VoteVets.org: Introduction: Sean Barney

Please go to VoteVets.org to subscribe and contribute. 

Let me introduce you to Sean Barney.

Sean is an Iraq War veteran who was shot in the neck by a sniper in Fallujah in 2006. He survived, and returned home to Delaware to continue his public service through politics. Now he is running a VERY WINNABLE campaign to represent the state in Congress.

On the campaign trail, he talks about the importance of combating income inequality and his unique point of view when it comes to our country's national security issues. He even courageously called for the United States to accept 100,000 Syrian refugees.

Sean is running in contested Democratic primary, but he is the clear choice for progressives, veterans, military families and VoteVets supporters. We're proud to endorse him, and to ask you to chip into his campaign today:

Contribute $3 to Sean Barney's congressional campaign. He faces a critical fundraising deadline Thursday at midnight, so your donation is VERY important.

We've said it before and we'll say it again. 2016 is a tremendous opportunity for us to elect a new generation of veteran leaders to Congress. With veteran representation in the House at historic lows, this is a chance to send someone to Washington, D.C. who you can be proud to support.

Thanks for standing with Sean. This race is important.

All my best

Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran & Chairman
VoteVets 

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PAID FOR BY VOTEVETS ACTION FUND

Sean Barney entering congressional race

Jonathan Starkey, The News Journal

Democrat Sean Barney will launch a campaign for Congress on Tuesday, joining three other Democrats already campaigning to replace Congressman John Carney, who is running for governor and is not seeking re-election after winning three terms to Washington.

Barney, who ran for state treasurer last year and lost to Republican Ken Simpler, will focus his campaign heavily on his personal story as a Marine veteran with combat experience in Iraq. His campaign expects to have the backing of the politically active veterans group VoteVets, and Barney believes the group will help his campaign raise money from its supporters nationally.

"I really believe our country is at a crossroads," Barney said on Monday. "We're increasingly becoming a country of, by and for the few, rather than of, by and for the people."

Barney indicated that his campaign will focus on economic inequality, and foreign policy issues in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris. Barney said the United States should welcome refugees from war-torn Syria, calling for the resettlement of 100,000 Syrian refugees in the United States this fiscal year, a ten-fold increase over President Barack Obama's plan. And he said the United States needs a clear strategy for fighting the terror group ISIS.

"Congress has had more than a year to debate and pass an authorization to set out the parameters and outlines of our military action in Iraq and Syria," Barney said. "They have failed utterly to do it. They haven't even brought an authorization to the floor.

"Yet within hours the House of Representatives jumps to and passes a bill that scapegoats people who are fleeing ISIS tyranny," Barney said, referencing legislation, supported by Carney, that places additional restrictions on refugee resettlements.

A primary election is scheduled for Sept. 13 of next year. Two Democratic state lawmakers, Sen. Bryan Townsend, of Newark, and Rep. Bryon Short, of Highland Woods, are already in the race. So is Lisa Blunt Rochester, a former Delaware Labor Secretary under then-Gov. Tom Carper who later served as Gov. Ruth Ann Minner's personnel director*.

VoteVets, which backed Barney's treasurer campaign, could become a factor next year. The group spent $4 million on 2014 federal elections, both supporting and opposing candidates, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign contributions.

VoteVets supported the 2012 elections of Democratic congresswomen Tulsi Gabbard, of Hawaii, and Tammy Duckworth, of Illinois, both Iraq War veterans. Last year, the group supported the winning congressional campaign of Democrat Seth Moulton in Massachusetts, who also served in Iraq.

"We are supporting Sean's candidacy enthusiastically," said Jon Soltz, chairman of VoteVets. "Now more than ever, we need more veterans in office, who have a unique perspective on national security, and domestic and international terrorism. Sean fits that bill, and he'll make a great leader in Congress."

Barney worked as a legislative assistant to U.S. Sen Tom Carper from 2001 to 2005, and later managed Gov. Jack Markell's 2012 re-election campaign and worked for Markell as a policy adviser in Legislative Hall.

In May 2006, during a Marine deployment to Iraq, Barney was shot through the neck by a sniper in Fallujah, narrowly escaping with his life.

He earned a law degree from Yale Law School, and accepted a clerkship with Delaware Supreme Court Justice Collins J. Seitz, Jr. in April but left that job this fall to pursue a congressional campaign. Barney since has joined InfoVest, a Wilmington-based venture capital firm led partly by Wilmington businessman Dennis O'Brien.

Barney lost by 10 percentage points in the 2014 state treasurer race to Simpler, collecting just 43 percent of the vote. Barney blames his performance partly on poor voter turnout among Delaware Democrats, who dominate voter registration rolls. Just 36 percent of registered Delaware voters cast ballots in last November's elections.

Editor's Note: Previous versions of this story listed an incorrect previous job title for Lisa Blunt Rochester. She was personnel director under Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, not budget director.

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/2015/12/01/wil-sean-barney/76555484/

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