Feel good update: PA, Austin, and an inspiring essay
Happy Monday! Remember how Conor Lamb won in Pennsylvania last week? (That really was just last week. Time is so weird in this Trump era…)
Happy Monday! Remember how Conor Lamb won in Pennsylvania last week? (That really was just last week. Time is so weird in this Trump era…)
The NYT editorial board reinforced what we’ve been saying since day one: We have to run good candidates in every district — at every level — because we can’t win if we aren’t in the game in the first place.
Opinion | Conor Lamb's Lesson for Democrats
Regardless of who wins the special House election in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, the Democratic candidate, Conor Lamb, has…www.nytimes.com
After Lamb’s win on Tuesday, nearly every pundit and operative was singing our song: Run good people and run them everywhere. We’re excited about our candidates in the blue states, sure, but we’re also hyped about our folks in the red states and long-shot races. Anything can happen!
(As an aside, more great news out of PA: Pennsylvania Democrats have recruited a record number of candidates for state legislature — its largest slate since at least 2000.)
Also last week: We had a great event in Austin — 60+ folks came out (even in a city full of open bars and “secret shows”) to hear from three amazing candidates and learn more about what they can do to support young candidates across the Lonestar state. It was a blast.
Over in Dallas, the local news covered the Run for Something movement. Any story about young people running for office encourages more young people to consider running, too — every little bit counts in convincing someone they can actually do this.
In other good local news, Iowa Democrats are fielding candidates in 94% of the state legislative races. Iowa Starting Line perfectly explains the reverse coattails effect this could have:
It should also provide a boon to Democrats’ top-of-ticket candidates. More local candidates mean more Democrats knocking doors and turning out voters in every area of the state, including Republican-leaning places the statewide campaigns may not have the resources to fully cover. Extra volunteer bases come into play — a state house candidate’s nephew may not be interested in volunteering for a gubernatorial nominee, but he’ll go knock doors for his uncle.
And it boosts Democratic turnout overall — perhaps a marginal voter isn’t excited by the party’s congressional candidate, but the local state senate candidate was her former teacher, so she’ll turn out for him and then also fill in the ballot for the other Democrats since she’s there anyway.
Speaking of elections: Bushra Amiwala, who’s on the ballot TOMORROW in Illinois, has a wonderful first-person essay in Seventeen about her campaign. It’s worth reading if you’re in need of a little inspiration this week.
I'm A College Sophmore and I'm Running For Office
Most college students spend their days thinking about their classes, parties, or internships, but Bushra Amiwala has…www.seventeen.com
You should also read this Q&A with Michigan state legislative candidate Mari Manoogian. We loved this answer…
What advice would you give to the next generation of leaders who want to get involved?
Do not let anyone tell you it’s not your turn to lead. Change by its very nature is not an easy prospect, especially when leaders who are atypical or non-traditional step forward to lead. Remember that leading doesn’t always mean talking, and in fact it more often than not means being a good listener. And, most importantly, invest in the time it takes to create meaningful, lasting relationships.
In other fun content: Ross joined our friends at EMILY’s List for a Facebook live to talk about running for office. Catch up with the video.
Finally, some internal news! Please welcome Robert Wrasse (robert@runforsomething.net) to the team as our development director, based in Chicago, and Leslie Hauser (leslieh@runforsomething.net) as our new community manager, based in Northern California. You should also congratulate Sarah Horvitz, who’s moving into a new role as our political director.
Thanks for doing what you to make this all possible. We’re so lucky and so grateful to get to do this work.
Miss last week’s update? Catch up!
Feel good update: Texas elections! (Remember those?)
Last week Texas voted and Run for Something candidates won. What a damn delight.medium.com