Peace Action's Peace Candidates

(This post has been updated to include more recent endorsements)

Few would disagree that this is a critical election year. With a good chance for Democrats to take back the Senate and an opportunity to make significant gains in the House, this election will have a big impact on foreign policy decisions in Congress for years to come. But the importance of any given election cycle isn’t the only reason Peace Action’s been working on elections for decades. Fear of being perceived as weak has led many of our nation’s policy makers to adopt hawkish and counterproductive approaches to foreign policy that have made our country and the world less safe. Changing this dynamic means showing our elected officials that advocating a more peaceful approach to foreign policy will earn them the political support of a large and powerful constituency – the Peace Movement. As the nation’s largest peace organization, Peace Action works hard to help elect pro-peace candidates to Congress, and to push issues of peace and nuclear disarmament to the forefront of every election cycle. Below is a list of our featured races where your support can make a big difference, followed by our honor roll endorsements for incumbent candidates who have earned our support. Join us by supporting Peace Action’s PAC and its endorsed candidates for Congress.

Featured Races:

Russ Feingold, Candidate for United States Senator, WI

Russ Feingold served Wisconsin in the Senate from 1993-2010. As a Senator, Feingold consistently supported pro-peace positions; opposing the war in Iraq, pushing for withdrawal from Afghanistan, and voting to keep Pentagon spending in check. He supports reducing our nuclear weapons stockpile, opposes a major military intervention in Syria, and supports diplomatic and humanitarian alternatives to war. Peace Action is confident that Feingold’s excellent judgement and extensive experience in matters of foreign policy will make Americans safer.

Deborah Ross, Candidate for United States Senator, NC

Deborah Ross is in a very tight race against republican incumbent Richard Burr. Ross supports the Iran Nuclear Agreement, and more broadly supports diplomatic approaches to conflicts. She also supports the long-term goal of ridding the world of nuclear weapons, the goal that Peace Action was founded upon, and supports negotiating with Russia to reduce our nuclear stockpiles as a means of advancing that goal. Ross’ perspectives on nuclear weapons and diplomacy will make her an excellent addition to the U.S. Senate, and Peace Action is proud to endorse her.

Doug Applegate, Candidate for United States Representative, CA 49th District

Doug Applegate, a 32-year veteran Marine Colonel, is in a very tight race with republican incumbent Darrell Issa. Applegate wants to improve the Veterans Administration and stop endless wars. He also wants a debate and a vote on a new Authorization of Use of Military Force (AUMF) against ISIS and to stop Pentagon contracting that wastes trillions of American taxpayer dollars.

Salud Carbajal, Candidate for United States Representative, CA 24th District

Salud Carbajal is in a close race with republican candidate Justin Fareed to replace the democratic incumbent Lois Capps, who is not seeking reelection. Carbajal supports the Iran Nuclear Agreement and wants to prioritize diplomacy as an alternative to military force. He also supports a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and wants the U.S. to play a stronger role in encouraging a diplomatic solution.

Gretchen Driskell, Candidate for United States Representative, MI 7th District

Gretchen Driskell is in a close race with republican incumbent Tim Walberg. Driskell supports the Iran Nuclear Agreement and further nuclear weapons negotiations with Russia. She also supports making smart cuts to the bloated Pentagon budget and wants to invest more in Veterans’ healthcare, suicide prevention, and PTSD treatment.

Michael Eggman, Candidate for United States Representative, CA 10th District

Michael Eggman is first time candidate for congressional office in a tight race with republican incumbent Jeff Denham, who had a 0% voting record with Peace Action in 2015. Eggman believes in a diplomacy first approach to conflicts, and is a strong proponent of nonproliferation. He supports the Iran Nuclear Agreement and will work to ensure that the U.S. stands by its commitments under the deal, and he supports ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, which bans the testing of nuclear weapons.

Mike Honda, Candidate for United States Representative, CA 17th District

Mike Honda, an incumbent representative who has served District 17 since 2013 and District 15 before that, is in a close race with democratic challenger Ro Khanna. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Honda has been an important ally, working to rein in the oversized Pentagon budget and opposing spending on new nuclear weapons. He has also supported the repeal of the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), which has served as President Obama’s primary justification for ongoing military involvement in unauthorized wars in the Middle East.

