21st Century Democrats
{{Short description|American political organization}}
{{use mdy dates|date=June 2013}}
{{Infobox organization
|name = 21st Century Democrats
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|formation = 1986
|dissolved = 2023
|type = Political action committee
|headquarters = Washington, D.C.
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|language =
|key_people = Tom Harkin, Jim Hightower, Lane Evans, founders
|num_staff =
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}}
21st Century Democrats was an American political organization founded by Senator Tom Harkin, commentator Jim Hightower and Congressman Lane Evans to help elect "progressive candidates” until its termination 2023.{{cite web |url=https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?_202305190300182419+0 |title=TERMINATION REPORT |last=Beckman |first=Michael |date=May 19, 2023 |agency=Federal Elections Commission |location=Washington, DC |access-date=February 20, 2024}}
Background
21st Century Democrats started out relatively small, surpassing $1 million in contributions for the first time in the 1996 election cycle.{{Cite news|last=Attlesey |first =Sam |last2=Stahl |first2=Lori |title=New Group Seeks to Re-Focus Democratic Message |newspaper=Dallas Morning News |date=January 23, 1996 |url =http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3D675C2AB2952&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM}} By the 2004 election cycle, according to the Political Money Line, it was the 13th largest political action committee (PAC) in the United States, raising nearly $7M. Among progressive ideological PACs, it ranked fourth behind America Coming Together, EMILY's List, and MoveOn.org. However, since 2004 its contributions gradually fell, to under $2.2M in 2010 and under $1.2M in 2014.{{cite web|url=https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00230342|title=21st Century Democrats Summary - OpenSecrets|website=www.opensecrets.org|accessdate=March 23, 2018}}
Unlike traditional PACs, 21st Century Democrats focused on recruiting, training, and hiring field organizers to organize grassroots campaigns on behalf of candidates for local offices, statewide office, and even targeted presidential swing states.{{Cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/politics/joegarofoli/article/Attention-overwhelms-tiny-slice-of-swing-state-2723400.php |title=Attention overwhelms tiny slice of swing state |last=Garofoli |first=Joe |date=September 22, 2004 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |accessdate=December 22, 2008}} The group had ties to Democracy for America, which grew out of Howard Dean's presidential campaign.{{Cite web |title=About us |publisher=Democracy for America |year=2008 |url=http://democracyforamerica.com/about |accessdate=December 22, 2008| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20081222031327/http://www.democracyforamerica.com/about| archivedate= December 22, 2008 | url-status= live}}
Partner organizations
In 2009, 21st Century Democrats joined Service Employees International Union, MoveOn.org, and Daily Kos in a new effort called Accountability Now PAC. This new political action committee promised to use party primaries to challenge Democratic incumbents that PAC members do not support.{{Cite news | url=https://www.usnews.com/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2009/2/27/progressive-accountability-now-pac-will-target-wayward-democrats-in-primaries.html | title=Progressive Accountability Now PAC Will Target Wayward Democrats in Primaries | author=Robert Schlesinger | date=February 27, 2009 | work=U.S. News & World Report | format=Article | accessdate=March 11, 2009 | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302083308/http://www.usnews.com/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2009/2/27/progressive-accountability-now-pac-will-target-wayward-democrats-in-primaries.html | archivedate=March 2, 2009 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}
See also
{{Commons|Goldman v. Twenty-First Century Democrats, et al.}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{official|http://www.21stcenturydems.org}}
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Category:United States political action committees
Category:Democratic Party (United States) organizations
Category:Political organizations established in 1986
Category:Defunct progressive organizations in the United States