I was positively giddy after I started getting to know Maryland sate Rep. Heather Mizeur. She was like the ideal candidate and I could barely contain my enthusiasm . Few candidates for political office are this perfect and she told me she would be running for governor of Maryland. I asked John and Digby to examine her with a critical eye because I was already just a mushy fanboy and wanted to fast track her Blue America endorsement process, especially after I examined her record in the state legislature. John and Digby arranged to meet her in person and-- sure enough-- they had the same reaction to her that I did. We endorsed her and Digby put together the following letter,, to our members for today, the day Heather officially declares her candidacy.

Meet the future of the Progressive Movement: Heather Mizeur.





One of my oldest friends lives in Maryland, way out in the country. She's a hard working single mother, trying to get by in this bad economy. It isn't easy. I visited her this summer and we talked about the pressures that are upon her and she told me that for all of her struggles to keep up, she was immensely grateful that she lived in a state that provides her daughter with health care. Maryland is the only state in the union that offers universal coverage for all kids, no matter what.





I didn't know at the time that my friend could thank one particular Maryland Assembly delegate for that little bit of peace of mind in her tumultuous life, a woman by the name of Heather Mizeur. And when I told my friend about her and how she shepherded that bill through the Assembly, she was devastated that she didn't live in her district so that she could vote for her.





Well, now she can. Today, Heather Mizeur is announcing her candidacy for Governor of Maryland and Blue America is honored to endorse her. She is the perfect embodiment of the progressive leaders we believe will lead the Democratic Party in the direction we must go if we are to change this country.





The daughter of a UAW member from Illinois, she aspired to public service from the time she was a little kid. "The experience of walking picket lines taught me the value of sacrifice and hard work and standing up for the courage of your convictions," she said. "Catholic teachings on social justice also inspired me."





And for someone who's only 40, she has amassed an impressive amount of experience in management and governance, with a decade of senior staff experience on Capitol Hill before her tenure in the General Assembly. A policy wonk who likes to delve into the details, (she wrote John Kerry's 2004 health care plan) she is also called the "Transparency Queen" by the Baltimore Sun, for sponsoring and winning passage of the Maryland Open Government Act. She is a leading anti-fracking activist and was one of 10 featured speakers at the huge Keystone Pipeline rally in front of the White House along with Bill McKibbon and leading climatologists. And last but not least, she was a leading strategist in the fight for marriage equality in Maryland and now lives in a state that fully recognizes her marriage to her wife of 8 years, Deborah. Yes, a Governor Mizeur will be breaking several glass ceilings as the first woman and first openly gay person to win the office.





John and I had the privilege of sitting down with Heather at Netroots Nation this year and both of us came away from the conversation believing that we had just met the future of the progressive movement. This is a person who can not only lead on policy (she's scary smart) but she can lead on strategy as well: as you can see, she gets things done. And more than anything she leads with her heart, up front and without apology, a true blue progressive in every way.



