Atlas Forum Primaries 2: Thread now closed

[Devilman88]

Gov. Clay Cooper

Clay Cooper is the Governor of the great state of North Carolina. Winning his first term back in 2004 and was reelected in 2008. Cooper is the first Republican to win the Governor's Mansion in many years. Since becoming Governor he help lower the taxes in the state of North Carolina, and help bring millions of job to the state of North Carolina, because of his low business tax he was able to pass in the State Congress. Cooper is a moderate on socail issues, pushing for equal pay for all, civil unions for Same-Sex Couples, and help pass the Pro-Life bill in the North Carolina Congress. The Pro-Life bill help reduce abortions by 20% by giving women more options other then aborting the child. Also, the Pro-Life bill banned the Death Penalty.

[Andy Jackson]

Wyatt Williams, former Congressman of the New Hampshire 2nd Congressional District and current Junior Senator has begun his push for the Republican Nomination. During his tenure as a Representative and Senator, Williams has acquired the ire of conservatives with his maverick stances compared to the national GOP. Being pro-choice, supportive of civil unions and also for stem cell research, Williams only link to the majority Conservative Republicans are his center right economic policies. Senator Williams hopes to use his run to return the GOP to "the peaceful standards and moderate policies of Rockefeller Republicanism" and to bring about one thing, "Change".

[Shilly]

In his twelve years as United States Senator from Montana, Oliver Osborne has made a name for himself as an advocate for wind and solar energy as well as individual liberties. He is a strong supporter of gun rights and a leading opponent of surveillance and wire-tapping programs that infringe on citizens' privacy. His roots as a farmer in eastern Montana have given him an understanding of the challenges our country faces in finding natural resources to power our industry and agriculture. Osborne's populist demeanor has made him very popular among his constituents and a force in the halls of Congress.

[Vepres]

Gov. Pamela Pickering

Pamela Pickering, former representative of Colorado's 2nd congressional district (the only Republican to do so in modern times) and current 7-year governor of Colorado, has certainly made a name for herself in her 13 years of public service. She grew up in the Bronx (and has a strong Bronx accent), and attended CU, after which she settled in Boulder, CO. While in congress she advocated for smart multilateral foreign policy and balanced budgets. Her fiercest rhetoric came when she was opposing violations of privacy or civil rights. As Governor she pushed for smart deregulation of the private sector and advocated for limited smart regulation, cleaned up any and all corruption, and achieved a budget surplus in her 5th and 6th years as Governor.  Most recently she has successfully made significant cuts to the state business tax, which caused a slight economic boom in the state. She is often very frank and energetic, but this has a certain appeal to many disillusioned voters.

[Big DaddyTX]

Sen. Kevin Kessler

  Sen. Kevin Kessler has spent a life time in MN politics. He spent three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives serving from the 1st Congressional District. After his promise to only serve three terms, he was elected Governor with 51 percent of the vote, and re-elected with 58% of the vote four years later. After six years as Governor, he ran for the U.S. Senate, winning with 60% of the vote in this traditional Democrat state. During his time in the House, Governors office, and Senate he has maintained a moderate stance. He has balanced the budget while serving as Governor, even while giving tax cuts across the board. Kessler has supported gun ownership rights, and also has a strong pro-choice stance.

[Senator Ben]

Gillespie Goldsmith

Gillespie Goldsmith made a name for himself as the Bienville Parish Prosecutor from 1976 until 1984, when he was known for his tough on crime approach.  He served in the House of Representatives from Louisiana's 4th Congressional District from 1985 until 1992, where he was known for supporting a single payer universal health care program, generous government benefits, labor unions throughout the country, and fair trade policies.  In 1992, he was elected Governor of Louisiana, serving one term.  During that term, he balanced the budget, and brought major job growth to Louisiana.  In 1996, he was elected to the United States Senate, where he continued to vote liberally on domestic policy, and more moderate on cultural issues.  He opposed both the impeachment and censure of President Clinton in 1999, voted for both the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, opposed CAFTA, and has supported giving subsidies to farmers.