Pramila Jayapal, Candidate for United States Representative, WA 7th District

Pramila Jayapal is running to replace Jim McDermott, a democrat not running for reelection. Jayapal opposed the Iraq War, supports the Iran Nuclear Agreement, and wants to prioritize diplomatic approaches to conflicts abroad. She is also a strong advocate of human rights, both at home and abroad, and supports reductions to our nuclear arsenal and the Pentagon budget.

Derickson Lawrence, Candidate for United States Representative, NY 16th District

Derickson Lawrence is a first time candidate for congressional office who would take a strong stand on issues of peace and nuclear nonproliferation. He opposes sending U.S. troops to Iraq and Syria, and opposes the ill-advised suggestion of a no-fly zone in Syria that would risk military confrontation with Russia. Lawrence supported the Iran nuclear agreement, supports international diplomacy with Russia to reduce our nuclear arsenals, and opposes the current plan to spend $1 trillion upgrading our nuclear arsenal. He also supports sunsetting the outdated and misused 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) which has been used to justify several unauthorized wars.

Rick Nolan, Candidate for United States Representative, MN 8th District

Rick Nolan, an incumbent representative from Minnesota’s 8th district, is in a close race with republican challenger Stewart Mills. He opposed bombing Syria in response to alleged use of chemical weapons in 2013, which allowed space for a diplomatic solution under which the Assad regime voluntarily handed over the vast majority of its chemical weapons stockpile. He has supported withdrawing troops from Iraq and Syria, opposed arming Syrian rebels, and pushed for withdrawal from Afghanistan. Nolan also voted against plans to upgrade various delivery systems for nuclear weapons that would fuel an emerging arms race.

Chellie Pingree, Candidate for United States Representative, ME 1st District

Chellie Pingree has served Maine’s 1st district since 2009. She opposed the Iraq War as well as military intervention in Syria, has worked to accelerate the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, and supported repealing the outdated and misused 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF). Pingree has also been a strong supporter of nuclear nonproliferation; voting to reduce nuclear weapons spending, and supporting the landmark nuclear agreement with Iran.

Jamie Raskin, Candidate for United States Representative, MD 8th District

Jamie Raskin is running to replace Chris Van Hollen, who is running for a U.S. Senate seat in lieu of his current House seat. Raskin’s father, Marcus Raskin, was the Chair of SANE/Freeze, which later became Peace Action. As a state legislator, Jamie Raskin championed a bill that limits military recruitment in high schools. Raskin also supports the Iran Nuclear Agreement, and is committed to advancing nuclear nonproliferation.

Carol Shea-Porter, Candidate for United States Representative, NH 1st District

Carol Shea-Porter, who served New Hampshire’s 1st district from 2007-2010 and from 2013-2014, is locked in a tight race with republican incumbent Frank Guinta. In 2006, she ran on a platform of opposition to the Iraq War, and since then has consistently supported diplomatic and humanitarian alternatives to war. As a strong nonproliferation advocate, she voted to cut funding from a redundant and destabilizing nuclear cruise missile, the Long Range Standoff Weapon. And in keeping with her opposition to the Iraq War, she voted to keep U.S. troops out of Iraq in 2014 without a new congressional authorization.

Zephyr Teachout, Candidate for United States Representative, NY 19th District

Zephyr Teachout is a first time candidate for congressional office in one of the tightest races in the country. She opposed the Iraq War and the 2011 military intervention in Libya, and she supports international diplomacy to reduce the number of nuclear weapons in the world. Her approach to terrorism involves addressing the root causes of extremism, and supporting police efforts to prevent attacks rather than more military interventions.

Honor Roll Endorsements:

Peace Action is proud to endorse these incumbents who have consistently taken pro-peace positions during their time in Congress:

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA-34)

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3)

Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1)

Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-CA-29)

Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY-9)

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI-13)

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR-4)

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN-5)

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-13)

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA-5)

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-10)

Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL-5)

Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL-1)

Rep. José Serrano (D-NY-15)

Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-NY-7)