21st Century Democrats was an American political organization founded by Senator Tom Harkin, commentator Jim Hightower and Congressman Lane Evans to help elect "progressive candidates” until its termination 2023.
[1] 21st Century Democrats started out relatively small, surpassing $1 million in contributions for the first time in the 1996 election cycle.
[3] Unlike traditional PACs, 21st Century Democrats focuses on recruiting, training, and hiring field organizers to organize grassroots campaigns on behalf of candidates for local offices, statewide office, and even targeted presidential swing states.
[5] In 2009, 21st Century Democrats joined Service Employees International Union, MoveOn.org, and Daily Kos in a new effort called Accountability Now PAC.
This new political action committee promised to use party primaries to challenge Democratic incumbents that PAC members do not support.