He endorsed Al Gore for President in 1988 and 2000, Bill Clinton in 1992, Wesley Clark in 2004, and John Edwards in 2008.

[Jayhawker]

Helen Hudson

Helen Hudson is the current Governor of Arkansas at age 44. After being elected to Congress at 28, Hudson became known to be a populist hero, favoring government control. After 6 years in Congress, Helen ran for run for Governor, and won with 56% of the vote. Since Arkansas no longer has term limits, Helen is currently serving her 3rd term.  In her last election, she ran unopposed. Helen is the mother of four children, with the fourth one having Cerebral Palsy. She has become the national spokesperson for United Cerebral Palsy, which is a group dedicated to fighting for families with a child with Cerebral Palsy. Just recently TIME magazine awarded her as Governor of the Year for bringing down unemployment by 4% and raising funds for education.
Helen endorsed Mitt Romney in 2008, a suprise to many, since she chose him over state native Mike Huckabee.

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I'll join as a Republican and take Steve Spencer of South Dakota.

[Joe Republic]

I'll join as a Republican and take Steve Spencer of South Dakota.

No problem.  Now hurry up and prepare yourself for the endorsement round, which officially begins in a few short hours. 

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Gov. Steve Spencer started his career not in politics but as a successfull small business owner and manager in Pierre, SD where he was born and raised. Prior to that he had served in the Army and then managed several businesses in the area after graduating from the Univeristy of South Dakota in 1969.  He bought one restaurant when it was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1982. In 1991 he sold it with over 5 locations for $15 million after succesfully turning it around.  In 1992 he ran as a dark horse candidate for the States at-large Congressional seat and he pledge to only spend $5,000 in the primary. To everyone's surprise he defeated 15 other candidates including a former Governor and a state House Speaker. Then went on to win the General election 58-41 beating out yet another former Governor. He served for 4 years winning reelection 72%-28% in 1994. In the house he gained a reputation as a reformer, a fiscal conservative and a strong support of Pro-Life causes. He vote for Welfare Reform, Term Limits, a balanced budget amendment, and against Clinton's 1993 budget.  In 1996 He ran for the Senate and won 51-49.  He became an even more vocal critic of Clinton in the Senate going on to vote for his impeachment. He also voted for DOMA and the ban on partial birth abortion. In 2002 he left the Senate after one term and ran for Governor wining 54-46. In his term as Governor he began to criticize the Presidency of George W. Bush for some of its policies such as NCLB, Medicare Part D, the Patriot Act, going into the Iraq War(In 2007 he told reporters that he was pleased with the surge and thought the President had finally wised up in regards to the situation) , out of control spending, and later Immigration. He achieved a balanced budget in his second year in office, faught corruption, cut taxes and strengthened the state economy, and made significant gains in education. In 2006 he won reelection 64-36. In 2008 he did not endorse any particular candidates but hinted strong support for both Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson. After the primaries he publically endorsed McCain but did no compaigning and it was clear he wasn't enthusiatic about McCain at all. He is also a strong supporter of Gun Rights, the military, and lower taxes while he opposes abortion, Gay Marriage, amnesty, and big government.

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

I'll join as a Republican and take Steve Spencer of South Dakota.

No problem.  Now hurry up and prepare yourself for the endorsement round, which officially begins in a few short hours. 

Already done.

[Sewer]

Zachary Zuckerman


Zachary Zuckerman is a Jewish Pennsylvanian Representative and member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Zuckerman was born in New York City to Jewish immigrants and raised in Pennsylvania.
He is known as reformer.
He advocates universal access to affordable, high quality healthcare, living wage laws, the right of all workers to organize into labor unions and engage in collective bargaining, the abolition of the USA PATRIOT Act, the legalization of same-sex marriage, strict campaign finance reform laws, a crackdown on corporate welfare and influence, an increase in income tax rates on the wealthy, tax cuts for the poor, and an increase in welfare spending by the federal government.


