Prominent LI businessman to lead anti-Trump super PAC
By: Adina Genn June 16, 2016
A top Long Island Democratic fundraiser and former Suffolk County legislator will serve as chairman of “Keep America Great,” a new super PAC whose sole mission is to keep Donald Trump out of the White House.
The PAC “is a nationwide grassroots organization to bring everyone together – Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Conservatives, young, old – it’s a place to unite in a common goal: We must stop Donald Trump from being president,” Jon Cooper told LIBN.
Rather than rally around a specific candidate, the super PAC claims to be the first grassroots organization formed to stop a candidate. The group is planning TV ads and an aggressive digital marketing campaign, as well as establishing chapters on more than 100 college campuses.
The PAC is the brainchild of Nate Lerner, the organization’s executive director, whose political background includes working on Barack Obama’s 2012 presidential campaign as well as a Pittsburgh mayoral race.
Also playing a key role is Scott Dworkin, who served as a senior advisor to draft Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren to run for president. A senior advisor to the PAC, Dworkin also worked on both of Obama’s presidential campaigns.
Both Dworkin and Francesca Lucia, the PAC’s national finance director, currently work at Bulldog Finance Group, a political firm based in Washington.
Cooper, the president of Westbury-based manufacturer Spectronics, recently served as national finance chair in the effort to draft Biden. It was because of his work on that campaign that Keep America Great approached him.
Cooper agreed to step in as chairman because “the future of our nation is literally at stake.” In a statement released to the media, Cooper said that Trump’s
“recent racist attacks against a respected federal judge, his fervent support of assault weapons even after the mass murder in Orlando, his mocking of people with disabilities – these all provide a window into his heart and soul. And that should give all fair-minded Americans pause.”
Already, the PAC appears to have traction.
“We’re in touch with a dozen A-list celebrities – top names from Hollywood and Broadway stars,” Cooper said. “We’ve had dozens of offer from young people to do videos for social media.”
The PAC began making national headlines late Wednesday. After an item about it appeared on CNN, the donation page for the PAC briefly crashed because of traffic.
Cooper believes this momentum is just the beginning.
“One million people making a $10 contribution can make a difference,” he said.