Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club (WDRC) is a left-of-center political action committee (PAC) that endorses Democratic Party city council and school board candidates in Oakland, as well as candidates running for office in California, for Congress, and for President based on how their agenda aligns with WDRC political values. ¹

WDRC advocates for policies informed by identity politics to dictate the use of publicly funded social programs based on how they can affect certain groups, such as people of a certain ethnicity, mental or physical capacity, socioeconomic status, and gender identity. ²

Background

Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club is a left-of-center political action committee (PAC) that was founded in 2003 and organizes campaigns for what it describes as “progressive members” of the Democratic Party. ³ It is based in Oakland, California and advocates that cities not enforce federal immigration laws, for the Green New Deal and environmentalist policies, for a government-run single-payer health care system, and for restricting campaign speech. ⁴

WDRC advocates through campaigns, often in the form of what it calls a committee. Its committees endorse candidates based on their policies on specific left-of-center issues to garner support for the candidates from WDRC’s members.

Campaigns

Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club has an East Bay Communities for Action Committee (EBCFA) that campaigns in support of Democratic candidates running for city council in Oakland, elected positions at the state level, and nationally that advocate for creating single-payer government-run health care programs and for eliminating tax deductions for businesses. It also organizes volunteers to canvass, send postcards, and phone banks for endorsed candidates at the congressional and presidential level. ⁵

WDRC’s Education Committee advocates for eliminating public funding to charter schools because it argues that funding for charter schools should be given to ethnic minorities, disabled, and lower-income individuals who attend public schools. It makes endorsements for school board candidates based on their willingness to end public funding of charter schools and endorses candidates based their support for teachers’ unions. ⁶

The California Sanctuary Campaign is supported through multiple campaigns within WDRC, advocating for making Oakland and California a sanctuary for individuals it claims to be subject to discrimination and persecution based on their “race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual or gender identity, physical and mental capacities, and economic resources.” ⁷

WDRC is a supporter of the United States Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR) where it demands an immediate end to the political and military influence of Israel over the disputed Palestinian territories, including the portions of Jerusalem disputed between Israel and Palestinian nationalists. It backed an open letter by USCPR that criticized Secretary of State Antony Blinken for meeting with Israel’s government without condemning its military activities pertaining to the disputed area and describing the Israeli government as being far-right and fascist. ⁸

The National Political Committee is WDRC’s national campaign to support Democratic candidates running for congress or president that align with its idea of a “progressive Democratic agenda.” ⁹

In 2010, WDRC formed a committee called Block by Block Organizing Committee (BBBON). BBBON campaigns in support of Democratic city council candidates in Oakland, California that it describes as having a left-of-center agenda on housing, immigration, and policing. ¹⁰

Funding

From its inception in 2003 through 2022, Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club has exclusively contributed to Democratic Party campaigns. ¹¹

Between the 2012 and 2022 election cycles, WDRC reported total disbursements of $163,000, having only spent $3,400 during the 2022 election cycle. ¹²

1. “Home – WDRC.” WDRC – Progressive Democrats, December 25, 2022. https://wellstoneclub.org/.
2. “California Sanctuary Campaign – WDRC.” WDRC – Progressive Democrats, January 19, 2020. http://wellstoneclub.org/sanctuary/.
3. “About the Club – WDRC.” WDRC – Progressive Democrats, December 17, 2022. https://wellstoneclub.org/about/.
4. “Home – WDRC.” WDRC – Progressive Democrats, December 25, 2022. https://wellstoneclub.org/.
5. “East Bay Communities for Action Committee – WDRC.” WDRC – Progressive Democrats, September 9, 2021. http://wellstoneclub.org/ebcfa/.
6. ^[1] “Education Committee – WDRC.” WDRC – Progressive Democrats, September 23, 2022. http://wellstoneclub.org/education/.
7. “California Sanctuary Campaign – WDRC.” WDRC – Progressive Democrats, January 19, 2020. http://wellstoneclub.org/sanctuary/.
8. “160 Organizations Demand Congress Stop Funding Israel’s Massacres.” US Campaign for Palestinian Rights, March 6, 2023. https://uscpr.org/160-organizations-demand-congress-to-stop-funding-israels-massacres/
9. “National Political Committee – WDRC.” WDRC – Progressive Democrats, February 16, 2021. http://wellstoneclub.org/national/.
10. “Block by Block Organizing Committee – WDRC.” WDRC – Progressive Democrats, June 18, 2020. http://wellstoneclub.org/bbbon/.
11. “PAC Profile: Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club.” OpenSecrets. Accessed March 6, 2023. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/wellstone-democratic-renewal-club/totals?id=D000029794
12. “Disbursements.” FEC.gov. Accessed April 3, 2023. https://www.fec.gov/data/disbursements/?data_type=processed&committee_id=C00404525&two_year_transaction_period=2014&two_year_transaction_period=2016&two_year_transaction_period=2018&two_year_transaction_period=2020&two_year_transaction_period=2022.