He endorsed Gary Hart for President in 1984, Michael Dukakis in 1988, Paul Tsongas in 1992, Bill Bradley in 2000, Howard Dean in 2004, and Dennis Kucinich in 2008.

[Jayhawker]

You might want to write a SHORT character bio and a general overview of your candidate's issue positions... Please keep it to a single paragraph, and preferably no more than five sentences.

[Senator North Carolina Yankee]

You might want to write a SHORT character bio and a general overview of your candidate's issue positions... Please keep it to a single paragraph, and preferably no more than five sentences.

That was as short as I could make it. You want to see long.

[N.i.K.]

Dianne Dalton!

[Joe Republic]

Dianne Dalton!

Welcome!  Again, you'd better hurry up and get yourself prepared. 

[The Mikado]

I'm starting to feel like I didn't say enough. 

[Joe Republic]

I'm starting to feel like I didn't say enough. 

I think it's okay, but you can amend your submission if you really want to.  (If you do, please make a new post; don't edit the previous one.)

[HappyWarrior]

I'm so excited to see this get really underway! lol

[Jayhawker]

You may have mentioned this, but can candidates vote in the endorsements round?

[Joe Republic]

You may have mentioned this, but can candidates vote in the endorsements round?

Yep.  The new thread will explain everything.

[Kuu ülevaade olulisematest]

Xander Xiao, recently elected to his third term, is the Senior Senator from California. Prior to his election, he served five terms in the House of Representatives. In Congress, he has no major legislatve accomplishments to point to, but he has accumulated a solidly liberal voting record and has had his name attached to most major legislation.

[Sewer]

Zachary Zuckerman
State Representative (1987-1997)

U.S. Representative (1997-)

Zachary Zuckerman is a Jewish Pennsylvanian Representative and member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
Zuckerman was born in New York City to Jewish immigrants and raised in Pennsylvania.
He was a comedian.
A strong proponent of liberal agendas, Zuckerman uses satire to make a point.
He is known as reformer.
He advocates universal access to affordable, high quality healthcare, living wage laws, the right of all workers to organize into labor unions and engage in collective bargaining, the abolition of the USA PATRIOT Act, the legalization of same-sex marriage, strict campaign finance reform laws, a crackdown on corporate welfare and influence, an increase in income tax rates on the wealthy, tax cuts for the poor, and an increase in welfare spending by the federal government.


He endorsed Michael Dukakis for President in 1988, Paul Tsongas in 1992, Bill Bradley in 2000, Howard Dean in 2004, and Joe Biden in 2008.

[Joe Republic]

The endorsement thread is now open!

You have three days before we begin the Iowa caucuses, so try and get as many endorsements as you can to help you.

I cannot emphasize enough how helpful these endorsement points will be to your success, so get campaigning!


N.B.  Don't worry if you haven't written a character profile yet - just post it here and I'll add it to the other thread.  It's not essential to have one anyway.

[Bacon King]

Eric Emerson is a member of the Republican Party and the two-term Governor of Nevada. Often considered to be among the more moderate members of the GOP, he applies his party's small government roots to all aspects of his governing philosophy. While his Mormon beliefs inspire many of his social views, he is not a typical religious conservative; recently Emerson even gained controversy announcing his support of non-marriage civil unions. Trained as an economist and a businessman, he strongly opposes government waste, favoring incentives-based private-sector solutions whenever appropriate. Unlike the more hardline members of his caucus, however, Emerson explicitly acknowledges that a legitimate role does exist for the government, especially in ensuring that America's children receive a first-rate education and that the country's natural beauty is preserved for future generations. A memorable quotation from his 2002 Gubernatorial primary debate perhaps highlights best Emerson's approach to politics- "Stop with the rhetoric," he pleads to his opponent, "and just ask yourself what's really best for the people."