Progressive Bloggers United

Vince, over at Capital Annex, just sent me a press release regarding the endorsement of three candidates by Texas Progressive Alliance.
The group of bloggers are launching an online fundraising drive to help the campaigns of Hank Gilbert, Juan Garcia and Shane Sklar.
From the press release:

The Texas Progressive Alliance
Blogs Unified To Promote Democratic Candidates & Causes
Texas Progressive Alliance Launches ‘TexRoots’ Fundraising Initiative

The Texas Progressive Alliance today launched ‘TexRoots,’ an online fund-raising campaign designed raise funds for Democratic candidates in Texas via the internet. The launch of ‘TexRoots’ is the first major unified fund-raising effort by Texas blogs of its kind.
The Alliance, a group of blogs and bloggers united to promote Democratic and progressive candidates and causes, launched ‘TexRoots’ Monday with solicitations for three Texas candidates: Hank Gilbert, candidate for Agriculture Commissioner, Juan Garcia, candidate for Texas House of Representatives in District 32, and Shane Sklar, candidate for U.S. House in Texas House District 14. The Alliance’s goal is to raise a combined $3,000 for the “Texas Trio” of Gilbert, Garcia and Sklar. TexRoots works with the nationally-recognized fund-raising tools of ActBlue.com.
The candidates were selected by the more than 20 member blogs of the Alliance and comprise the first set of what is likely to be as many as five groups of candidates solicited for prior to the November general election. Candidates selected for this and future TexRoots solicitations were picked after a number of factors were considered including the strength of the candidates and their Republican opponents, the candidate’s use of the internet and blogging, and the demographics of the districts of the candidates.
The first group of candidates comprises a cross-section of regions, ideologies, and ballot races,” said Anna Brosovic of Arlington, founder of the Alliance and author of Annatopia.com. “We have a statewide candidate, a congressional candidate, and a candidate for Texas House of Representatives which we believe are worthy of the intention of the Texas Netroots,” Brosovic continued.
“These particular candidates range from a decorated naval aviator and attorney trying to upset one of the most entrenched, out-of-touch Republicans in the Texas Legislature to a conservative Democrat opposing the only Congressman in Texas to vote against Hurricane Katrina aide, to a former high school agriculture teacher opposing one of the Trans Texas Corridor’s greatest allies. It is really a diverse group,” said Karl-Thomas Musselman of Austin, another founding member of the Alliance and owner of BurntOrangeReport.com.
TexRoots came into being earlier this summer, when the Alliance’s member blogs launched a fund-raising drive to activate ActBlue in Texas. After raising $5,000 for this effort, the bloggers have worked behind the scenes for several weeks in anticipation of today’s announcement.
“We are pleased that we have been able to raise the funds necessary to activate this important fund-raising tool. Netroots money has made the difference between merely being competitive and winning in races all across the country, including here in Texas. Through TexRoots, we can do our part to ensure online support and funding for many of Texas’ Democratic candidates,” said Charles Kuffner, a Houston blogger who writes OffTheKuff.com and is another founding member of the Alliance.
TexRoots follows a formula similar to the popular national Netroots Candidates fund raising solicitations launched earlier this year by blogs such as DailyKos and MyDD. However, TexRoots focuses only on Texas candidates.
Solicitations are made by individual bloggers at Alliance member blogs. Typically, member blogs will put up a post discussing the candidates and inviting readers to contribute to fund-raising efforts online. More than 20 Texas bloggers from the Rio Grande Valley and Austin to Dallas/Fort Worth and East Texas participated in Monday’s launch.

No word yet on if local (Kerry Horn and David Harris) Democratic candidates will get some loving as well for their strapped bank accounts as well. I’m also beginning to feel like blogging is to Democrats as Talk Radio is to Republicans.