Out yonder in Brooklyn there is a man by the name of Kevin Powell (yes, The Real World's Kevin Powell) that is running for Congress in the 10th District. Currently Ed Towns holds the seat and has done so for 25 years. Now his time doesn't make him worthy of a challenge, it is his actions and positions that do so. Getting rebuked by the party leadership, beholden to special interests and voting against working families definitely warrants the challenge.
Of course running against an incumbent in your own party is a tall order, especially in New York. However, there is a certain man at the top of the ticket that might just give Powell a boost he needs that Charles Barron did not two years ago. Barron almost took Towns out, but Powell could actually do it. Powell has the support of the Obama community and when you look at the voter stats, Obama won this district.
From The Daily Politics:
Towns, like the rest of the New York delegation, endorsed Hillary Clinton.
Last week, he and the two other New York House members whose districts Obama won - Greg Meeks and Yvette Clarke - were the first members of the state's congressional delegation to dump Clinton, announcing their endorsements of Obama even before it was clear Clinton would definitely quit the race.
On Tuesday, Obama bundler Arthur Leopold, who is helping Powell raise money, forwarded the following fund-raising appeal:
"Dear Friends,
I would like for you to join me in congratulating Representative Towns on his decision to finally support Senator Barack Obama in his run for the presidency. He waited until one day before Hillary Clinton withdrew. It's about time. This is a decision that the residents of his district already made many months ago.As you know, the 10th Congressional District in Brooklyn overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama in February’s Democratic primary. Towns’ response? He continued to call for Hillary Clinton to be the next President of the United States; completely disregarding the call for change from his constituents. Maybe that’s why 53% of the district voted AGAINST Representative Towns in the 2006 primary.
I have always supported Barack Obama and his platform and we need to move onto a new generation of leadership in Brooklyn in tune with the people. We need a Representative who shares Barack Obama's and the District's ideas and ideals and Barack’s call for real change. As I run, I pledge, like Senator Obama, not to take any money from federal lobbyists, PACs, or special interests.
Together we can make this campaign a success.
An unprecedented 65% of Rep Towns’ campaign funds come from PACs or lobbyists – those same lobbyists who have diminished the political voice of the average citizen. You can stand up to the PACs and lobbyists corrupting Washington by showing your support and contributing $10, $25 or $100.
(Snip)
Thank you for your continued help and support.
Sincerely,
Kevin
And, as Azi reports, Powell is opening up a campaign office that he will be sharing with Brooklyn for Barack, a grassroots group that helped the senator carry the 10th CD on Super Duper Tuesday.
The conventional wisdom says Towns wins his primary for the 14th time in a row and on to victory in this very blue district. Towns expects to go back to his usual business in D.C. next year without much of a fight. But this year is a change election and it is quite possible that Brooklyn can replace Towns with a better, more progressive representative.
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