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With forewords from:
- John B. Anderson (R,I–IL)
- Birch Bayh (D–IN)
- John Buchanan (R–AL)
- Tom Campbell (R–CA)
- Greg Aghazarian (R–CA)
- Saul Anuzis (R–MI)
- Laura Brod (R–MN)
- James L. Brulte (R–CA)
- Tom Golisano (R,I–FL)
- Joseph Griffo (R–NY)
- Ray Haynes (R–CA)
- Bob Holmes (D–GA)
- Dean Murray (R–NY)
- Tom Pearce (R–MI)
- Christopher Pearson (P–VT)
Birch Bayh (D–IN)
John Buchanan (R–AL)
Tom Campbell (R–CA)
Tom Downey (D–NY)
D. Durenberger (R–MN)
Jake Garn (R–UT)
Alaska - 70%
Arizona - 67%
Arkansas - 80%
Arkansas - 74%
California - 69%
California - 70%
Colorado - 68%
Connecticut - 73%
Connecticut - 74%
Delaware - 75%
Dist. of Columbia - 76%
Florida - 78%
Kentucky - 80%
Idaho - 77%
Iowa - 75%
Maine - 77%
Maine - 71%
Massachusetts - 73%
Michigan - 70%
Michigan - 73%
Minnesota 75%
Mississippi - 77%
Missouri - 66%
Missouri - 70%
Montana - 72%
Nebraska - 74%
Nevada - 72%
New Hampshire - 69%
New Mexico - 76%
New York - 79%
North Carolina - 74%
Ohio - 70%
Oklahoma - 81%
Oregon - 76%
Pennsylvania - 78%
Rhode Island - 74%
South Carolina - 71%
South Dakota - 75%
South Dakota - 71%
Utah - 70%
Vermont - 75%
Virginia - 74%
Washington - 77%
Washington - 77%
West Virgina - 81%
Wisconsin - 71%
Wyoming - 69%
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Delaware House
Dist. of Columbia
Hawaii House
Hawaii Senate
Illinois House
Illinois Senate
Maine Senate
Maryland House
Maryland Senate
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Massachusetts Senate
Michigan House
Nevada Assembly
New Jersey Assembly
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New Mexico House
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Washington Senate
Former Tennessee U.S. Senator and 2008 presidential candidate Fred Thompson(R), former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar (R), and former Iowa Governor Chet Culver (D) endorsed the National Popular Vote bill at a press conference on May 12, 2011, at the National Press Club in Washington DC.
The press conference was led by philanthropist and National Spokesman for National Popular Vote, Tom Golisano.
At the press conference, Former Tennessee U.S. Senator and 2008 presidential candidate Fred Thompson said:
"We live in a time when the American people are increasingly cynical about their government's ability to deal with our most pressing problems," said Thompson. "This means that there is a need for bold, effective presidential leadership as never before. Therefore, we simply can no longer afford to run the risk of having a president who is handicapped by not having won the most popular votes. The National Popular Vote approach offers the states a way to deal with this issue in a way that is totally consistent with our constitutional principles."
Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar (R):
"I'm proud that the state of Illinois was among the first to enact this plan. This isn't a red state issue or a blue state issue; it's about making sure every state has a voice in our presidential elections."
Former Iowa Governor Chet Culver (D) said:
"The time has come for states to join together and support the simple premise that the individual who receives the most votes for President should become the next President of the United States. Voting systems across the country have been modernized, and we now have an opportunity to continue making progress by passing the national popular vote initiative to guarantee that the person who receives the most votes is elected to our nation's most important elected office."
In February, philanthropist Tom Golisano joined the effort as a national spokesperson. Golisano said:
"I wanted to take a leadership role in this campaign because I believe that every vote should count equally. The president we choose represents this entire nation, and we should all count when making that choice. Our presidential election should truly be democratic. We are electing the president of the United States of America, not of the Battleground States of America,"
Dr. John Koza, chair of National Popular Vote, welcomed the new co-champions and said:
"The present system effectively disenfranchises voters in two-thirds of states, and makes some votes hundreds of times more important than others. We welcome Sen. Thompson and Governors Culver and Edgar to the movement. Their involvement goes to show that this movement isn't about ideology or geography, but about making every vote count."
Fred Thompson has had one of the most unusual and interesting careers in American politics. Having served eight years as a Senator from Tennessee, and in 2008 sought the Republican nomination for President of the United States. He served as Chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, and as a member of the Finance Committee as well as the Select Committee on Intelligence.
In 1973, he was appointed by Senator Howard Baker to serve as Minority Counsel to the Senate Watergate Committee where Thompson first gained national attention for leading the line of inquiry that revealed the audio-taping system in the White House Oval Office. Senator Thompson first appeared on screen in the film Marie in 1985. Since then, he has appeared in numerous movies including No Way Out, In the Line of Fire, Die Hard II, Days of Thunder and The Hunt for Red October, and became known for his portrayal of New York District Attorney Arthur Branch on the Emmy Award-winning NBC television drama, Law & Order.
In 1998, Chet Culver was elected as Iowa's 29th Secretary of State and the youngest Secretary of State in the nation, and he was re-elected in 2002. As Secretary of State, Chet streamlined Iowa's voting process, making it easier for people to vote, and expanded access to polling places for the disabled. In 2006 Chet Culver was elected Governor of Iowa. As Governor, Culver worked to attract new industries like IBM and Google to Iowa and led the way to Iowa becoming a national leader in wind and alternative energy, all while balancing the budget. In 2011, Culver formed The Chet Culver Group to work with individuals and public and private sector entities to provide strategic consulting, cut through red tape and promote cutting-edge ideas that will move the country forward.
Jim Edgar's career in government spans 30 years. He worked in the legislative branch of government for 10 years, which included his election to the Illinois House of Representatives. Governor Edgar served for 20 years in the executive branch of government including 10 years as Secretary of State and 8 years as Illinois' 38th Governor. He was first elected Governor in 1990 and reelected in 1994 by the widest margin in Illinois history. Governor Edgar is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Illinois' Institute of Government and Public Affairs, and lectures at other colleges and universities throughout the state. In the fall of 1999 the Governor was a resident fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The Governor serves on a variety of corporate and civic boards. He is the President Emeritus of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation.
