Feel-good update: No time to waste!
Gotta go go go and elect Democrats to state and local office NOW.
Good morning! We had a great all-staff retreat in D.C. last week and I’m more fired up than ever to get down to business this year. Hope you’re fired up, too. Let’s goooooo!
First, a NYT story that had me riled up yesterday: The explicit differences between history textbooks in California and Texas illustrate how the GOP has politicized education offices and used them to further perpetuate a whitewashed version of history. The best way to fix this: Elect more Democrats to positions on state boards of education (where relevant) and local school boards. We’re on it.
It’s also worth reading this refresher on why our work on state legislatures is SO important: Redistricting in 2021 can make or break who runs Congress for the next decade. Democrats have to be a part of the conversation.
RFS alum & candidates aren’t wasting a single minute. A few to highlight for you…
In Virginia, Rep. Joshua Cole is sponsoring a bill that would require the state Dept of Education to develop model policies for issues affecting trans students. Meanwhile, Rep. Jennifer Carroll Foy is leading the charge on ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment — here’s what that means.
Nebraska Sen. Megan Hunt is working hard to repeal a dangerous anti-abortion law that put women’s lives at risk.
After she endured brutal racist attacks during her campaign, Safiya Khalid was sworn in to her seat on the Lewiston City Council: “As a Somali-American, as a Muslim, as a black woman, all the identities that I carry, it just proves that anything is possible and you can do anything you want.”
Meet Katherine Gilmore Richardson, the youngest woman ever elected to an at-large seat on the Philadelphia City Council.
Nelsie Yang was sworn in as the youngest St. Paul city council-member ever — on inauguration day, she laid out priorities including the budget for the police department, expanding affordable housing, and adding protections for renters.
In Texas, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is introducing an anonymous reporting system encouraging citizens and the 20k county employees to report instances of fraud, abuse, or wasteful spending. Accountability in action!
We worked with the Atlantic on this wonderful story about Zahra Suratwala and Ashley Selmon, who ran for office together and built a friendship. It’ll make you smile.
South Carolina Rep. J.A. Moore wrote a powerful op-ed about his legislation to provide and promote safe drinking water across his state.
Florida Rep. Anna Eskamani is an Iranian American serving in the FL legislature. Her perspective on the conflict with Iran is a critical part of the conversation.
Meet YT Bell, who’s running to be the youngest black woman serving as Georgia state senator in her district, prioritizing issues like health care, education, and expanding access to the polls.
Eli Savitt is running for DA in Washtenaw County, MI (for non-Michiganders, that’s the county where Ann Arbor is.) Listen to this podcast about his plan, including eliminating cash bail, providing support for addiction and mental health treatment programs, eradicating racial and socioeconomic inequity, and promoting plea bargaining reform.
As part of a broader wave of Latinos making history, Carlos Garcia ran and won a powerful campaign to become the first Mexican immigrant to serve on the Phoenix City Council — this quote got me: “Carlos has been on the front lines — organizing, fighting against SB 1070, fighting against Joe Arpaio,” [one supporter] says, her eyes filling with tears. “It’s actually been a great joy of mine to be able to use the same money that came from Arpaio, the same money that came from the state’s incarceration system, to actually support his run for City Council.’”
Finally, a downer, but a reminder on why this matters: In Virginia, Republican counties & municipalities are raising hell against proposed gun safety legislation and even pushing for “second amendment sanctuary” resolutions. Again and as always: It’s not enough to win state legislatures. We have to win local offices, too.