One List Where Kirsten Gillibrand Is Winning and Kamala Harris Is Tied With Marianne Williamson

[BeyondGeography]

A study of the Democratic presidential contenders says Gillibrand, Warren and O’Rourke have done the most to help build the party by boosting state legislative candidates

Amid the relentless focus on Washington and presidential politics, a liberal political action committee has ranked the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates on something much lower on the political food chain — what they are doing to help Democrats win state legislative seats.

The idea is that rebuilding the party nationally depends on the hard work of winning seats in state legislatures around the country. With that in mind, the two-year-old Future Now Fund, working with the progressive think tank Data for Progress, is trying to apply pressure to the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates by ranking them in terms of who is doing the most to help Democrats win state legislative races.

A ranking released Thursday shows that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former Representative Beto O’Rourke of Texas are currently the most engaged with candidates for state office. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. are also ranked in the top 10. Senator Kamala Harris of California is ranked in the bottom 10, according to the analysis, which has her slightly ahead of Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York and tied with the self-help author Marianne Williamson.

...Future Now Fund and Data for Progress ranked the 2020 Democrats using a point system that assigned different values to a range of actions taken. For instance, candidates earned one point for boosting a state legislator through social media, two points for citing a state legislator or candidate in emails to their national campaign list and three points for appearing in person with a state legislator at a public event. Those points were doubled if a 2020 Democrat showed support for a candidate or lawmaker outside the early-voting states of Iowa or New Hampshire.

The groups started tracking candidates’ activities May 1, and officials say they will release updated rankings each month until the Democrats select a nominee for president.

More at https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/11/us/politics/2020-democrats-future-now-fund.html?searchResultPosition=2

[SouthernProgressive]

1. I know this goes against conventional wisdom, and it's Gillibrands fault that is the case.

But she is more of a team player than anyone gives her credit for.

Harris is tied with Williamson in this area. Didn't expect that. Makes DeBlasio look like real shit.

[BeyondGeography]

2. That last bit

is never difficult.

[peggysue2]

3. Interesting angle

Important one, too. Gillibrand and the other top-ranked candidates should be given some solid credit here.