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Former Connecticut Secretary Of The State Takes Reins At Common Cause

FAIRFIELD COUNTY, Conn. -- Miles Rapoport, former Connecticut secretary of the state, state legislator and president of the think tank Demos, has been named president of Common Cause.

Miles Rapoport has been named president of Common Cause.

Miles Rapoport has been named president of Common Cause.

Photo Credit: Demos.org

Common Cause is a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization founded in 1970 by John Gardner as a "vehicle for citizens to make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest."

“Miles brings us an incredible combination of intellect, energy and experience,” said Robert Reich, former U.S. secretary of labor and chair of Common Cause’s National Governing Board. “His commitment to our mission of holding power accountable, and his understanding of the challenges we face in executing it, is unparalleled.”

Rapoport will start at Common Cause on March 10.

President of Demos since 2001, Rapoport led that organization’s transition from a small start-up to a significant public policy research and advocacy shop.

“Demos has become a wellspring of innovative thought,” Reich said, “and Miles is among its and our country’s best thinkers. Under his leadership, Demos has led the way in identifying and spotlighting the damage being done to our democracy by the growing gap between the wealth of the richest Americans and that of our shrinking middle class.”

In addition to leading Demos through a period of tremendous growth, Rapoport has been a regular writer and contributor to its studies of income inequality, campaign finance, and voting rights. He serves as a director of The American Prospect magazine and was its president from 2010-12.

At Common Cause, Rapoport will succeed Bob Edgar, who died suddenly last April after six years as the organization’s president. Edgar was a former Pennsylvania congressman, college president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches.

“I am tremendously excited to have the chance to lead Common Cause, build on its remarkable history and strong organizational platform, and expand on the major initiatives led by Bob Edgar,” Rapoport said.

“Common Cause’s work has never been more important, and the stakes have never been higher. More and more Americans understand now that economic inequality, big money, and barriers to participation have distorted our democracy, and they are ready to roll up their sleeves to reclaim it. No organization is better positioned or better qualified than Common Cause to lead that effort."

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