Democracy for America backs progressive champion Heather Arnet for PA State Senate District 37
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OCTOBER 21, 2015
Contact: Omer Farooque, [email protected], 262-391-2653
Democracy for America backs progressive champion Heather Arnet for PA State Senate District 37
Burlington, VT -- This morning, the national progressive group Democracy for America announced its endorsement of Heather Arnet in the November special election in Pennsylvania State Senate District 37.
The fully quotable email endorsing Arnet to DFA members in the Pittsburgh area is available below.
Additional statement from Democracy for America chair Jim Dean on today’s announcement, if helpful:
“Heather Arnet has been a relentless warrior in the battle against income inequality in Pennsylvania. When you look at her record of fighting to raise the minimum wage, establishing paid sick leave and demanding equal pay for women, there’s no doubt that she’s the progressive champion Pennsylvanians need in Harrisburg.
“As a community leader, Heather has given a voice to millions of working families in the Keystone State. As a State Senator, she’ll break down every door to ensure they have a seat at the table.” – Jim Dean, Chair, Democracy for America
DFA is a people-powered Political Action Committee with 1 million members nationwide, including 51,582 in Pennsylvania.
Since its 2004 founding, DFA members have raised and contributed more than $32.7 million and made more than 10.1 million volunteer calls to help successfully elect 831 progressive candidates nationwide.
Full email to DFA members:
From: "Jim Dean" <[email protected]>
Subject: PENNSYLVANIA: Heather Arnet for State Senate
DFA Member --
When Republicans control state legislatures, bad things usually happen. Nobody knows that better than Pennsylvania's working families.
For more than 100 days, Pennsylvania has not had an approved budget. Public schools are at risk of closure due to lack of funds -- all because Republicans in the state legislature refuse to raise taxes on the natural gas industry to pay for schools.
It's just the latest example of right-wing extremism in Harrisburg. These same Republicans gerrymandered Pennsylvania's Congressional districts, blocked Medicaid expansion, and pushed through awful laws that restrict the right to vote.
Progressives across America are starting to fight back against right-wing state legislatures. Pennsylvania has an important chance to stop the Republicans in the special election in the 37th State Senate district. DFA is endorsing Heather Arnet in that race because she will be a champion for working families, and will fight the extreme right in the legislature.
Heather Arnet will fight hard for progressive values and against income inequality. She supports a higher minimum wage, and wants paid sick and family leave for workers. She's fought to increase affordable healthcare and for equal pay for women.
Her campaign is all about taking power back from the far right. She wants to fix the state's tax system so that it favors working people, rather than millionaires and billionaires. She will stand up to those who attack women's rights, especially a woman's right to choose. And she'll take on the NRA, working to pass legislation to stop gun violence.
Electing Heather Arnet will also send a message to the extremist Republicans in the state legislature: the voters are fed up with their obstructionism, their favoring of the rich, and their attacks on Pennsylvanians' rights.
Thank you for helping turn Pennsylvania's state legislature blue.
- Jim
Jim Dean, Chair Democracy for America