Jack Carter for Nevada

Today, I added Jack Carter to the Bay to the Beltway list of endorsed candidates. I'm betting on Jack, you should too.

Jack Carter's campaign against Nevada Senator John Ensign is an important race both for Democrats' 2006 prospects and for our Party's long-term success.

I'm supporting Jack Carter because he can beat Senator Ensign; I'm supporting Jack Carter because this is a key district; and I'm supporting Jack Carter because he is running an inspiring campaign.

Jack Carter Can Beat John Ensign

The day Jack Carter announced his campaign, I started out thinking it would be competitive and by the end of the day realized Carter will unseat Ensign. Since then, I have grown far more comfortable in my assessment that this should be considered a top-tier pick-up opportunity. Sarah R. Carter has more on this, including an analysis of the latest poll numbers and local anecdotal evidence. Despite what you might be hearing from Beltway insiders who have no clue about the west, this is a race to watch. I mean, how many other candidates can get surrogate support like this?

Nevada is a Key State

From a federal perspective in 2006, providing Jack Carter the resources necessary to succeed will also be a significant help to Jill Derby in NV-02 and Tessa Hafen in NV-03. In 2008, if Democrats are wise enough to nominate a presidential candidate who can compete out west, Nevada will be one of the states that will put us over the top. In 2000, Al Gore received 45.94% of the vote in Nevada and in 2004, John Kerry received 47.88% of the vote. But due to Nevada's huge surge in population, the 117,212 votes Kerry received over Gore represented a 42% increase in Democratic Party presidential votes -- in only four years time. Sweeping Nevada in 2006 will set the stage for future victories in the fastest growing state.

Jack Carter Inspires Me

From Carter's announcement quotes until today, I have admired the campaign he has been running. It is one thing to support underdogs because they have a tougher journey, but I support this underdog because he has been getting very creating due to the lack of support from inside the beltway. Sarah R Carter has been making great use of the blogosphere and earning significant netroots support and the campaign is effectively exploring the untapped potential of peer-to-peer organizing. Carter's 16 county strategy also demonstrates the type of hustle that will make this a top-tier race. Jack Carter isn't a career politician, in fact when he joined the Navy he had to fill out a special form explaining why they had trouble finger-printing him due to the amount of time he had spent with a shovel in his hands. Carter has a strong vision on the issues and is running a campaign that makes supporters proud. I'm inspired by what he's done and what he's doing.

Support Jack Carter

In addition to asking you to support Jon Tester in Montana and Ned Lamont in Connecticut, I'm hoping you'll join with me in supporting Jack Carter -- the next Senator from the great state of Nevada.

Go check out his website and follow the campaign daily at the Carter Blog.

I hope you will get involved in his campaign.

Also, the end of the campaign reporting period is Friday and you can invest in the future of Nevada and America by contributing to the campaign. Considering the size of Nevada and costs of the media markets, your contribution to Jack Carter will go further than a contribution to any senate candidate other than Jon Tester. This is not only a strategic contribution, but one you can feel proud of at the end of the day.