Feel-good update: How state & local leaders are taking charge
Things feel bad. But seeing our leaders step up when it matters most gives us hope.
I’ll admit: It feels weird to post a “feel good update” in a week where everything is so scary. But honestly, reading through the ways in which RFS alum & candidates are taking action made me feel a little bit better. If and when we make it out of this, it’ll be in no small part because of these amazing leaders, taking concrete steps and modeling the kind of #StayAtHome behavior we all need to be doing.
Before I get into those good stories, a logistics note: Our staff has always been working remotely & will continue to do so while following the guidelines of the cities they live in. We are also postponing all events until at least the end of April. This has a direct impact on our fundraising for the next two months, so I implore you: If you were planning on supporting Run for Something this year, your generosity is especially needed right now as we make up the gap.
Back to the news… While Washington has truly fucked it up, local and state elected officials have picked up the slack and taken critical action to mitigate the danger as much as they can. Time has a good overview of this, in case you needed yet another reminder on how important it is to fight & win these offices.
A few examples of RFS alumni in action:
Rep. Mari Manoogian joined a few other state legislators in Michigan to introduce a comprehensive package of legislation that would allow the creation of a pandemic outbreak fund, remove cost barriers to testing, treatment, and other COVID-19 costs, and urge Congress to provide Michigan with increased support.
Rep. JA Moore is filing a bill to put a six-month halt on evictions across the state of South Carolina. The New York state senate is moving on similar legislation, co-sponsored by many including Sen. Alessandra Biaggi.
Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta is introducing legislation to halt state student loan payments for up to 60 days across Pennsylvania.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is leading in Houston, advocating for social distancing and aiming to limit the spread of the disease in the county.
Mayor Frank Scott Jr. declared a state of emergency in Little Rock as soon as the virus appeared there.
And some other alumni news, unrelated to the global pandemic:
Weeks after the election, Katie Valenzuela is finally declared the winner in her campaign against a longtime incumbent on the Sacramento City Council. We profiled her in our candidate spotlight series earlier this year.
The New Hampshire House voted to eliminate child marriage by raising the minimum age to 18, a cause Rep. Cassandra Levesque has been championing for years — just two years ago, she increased the age up to 16, from 13 for girls and 14 for boys.
Ashwani Jain wrote a powerful reflection on why he ran for office in 2018 and why it was worth it, even though he lost. It’s worth a read.
Del. Danica Roem joined Hillary and Chelsea Clinton to talk about how she became the first openly trans state legislator in the country and what she’s accomplished since winning.
Finally: If you need some social distance reading, this excerpt from David Daley’s new book, Unrigged, should make you want to pick it up:
It’s a gorgeous June evening in 2018 in Washington DC. It’s easy to imagine senators Cory Booker and Kirsten Gillibrand competing 12 months from now on debate stages across Iowa. But tonight they are tossing beanbags before a cheering young crowd fueled by a pale rosé and piles of guacamole.
It’s a celebratory fundraiser for Run for Something … which is teaching hundreds of first-time millennial candidates how to get elected to state legislatures, county commissions, school boards and judgeships. Most of them are women or candidates of color; many of them are running in places like Montana, Oklahoma and Arkansas, states in which Democrats have either surrendered or gone plain extinct.
Stay safe, stay at home, and stay kind.
If you’re feeling anxious and looking for something to do, find a remote volunteer activity on our Volunteer for Something hub.