New Democrat Network

The New Democrat Network or NDN is led by founder and President Simon Rosenberg, "with advice from NDN's Advisory Board, a group of leading New Democratic thinkers and strategists." 


 * "NDN has offices in DC, New York, San Francisco, and Miami."


 * "NDN also works through two affiliates, the NDN Political Fund, a non-federal political organization, and NDN PAC, a federal political action committee."


 * NDN funds the think tank the New Politics Institute.

Archive of the NDN

 * http://www.newdem.org/
 * "This website contains the archive of the material of the New Democrat Network, a political action committee from 1996 - 2002 and a non federal political committee from 2003 - 2006. It also contains information from NDN PAC, which was a federal political action committee from 2003 - 2006. You can visit the New Democrat Network's successor organization, NDN at www.ndn.org, NDN's think tank for politics, New Politics Institute at www.newpolitics.net and NDN's Blog at www.ndnblog.org."

From New Democratic Network to NDN
The New Democratic Network officially became NDN in 2005. In August 2005, a study of the current NDN website, ndn.org, to which ndndem.org now redirects, did not reveal the words behind the acronym. A search of the website for "Democrat" yielded only:
 * many members of the Advisory Board are long-time Democratic Party political operatives . Whether this operation serves as a front or other affiliate of the Democratic Party coopting independents and "the progressive community", or demonstrates a non-partisan independence from the existing bi-partisan duopoly, remains to be demonstrated.  The whois database record  names "New Directions for News" as the registrant. See this topic's Talk section.

Mission in 2008
A visit to the NDN website in February, 2008 finds this mission: "NDN is a progressive think tank and advocacy organization. NDN’s work is organized around a powerful idea – that for progressives to succeed in the 21st century as they did in the 20th, they will have to do three things: offer a new governing agenda that speaks to the challenges of our day; master the new media and technology tools that are changing the way we all communicate and advocate; and understand and speak to the radically new demographic make-up of today’s America. NDN’s staff, Fellows and collaborators offer fresh and original thinking in these three main areas of focus: new governing agenda, new media and technology and new demography. ... You may also want to learn more about our affiliate the New Politics Institute, our think tank for politics, and review our recent article, "The 50 Year Strategy", that lays out a big vision for progressive success in the years ahead." 

NDN Founders Senior Staff

 * Andy and Deborah Rappaport, Founders
 * Simon Rosenberg, President and Founder
 * Dr. Robert J. Shapiro, Chair of Globalization Initiative
 * Peter Leyden, Director of New Politics Institute
 * Andres Ramirez, Vice President for Hispanic Programs

Advisory Board

 * Joseph J. Andrew, former Democratic National Committee Chairman
 * Sergio Bendixen, pollster and Latino expert
 * Vic Fazio, former U.S. Representative, who was chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
 * Ron Kirk, former Dallas Mayor and 2002 Texas Democratic U.S. Senate nominee
 * Dave McCurdy, former Democratic Leadership Council Chairman
 * Mike McCurry, former White House Press Secretary
 * Mack McLarty, former White House Chief of Staff
 * Morris Reid, Founding Partner and Managing Director of the Westin Rinehart Group
 * Jonah Seiger, Internet pioneer and strategist
 * Robert Shapiro, economist and former Under Secretary of Commerce
 * Rob Stein, former Commerce Department Chief of Staff and private equity investor
 * Christine A. Varney, former Federal Trade Commissioner


 * Source: NDN.org accessed May 18, 2005.

The Coalition
The NDN, "a coalition member, plans a separate $5 million television campaign aimed at Latino voters in four states." 

The "coalition" is comprised of five allied Democrat groups: Media Fund, "the principal vehicle for pro-Democratic television commercials by the coalition"; America Coming Together, "which is responsible for get-out-the-vote efforts"; America Votes, "the umbrella organization that will stitch together the activities of various progressive organizations"; Joint Victory Campaign 2004, "a combined fundraising committee"; and the Thunder Road Group."

NDN Funding Sources
Open Secrets: Advocacy Group Funding (based on records released by the Internal Revenue Service on Monday, March 08, 2004): New Democrat Network.

NDN Blog
NDN's weblog http://www.ndnblog.org/ (NDN Blog) is "Paid for by NDN PAC and NDN Political Fund and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee." 

Contact details
New Democrat Network, New Politics Institute, NDN Political Fund, and NDN PAC 777 North Capitol Street, NE, Suite 410 Washington, DC 20002 Phone: (202) 544-9200 Fax: (202) 547-2929 Email: info AT ndnpac.org/ Website: http://www.newdem.org (New Democrat Network) Website: http://www.ndnpac.org/npi/ (New Politics Institute) Website: http://www.ndnpac.org/ (NDN PAC)

Related SourceWatch Resources

 * 501c4
 * 527 committee
 * Blue Dog Democrats
 * Congressional Progressive Congress (CPC)
 * House Centrist Coalition
 * lobbying firms
 * McCain-Feingold
 * New Democrat Coalition
 * New Democrats
 * Progressive Donor Network
 * Senate Centrist Coalition
 * soft money
 * Third Way Foundation
 * Third Way organization
 * U.S. presidential election, 2004: Campaign Ads

External Articles

 * John Stauber, The Progressive Movement is a PR Front for Rich Democrats, March 15, 2013, CounterPunch.