At least 140 Run for Something candidates won their elections last night — more than half of those winners are women and at least 35% are people of color. We are still tracking down results for folks and many races are too close to call or in recounts, so expect that number to grow.
We put out a quick video this morning about the movement we’re building. Here are some of the many many highlights from yesterday:
Our candidates flipped state legislative seats in Florida, Minnesota, Texas, New York, Michigan, North Carolina, Indiana, Missouri, and Connecticut
Our candidates were 3 of the 11 TX House pick-ups and 3 of the 11 FL House pick-ups
Lina Hidalgo, a 28 year old first generation American and Kennedy School grad won her race for Harris County Judge — she’s going to be the chief executive for the third largest county in the country
J.D. Ford became the first openly gay state lawmaker in Indiana.
Andrew Gounardes, took down a 16 year GOPer in the NY state senate and was the critical seat to flipping the chamber blue
Barbara Bessette, a Native American woman (and barrel racer!!) won her seat in the Montana state legislature
Erin Zweiner flipped a TX state legislature — and managed to also grow & give birth to a baby — fun fact: she went into labor during a protest against border separation, met three potential voters at the hospital, and had some time to kill after her epidural, so she wrote a fundraising email.
Kevin Morrison took down the chair of the IL GOP, a 3-term incumbent, to become the first LGBT member of the Cook County Board
Dave Hutchinson of Hennepin County, MN, beat an incumbent GOP sheriff that had been working with ICE
Jordan Acker took out an incumbent and became the first member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents to graduate from UM in this century.
Alma Hernandez became the first Jewish Mexican-American in the AZ state legislature, and her sister, Conseulo, also RFS-endorsed, won a seat on the school board — along with their brother, Daniel, the entire family now serves the people of Arizona
RFS alum Garlin Gilchrist II was elected Lieutenant Governor of Michigan!
Those folks are future governors, senators, and members of Congress — but more importantly: They’re going to make a difference in peoples lives immediately. Every candidate, win or lose, did the hard work of knocking doors, talking to voters, holding GOPers accountable, and giving Democrats someone to show up for.
None of this would have been possible without you. Thank you.
Since RFS launched on Inauguration Day in 2017, we’ve now elected more than 175 young people across the country (while spending a meager $2.25 million, FWIW.) But this was never just about the 2018 election. It’s about the 2020, 2022, 2024, and beyond. The GOP has been investing in this work for decades; we can’t expect to play catch-up in just two years. We’ve got to invest for the long-haul, too — we’re not going anywhere.
We have so much more work to do. I hope you’re fired up and ready to go all-in with us.
Thanks for everything, from me and the entire team.