Message from Congresswoman Eva Clayton - Why I'm for Ken in 2010

Submitted by Bruce.Clark on Sun, 04/18/2010 - 6:23pm

My Fellow North Carolinians,

This is former Congresswoman Eva Clayton. With the May 4 election approaching people have been wondering where I stand. I'm writing today to tell you that I'm standing with Ken Lewis.

As the first woman elected to Congress from the State of North Carolina, I have spent my career fighting for working women and families, and doing my own small part to ameliorate the injustices and inequities we see in the United States and around the world. I'm supporting Ken Lewis because I believe he is the best candidate to carry this fight forward in the U.S. Senate.

There isn't anyone like Ken Lewis in the U.S. Senate. He represents the hopes of his grandmother, a sharecropper born on a North Carolina plantation who believed fiercely in the American Dream, even when it was denied to her. And he carries with him the conviction of his own mother, a school teacher, that through hard work and commitment to our communities we can make this promise real.

I'm supporting Ken Lewis because he'll be a committed advocate for people too long shut out of our political process: Women receiving less pay for the same work, families unable to afford basic health care, mothers forced to chose between putting food on the table and paying their electric bills.

In the U.S. Senate Ken Lewis will be a strong advocate for regular people, hard-hit in this down economy. But he needs our support now to help get him there.

Ken Lewis has spent his career providing legal services to community-based organizations and small businesses, helping to create jobs and expand opportunity. He's been a leader pushing for affordable housing, fighting predatory lending, and promoting early childhood education.

That's the kind of experience we need right now in the Senate--experience grounded in the communities that our senators are meant to serve.

Please join me and support Ken Lewis for U.S. Senate. Together we can help build a brighter future for North Carolina and this country.

Sincerely,

Eva Clayton

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Ken would make a fine choice

Submitted by Jake Gellar-Goad on Sun, 04/18/2010 - 10:06pm.

I'm supporting Ken Lewis because he'll be a committed advocate for people too long shut out of our political process: Women receiving less pay for the same work, families unable to afford basic health care, mothers forced to chose between putting food on the table and paying their electric bills.

I think Elaine too would be fine candidate to support equity for women as the first woman elected to statewide executive office.

To quote from her website:
http://www.elainemarshall.org/page/about-elaine

Elaine earned her law degree from Campbell University in 1981 and distinguished herself as a tough advocate for her clients in the courtroom, where she represented women who were victims of domestic violence. In 1993-1994, Elaine served in the North Carolina Senate, where she was named Rookie of the Year and listed among Legislators to Watch by the News & Observer. In the Senate, she provided a powerful voice for improving healthcare in North Carolina.

Elaine remembers, “When I grew up and became the owner of a small business, I discovered that if I wanted a line of credit, my husband had to go to the bank and apply for the loan—because I was a woman. I witnessed other instances of inequity and discrimination in my community, directed at men, women, children, and families who would have little chance of realizing their dreams.

“So as a lawyer, I stood up for people without a voice. As a citizen, I went to the General Assembly and took on the insurance industry to get coverage for mammograms and Pap Smears. As a member of the North Carolina Senate, I got needed healthcare services, especially for our state’s rural areas. And as Secretary of State, I have made protecting consumers and creating jobs my top priorities.”