WelcomePAC seeking candidates for 'big tent' Democratic Party

Trying, they said, to create a more robust democracy, organizers with a political action committee were working their way across Lorain County this week encouraging people to run for elected office or to nominate potential future elected leaders to do so. WelcomePAC is recruiting Democratic candidates in areas that have gone red in northern Ohio. That includes Republicans who are not happy with their party or independents, who are being encouraged to run as Democrats in places like Lorain County, whether it be for the Ohio Statehouse or for Congress. Its organizers and founders have labeled it "Democracy on Offense." A mobile billboard truck was driving around Elyria, Lorain and other parts of Lorain County on Wednesday, accompanied by radio and digital advertisements throughout the region. The effort launched in 2021 after the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington, D.C., co-founder Lauren Harper said Wednesday. Harper said a team of five has been traveling across northeastern Ohio over the past three months working to recruit and support pro-democracy candidates to run for state and national office. "We really want to make sure when we think about future generations of Democratic candidacies and officials, that we provide a contrast to the tarnished media narrative of the Democratic brand," Harper said. Some moderate Democrats or independent voters may be turned off by the rhetoric of farther-left factions of the Democratic Party, so Harper's organization is trying to create a "big tent" Democratic Party welcoming to the whole political spectrum. The PAC was in Medina, Wayne and Portage counties in recent days, Harper said. Talking to Democratic Party officials and elected leaders is "one way to find candidates," Harper said, "but that's not always where you get good candidates." Some people with leadership skills might not see themselves as leaders or candidates. That includes retired police officers, firefighters or teachers, Harper said. "So we're taking our truck to the Giant Eagle, to the grocery stores, talking to people and saying, 'You can nominate your own candidates,'" Harper said. "You feel more invested if you know someone was nominated by one of your fellow neighbors." So far, the response has included "a lot of good questions" about how to get involved, and WelcomePAC's website has gotten many hits, Harper said. Some of the team members were born and raised in Ohio, so Harper said WelcomePAC is "not just some random PAC that pops up to put money in the ecosystem." "We do care about the status and state of our democracy. We think it's the best way to address the issues in our country," Harper said. "If we don't do this the right way, we may have a place down the road where we don't have the same form of government or rule of law we've had in the past. We're trying to sustain and protect our American democracy." Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @daveobrienCT.