Draft

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a political-action committee based in Washington, D.C., is leading an active “draft Schweitzer” movement, rounding up money and supporters. The group’s co-founder, Adam Green, visited with Schweitzer in Montana in May, and the group is buying Internet ads in Montana saying “Draft Brian Schweitzer for Senate!” So far, PCCC has raised $29,000 dedicated to helping the Schweitzer Senate campaign, signed up 415 people who say they’ll work as volunteers on the campaign and had nearly 18,300 people sign an on-line petition urging Schweitzer to run.

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee launched a “Draft Brian Schweitzer for Senate” campaign just hours after Baucus announced he would step down at the end of his sixth term in early 2015. The group has already raised more than $18,700, spokesman Matt Wall told BuzzFeed, with a pitch that asks progressives to replace the “Senator from K Street” with Schweitzer, whom they call a “bold progressive populist.”

Within hours of an announcement that Montana Senior Senator Max Baucus would be retiring in 2014, political action committees have already been raising money to welcome Brian Schweitzer into the race. The Political Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) has a website devoted to Schweitzer, in which it describes the former Montana Governor as “a bold progressive populist who supports single-payer health care and lists Paul Wellstone as one of his icons.”

A group of progressives is already trying to draft a replacement for retiring Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). The Progressive Change Campaign Committee, in an email to members on Tuesday, attempted to line up backers for Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine)

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee has started an online poll asking NC’ians what they think regarding a run by Rep. Brad Miller (D-13) for Governor.

Shortly after Miller’s announcement, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee sent an email to all of its members in North Carolina asking them if Miller should run for governor, while highlighting his congressional efforts to protect consumers from banking abuses. So far, over 97 percent of respondents have urged Miller to run for governor, according to PCCC spokesman Neil Sroka.

“Brad Miller authored the bill in Congress that would break up the big Wall Street banks and prevent future bailouts,” the PCCC email to members reads. “He also fought to make it easier for North Carolinians to ‘move our money’ from big banks that gamble away our money to smaller community banks.”

Draft Warren organizers in Northampton hosted a house party for Elizabeth Warren and over 200 Warren supporters. Organizers said her appearance at the home of Margaret Lucey and William Noel on Bridge Road drew a crowd who spilled out onto the lawn in front of the home.