against users they don’t like.
Joseph Preston, Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 24
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports personal privacy, the right to choose, and universal access to comprehensive reproductive health care.
Charles Levesque,
Rhode Island State Senate District 11
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports civil rights, equal opportunity and affirmative action, including same-sex marriage, laws against gender discrimination and profiling by race or national origin, reparations for slavery and the right to dissent.
Amy Rice, Rhode Island State Representative District 2
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports the 12-Step Program to Save US Democracy.
Donald Lally
, Rhode Island State Representative District 33
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports Bill of Rights Defense Committee Resolutions.
Raymond Gallison,
Rhode Island State Representative District 69
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports greenhouse gas emissions reductions. “The Brayton Point Power is one of the ‘Filthy Five’ in our area that needs immediate cleanup of their emissions.”
Kevin Bryant, South Carolina State Representative District 3
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports legislation that would protect the first amendment right to cite scientific information on the benefits of organic and natural foods and dietary supplements.
Joe Armstrong, Tennessee State Representative District 5
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports Impeachment Resolutions, says causes for “impeachment … start with Iraq, Katrina.”
Dawnna Dukes, Texas State Representative District 46
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports a law requiring American cars to get at least 50 miles to the gallon by 2020 and a moratorium on all new coal and nuclear plants.
Mike Mrowicki, Vermont State Representative, Windham
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports action on climate change and notes, “Vermont just passed the most comprehensive energy law in the nation, which among others things fosters a green economy in our state.”
Rosemary McAuliff
, Washington State Senator District 1
Survey Response Highlights
:
Supports access to healthcare through a universal healthcare system and voted for “Safe Toys” in Washington State.
Current GNA “true grassroots” officeholders who were not running in the 2008 election:
Trish Groe, Arizona State Representative District 3
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports a ban on unsustainable logging on
Morgan Carroll, Colorado State House District 13
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports Bring the Money Home Now Resolutions and an immediate transfer of 50% of
Evan Jenne, Florida State House District 100
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports transferring $40 billion in annual subsidies from fossil fuels to clean energy sources.
Jim Lewis, Indiana State Senator District 45
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports legislation either legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana, and a new drug policy that institutionalizes “harm reduction” rather than incarceration.
Elizabeth Bobo, Maryland State Delegate District 12B
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports the current articles of impeachment in the U.S.Congress charging President George Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney with high crimes and misdemeanors for illegally provoking the war in
Kathleen Dumais, Maryland State Delegate District 15
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports full public funding for all federal, state, and local elections, and a ban on paid political advertising in the media.
Samuel Rosenberg, Maryland State Delegate District 41
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports strengthening media ownership regulations, creating incentives to encourage local and minority ownership, and reinstituting the fairness doctrine.
Kevin Dahle, Minnesota State Senate District 25
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports state-level Iraq Peace Resolutions.
Linda Berglin, Minnesota State Senate District 61
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports state-level No War with Iran Resolutions.
Debbie Regala
, Washington State Senator District 27
Survey Response Highlights:
Says, “Since the beginning of the War in Iraq, I have had a sign on my office door: Nonviolent resolutions are never the wrong strategy. War does not ensure peace or security.”
Jeannie Darneille, Washington State Representative District 27
Survey Response Highlights:
Supports the conversion of 20% of U.S. farmland to energy-efficient and carbon-sequestering organic farming by 2020 and 50% by 2040, with at least 5-10% of the USDAs annual $90 billion budget immediately being targeted to rebuild local food systems and help farmers make the transition to organic.
Thanks for making 2008 great
!
Alexis
Alexis Baden-Mayer
Grassroots Netroots
Emily Richardson, working the polls with the
Organic Consumers Fund PAC on election day, urges voters to help Obama
“beet” McCain.