Clever and compassionate, with a side of chutzpah -- Stacey Lawson is Recommended!

When she cites the shrinking middle class, the need for growth in the manufacturing sector and Democrats' obligation to protect the social safety net, House candidate Stacey Lawson knows first-hand of what she speaks.

With the help of scholarships and government loans, Stacey left her working-class community (the Lawsons lived in a trailer until her hardworking father founded the trucking business that propelled them into the middle class) to attend college and then Harvard Business School. While working on her MBA, Stacey used what Forbes magazine would later call "one clever idea and a lot of chutzpah" to launch a successful $45 million software company. That company, InPart, developed technology to help American manufacturers create and keep middle-class jobs.

After helping to run a number of small businesses, Stacey co-founded UC Berkeley's Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology, which has become a leading center of innovation and small business advocacy.

No surprise, then, that Stacey was the first candidate in California's competitive 2nd district primary to release a solid, seven-point job creation plan. This sharp focus on creating jobs -- along with strong commitments to community development, public education, health care, marriage equality and reproductive freedom -- gives us every hope that she'll continue the proud, progressive legacy of the honorable Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey.

That, and we like a little chutzpah in our candidates -- Stacey Lawson is fully Recommended!

Under California's new "Top-Two" election law -- the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, will advance to the general election -- the clock is ticking. While the newly-drawn 2nd district leans Democratic, both general election candidates will very likely be Democrats. Stacey has already proven herself to be a strong fundraiser, but she'll be counting on EMILY's List to help her compete in the expensive Bay Area media market, and wage a strong campaign all the way to the general election.

With Stacey, we get both a strong advocate for women's reproductive health and choice and a smart, seasoned small business owner working to create jobs, who understands the struggles of the middle class -- because she's lived them herself. So take a minute and show a little chutzpah of your own today -- contribute to Stacey's campaign. Given what she's accomplished in her own life and community, we can't wait to see how she shakes up Congress!

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