Progressives often claim that they will gladly support Greens when they see a Green campaign that can win. Well, here’s a Green that can win and a chance to put your money where your mouth is:

Jeremy Karpen’s clean-money Green campaign for the IL State Assembly is poised to pull off an upset victory against his Chicago Machine opponent.

Jeremy and his volunteers have already knocked on 7,000 doors and made 3,000 phone calls. Jeremy has earned enthusiastic endorsements from leading newspapers, unions, and voter groups.

At this critical moment, Jeremy needs to raise $3,000 to air a bilingual TV ad, “I support Jeremy Karpen/Yo Apoyo a Jeremy Karpen.”

Watch the ad and make a donation at www.jeremykarpen.org/content/put-jeremy-tv.

Jeremy Karpen is a Licensed Professional Counselor working as a supervisor with
at-risk youth at a residential treatment center in Chicago. He was motivated to run for office by the failure of Illinois’ corrupt government to provide decent funding and services for underprivileged communities.

He first ran for the Illinois Assembly 39th District seat in 2008, taking 21% of the vote with a bare-bones campaign. This year, his campaign has opened a beautiful storefront office next to the largest polling place in the district, knocked on over 7000 doors, and identified thousands of supporters.

Karpen’s commitment to quality public education, affordable housing, green jobs, single-payer health care, and clean politics is paying off.

Karpen is the only challenger to receive the endorsement of the Chicago Teacher’s Union, the Chicago Tribune, and the Chicago Sun-Times. He has also received the endorsement of the Independent Voters of Illinois and is the only Chicago candidate being supported by the local chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America.

His pledge to not take corporate money highlights the clear difference between Jeremy and his sole opponent, incumbent Democrat Toni Berrios, the daughter of gambling lobbyist and Chicago machine insider Joseph Berrios. She regularly votes for bills that directly benefit her father’s clients and her own corporate donors, and supports an expansion of predatory gambling in the community.

Electing a clean-money Green over a corrupt Chicago machine politician would send
a message that can’t be ignored: organized people can beat organized corruption and
entrenched political power.

Watch Jeremy Karpen’s bilingual 30 second ad, “I support Jeremy Karpen/Yo apoyo a Jeremy Karpen”.

The campaign is attempting to raise an additional $3000 to get the ad on the air in the final week of the election.

Please donate today to give Jeremy Karpen a strong final push to the finish line.

If you have a spare hour to phone bank, please volunteer by emailing diane@jeremykarpen.org with the subject line “phone bank”. Even if you don’t live in Chicago, you can make calls from the comfort of your own home.

Jeremy Karpen’s election could be the beginning of a Green revolution from coast to coast. His victory will prove that Greens can start winning state legislative races without compromising their principles or taking a dime of corporate money.

If you are, like me, among the legion of progressives who hopes and prays for the emergence of an independent progressive force to challenge the militarist, corporatist duopoly: Let’s do everything in our power to help Jeremy Karpen win.

http://jeremykarpen.org