Founded in 2005 by Al Franken,
the Midwest Values PAC helps elect progressives
in the midwest and nationwide
Congratulations to all the MVPs who won in 2012 — and thanks to all the supporters who helped them win!
We were proud to stand with some truly incredible candidates this year — progressive champions and heroes of the middle class. And even though it wasn’t an easy election, our work paid off.
Now our 2012 MVPs get to go to Washington to fight alongside Al. And our community of progressive supporters gets to celebrate — for a while. After all, there will be more MVPs to elect in 2014. So stay tuned!
Sherrod has earned a reputation as an independent voice for working Ohioans and middle-class families. He is a man of principle who has made a career of standing up to special interests in Washington. In 2006, Ohio voters elected Sherrod to the United States Senate with one of the largest margins over an incumbent in U.S. history.
In November 2010, Kirsten was elected to the U.S. Senate with 62% of the vote. She was first appointed to the U.S. Senate in January 2009 to fill Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s seat and before that was twice elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from New York’s 20th congressional district. She is now up for re-election to the U.S. Senate in 2012.
In 2006 the people of Minnesota elected Amy Klobuchar to be their U.S. Senator, making her the first woman elected to represent the State of Minnesota in the United States Senate. As the former chief prosecutor in Hennepin County, Minnesota’s largest county, and now as Senator, Amy has brought the values she learned growing up in Minnesota to her work every day. Her grandfather worked 1,500 feet underground in the iron ore mines of Northern Minnesota. Her father, Jim, was a newspaperman, and her mother, Rose, was an elementary school teacher who was still teaching a classroom of thirty second-graders at age seventy. Throughout her career, Amy has taken those Minnesota values to heart to get results.
Bill Nelson’s experience includes more than 30 years of public service – in the Florida Legislature and U.S. Congress, on the Florida Cabinet as Treasurer, Insurance Commissioner and State Fire Marshal; and, since 2001, in the U.S. Senate. Over the years, he’s fought many powerful interests – from insurance companies to oil companies to the big banks. He has fought to preserve Social Security and Medicare for seniors; to protect the privacy of everyday citizens from hackers, identity thieves and government intrusion; and, to ensure our children and grandchildren get a good education and well-paying jobs.
During his first term in the Senate, Jon Tester has earned a reputation as a straight-talking, hardworking, common sense United States Senator who gets things done—from boosting the minimum wage after the longest gap in history and passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to ensure equal pay for women, to passing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to create millions of jobs and confirming two new Supreme Court Justices to the bench.
After over two decades of public service in his home state, Rhode Island’s voters sent Sheldon Whitehouse to the Senate to be a forceful and effective voice on our nation’s most pressing issues. Sheldon is a lead champion of preserving and strengthening the Social Security system, which he believes should continue to serve as the a bedrock of retirement for generations to come. He believes that long-term economic prosperity requires getting health care costs under control and was pleased to support the health care reform legislation — which will not only expand coverage but drive down costs, cut the deficit, and promote the use of 21st Century health information technology.
Throughout her career, Tammy Baldwin has never forgotten who she works for, that every voice matters, and through hard work and determination one person can always make a difference.
The son of an electrician and a factory worker, Martin Heinrich is a committed advocate for New Mexico’s middle class families. He is working hard to create an environment for small businesses to thrive and grow, creating good jobs for our communities. Martin is a champion for our burgeoning clean energy economy and treasured public lands.
Fleeing domestic abuse in Japan, Mazie Hirono’s mother made a new home for her family in Hawaii. Her struggle inspired Mazie to overcome discrimination and launch a distinguished career in public service. Though English is her second language, Mazie graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Hawaii and earned her law degree from Georgetown University. She served two terms as Hawaii’s lieutenant governor before succeeding the late Patsy Mink as congresswoman for the state’s second district.
Chris Murphy is a Democrat representing Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. The 5th District stretches from just west of Hartford to the New York border, containing the towns of Waterbury, Danbury, New Britain, and Meriden, as well as the vast majority of Litchfield County.
Elizabeth Warren says she “came up the hard way…out of a hard-working middle class family in an America that created opportunities for kids like me.” She has made her life’s work fighting for middle class families. The Boston Globe calls her “… the plainspoken voice of people getting crushed by so many predatory lenders and under regulated banks.” TIME magazine has called her a “New Sheriff of Wall Street” and has twice included her among America’s 100 most influential people. She’s taken on big banks and financial institutions to win historic new financial protections for middle class families.
Congressman Keith Ellison has represented Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives since taking office on January 4, 2007. His policy agenda is based on four key priorities—peace, prosperity for working families, environmental sustainability, and support for civil and human rights. He is currently serving his third term.
Congresswoman Betty McCollum is a proud DFLer serving her sixth term in Congress representing the families of Minnesota’s Fourth District. A progressive voice for working families, seniors, women and children, Betty has been an outspoken voice for economic opportunity, social justice and fiscal responsibility.
The son of a public school administrator and community activist, Congressman Tim Walz was born in West Point, Nebraska on April 6, 1964. Raised in a rural community, Walz spent his summers farming with his extended family. In 1982, Tim Walz graduated from Butte High School alongside his 24 classmates. In 1990, Walz began to serve full-time in the Army National Guard. He subsequently accepted a position teaching and coaching in Nebraska where he met his wife, Gwen Whipple. Married in 1994, Tim and Gwen Walz moved to Mankato, Minnesota two years later. The couple accepted positions teaching and coaching at Mankato West High School where Tim taught until his run for Congress in 2006.
Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran and Black Hawk pilot whose helicopter was shot down in Iraq. She lost both legs and part of the use of her right arm in the explosion, and was awarded the Purple Heart for her combat injuries. After her recovery at Walter Reed, Tammy ran for the House in 2006. After losing a close race, she became Director of Illinois’ Department of Veterans’ Affairs. In 2009, President Obama appointed her Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs where she sought to improve the standard of care for Vets. She oversaw VA’s effort to end Veteran homelessness and lead initiatives for female Vets and increased accessibility and accountability with the new Office of Online Communications.
