The Press-Enterprise

“‘Why is no one paying attention to Ken Calvert and Will Rollins?’ said Lauren Harper, The Welcome Party’s co-founder, in describing the political action committee’s thinking. ‘We’re like, dude, [Calvert] is beatable.’”

The Plain Dealer

“WelcomePAC, a political action committee created last year to help elect moderate Democrats, has been working to recruit and assist Democratic legislative candidates in Ohio running in districts that lean Republican but where ex-President Donald Trump underperformed in 2020.”

Elyria Chronicle Telegram

“Democrat Regan Phillips was one of 17 Ohio House of Representatives candidates endorsed by WelcomePAC on Monday.”

The Bulwark

“My colleagues and I launched WelcomePAC last fall to recruit and support these brand-differentiated Democrats who can win crossover voters and beat authoritarian Republicans across the country on their home turf.”

The New York Times

“Rollins has drawn about $65,000 in support from Welcome PAC, a relatively new Democratic-aligned outfit that applies insurgent tactics to support center-left candidates in swing districts.”

The Washington Post

“Lauren Harper, a co-founder of the Welcome PAC, an organization that promotes a ‘big-tent’ Democratic Party, said Democrats should train resources on competitive races. ‘We can’t just focus our energy on the people who are driving us bananas,’ she said. ‘It’s a matter of us not using our money as wisely as we could.’”

CNN

“‘We get so caught up on the super villains that we don't focus on the villains,’ said Lauren Harper, the co-founder of Welcome PAC, a group that has tracked this pattern and works to expand the reach of the Democratic Party.”

The Bulwark

“WelcomePAC identified 21 newly-drawn districts where Trump won with 54 percent or less of the vote in 2020. These are seats that some Democrats, such as Rep. Jared Golden, have proven are winnable by appealing to center-right voters. In the majority of those districts—16 of 21—no Democratic challenger entered 2022 with more than $100,000 cash on hand.”

Norwalk Reflector

“The WelcomePAC is part of an effort to create a ‘bigger tent’ Democratic Party which does not impose purity tests and where everyone is welcome, said Lauren Harper, one of the co-founders of the PAC.”

The Plain Dealer

“Voters in the center, center-left, and center-right still hold a majority position in America, but these voices of moderation are not being heard in the extremist-dominated chaos that has consumed Capitol Hill and statehouses across the country.”

Elyria Chronicle Telegram

“WelcomePAC is recruiting Democratic candidates in areas that have gone red in northern Ohio. That includes Republicans who are not happy with their party or independents, who are being encouraged to run as Democrats in places like Lorain County, whether it be for the Ohio Statehouse or for Congress.”

Kent-Ravenna Record-Courier

“At WelcomePAC we don't have a purity test or an ideological test for what you have to stand for,” said Harper. “We are saying, ‘You have to be pro-democracy. You have to be committed to protecting our country's constitution and the rules of law and governance.’”

Medina Gazette

“Throughout Medina County, a large van could be spotted with a digital ad reading, ‘Putting Democracy on offense. Nominate someone to run for state house in Medina County,’ on Friday. The van, alongside other digital advertisements, is a push done by WelcomePAC, a political action committee formed to find Democratic candidates for the state legislature.”

AlterNet

“Liam Kerr, in an article published by the conservative website The Bulwark on January 7, argues that after the Capitol insurrection, Democrats had a golden opportunity to seriously crush the MAGA movement — and they blew it.”

The Bulwark

“On January 6th, 2021, Democrats were handed a chance to win over the middle of the country. Instead, the biggest recruitment story in the aftermath of the insurrection was the far-left trying to recruit candidates to knock off a fellow Democrat.”

Slate.com

“The most important faction for saving our democracy is the big-tent left candidate.”

NBC News THINK

Democrats must become more welcoming and proactively recruit independents and ex-Republicans as both voters and candidates.