“Most
Americans are moderates, yet we are represented
 by officials who pander to the
extremes of the 
electorate and put partisan politics 
ahead of what’s best for 
our country as a whole.” 
— Centrist Project Founder Charles Wheelan
 
The Centrist Project,
which was formed last year, made history on Wednesday when it launched the first
political action committee to support moderate candidates, those who are “ready
to set aside partisan politics and focus on the core issues of critical
importance to all Americans.”
The PAC, known as
Centrist Project Voice, has chosen former senator Larry Pressler of South
Dakota as their first beneficiary. Pressler served three terms as a Republican
senator from South Dakota and is now running as an independent who seeks to
break the partisan gridlock in Washington.
Here’s a portion of
the press release announcing the new PAC:
“Most
Americans are moderates, yet we are represented by officials who pander to the
extremes of the electorate and put partisan politics ahead of what’s best for
our country as a whole,” said Centrist Project Founder Charles Wheelan,
a
senior lecturer and policy fellow at the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth
College and the bestselling author of Naked Economics. “For the first time, Americans now have an
opportunity to band together for a single purpose: elect candidates who share
our centrist values.”
The Centrist
Project Voice is a separate segregated fund (SSF) of The Centrist Project. It
is the first PAC to promote centrist candidates regardless of party
affiliation
. Although the PAC is funded by Centrist Project members,
anybody can donate directly to its endorsed candidates, at http://www.centristproject.org/candidates.
Pressler
“We are
honored to endorse Larry Pressler as our inaugural candidate,” Wheelan
said. “He earned the respect of colleagues on both sides of the aisle
during his three terms as a Republican senator from South Dakota. Like us, he
has watched Congress become completely dysfunctional. He is now fighting to
reclaim his seat as an Independent so that he can support good policy solutions
from both sides of the aisle. Larry Pressler is a longtime champion of
individual rights and fiscal sanity, and doesn’t believe either party has all
the answers. And like us, he believes that Americans deserve better from their
elected officials.”
Mr. Pressler will
meet Centrist Project members and leaders at several upcoming events, including
a Chicago event on May 19 and a San Francisco event on May 22.
The organization is also planning a series of members-only conference calls
with Mr. Pressler. 
“I am running
as an Independent to help end the poisonous fighting between Republicans and
Democrats that has paralyzed Congress. It is incredibly difficult to run as an
independent. For example, the two parties have become exclusively conduits for
special interest money,” said Mr. Pressler. “The Centrist Project Voice is
leveling the electoral playing field by helping voters across the country
support true leaders who can win with their help.”
According to the
Gallup Organization, more than 40% of American’s identify themselves as
independents, which — for the first time in history — is significantly more
than the percentage of Americans affiliated with the Democratic or Republican
parties.
The Centrist
Project was launched last year to give this growing number of disenfranchised
Americans a voice and a vehicle to support leaders willing to work on their
behalf. The organization now has trained volunteers and members in more than 25
states, many of whom are forming “Centrist Circles” to promote
centrist values in their local communities. 
In coming months,
The Centrist Project Voice will endorse other U.S. Senate candidates toward the
goal of building a core of centrist senators who can act as a fulcrum for
change. 
“For the past
year, our supporters and members have been asking us, ‘What can we do to elect
better leaders?’ Now, we have an answer — donate through The Centrist Project
PAC. You’ll be doing more than just supporting candidates who can win; you’ll
be demonstrating that the political middle is a growing force in national
politics and represents the best interests of the American people,”
Wheelan said.