Candidates: Print and fill out the questionnaire and email it to the PAC or complete the questionnaire online. The Minnesota NOW PAC has published Position Papers for candidates relating to some issues. Candidates seeking our PAC endorsement may wish to review these position papers in conjunction with completion of the Candidate Questionnaire.
Our questionnaire relates to NOW’s six “core” issues, plus other platform issues as defined by Minnesota NOW. We rate candidates based on their answers, as well as the degree of leadership they have shown in these areas. The six core issues are:
- Constitutional Equality
- Reproductive Rights (including repeal of all laws restricting safe, legal abortion)
- LGBTQ Rights
- Racial Justice (including promoting racial & ethnic diversity)
- Freedom From Violence
- Economic Justice (including opposition to punitive welfare reform)
The Minnesota NOW PAC recognizes NOW’s 6 core issues to be vitally important in determining a candidate’s perspective, along with their views on all other issues defined by the Minnesota NOW Legislative Platform (hereafter referred to as “platform issues”). The the PAC uses the following criteria in evaluating a candidate’s positions for the purpose of determining their grade based on the 6 core issues and the platform issues (hereafter collectively referred to as “our issues”):
Ratings
Endorsed:
A Rating
Solid on all 6 core issues,
Good on all platform issues, and
Has demonstrated leadership on our issues.
Supported:
B Rating
Solid on 5 of the 6 core issues.
Supports a majority of platform issues, and
Has demonstrated leadership on our issues.
<or>
B Rating
Solid on all 6 core issues,
Supports a majority of platform issues, and
Has not demonstrated leadership on our issues.
C Rating
Supports 4 of the 6 core issues, and
Supports a majority of platform issues
Not Supported:
D Rating
Opposed to 2 or more of the 6 core issues, and/or
Supports less than a majority of platform issues, and/or
Takes strong opposition to any of the core issues.
F Rating
Opposed to 2 or more of the 6 core issues, and/or
Has demonstrated prominent leadership in opposition to any of our issues.
Not Rated
NR
Not a serious candidate, or
Candidate is seeking a poor rating to promote opposition to any of our issues, or
The PAC feels the candidate is unsuitable or unrateable in any way.
An “A” rating means the Minnesota NOW PAC has given its endorsement to the candidate. It allows the candidate to use our name in their literature, web site, and verbally.
The other ratings do not allow the candidate to use our name. However, the MN NOW PAC can and often does choose to support the candidate in other ways, including monetary contributions, or an in-kind contribution such as a list of MN NOW member names, or listing the candidate and rating in MN NOW publications. (Of course, endorsed candidates may also receive these benefits!)