Feel-good update: The most important election in 2020

Good morning, welcome back to work, and happy USWNT-are-our-queens week!

Good morning, welcome back to work, and happy USWNT-are-our-queens week!

Let’s start by talking about state legislatures… As we say regularly: It doesn’t matter who wins the White House if we don’t also win state legislatures and have a say in redistricting.

Folks are starting to catch on. The NYT dove in on the incredible urgency around state legislative races in 2020. So did Vox, which says it well: “The most important election of 2020 arguably isn’t for the White House — it’s the battle for control of America’s state legislatures.”

Republicans dominate state legislatures. That decides political power in America.
The most important election of 2020 arguably isn't for the White House - it's the battle for control of America's state…www.vox.com

If you haven’t read the Mother Jones story from last week about gerrymandering, dive in. Writer Ari Berman also put out some great videos you might enjoy.

This chart sums it all up as well as anything else…

Relatedly: Washington Monthly asks and answers: How Democrats can really win back power. If you read nothing else in this update, read this story.

​In candidate updates:

- Amanda Pohl is running for VA state senate against a Republican incumbent who posted on Facebook that “it’s those who are naive and unprepared who end [up] raped.” The most hideous and blatant victim-blaming of survivors imaginable.” Can not WAIT for Amanda to take her seat.

- Texas Rep. Erin Zwiener’s bill allowing Buda, a city in her district, to store water in a local aquifer​ was signed into law last week — while seemingly minor, this will let the city of Buda to ensure they have fresh water in case of a drought. The kind of law that makes life better for people!

- 11 politicians 25 & under you should be paying attention to, including: Rep. Cassandra Levesque in NH, Sen. Will Haskell in CT, and Rep. Selena Torres in NV.

- Rep. Alma Hernandez in Arizona secured an agreement to begin mandatory training in de-escalation and crisis intervention for police who work in school campuses. Kids will be safer because of her work.

- NIkki Foster, an RFS alum and Air Force veteran, has announced she’s running for Congress to take on Steve Chabot in OH-1. Watch her story and chip in to her congressional campaign!

- “There has been lots of talk about how millennials might campaign and govern differently: They’re more likely to be Democrats, more likely to be progressive and meme-fluent, and more likely to care about things that millennials care about, like the climate crisis, student loan debt, and racial justice. There’s been less talk about how those candidates’ romantic partners will make sense of one of the most antiquated roles in American politics.” — Chloe Angyal, the partner of alum Iowa state Senator Zach Walls, on what it’s like for younger politicians & their partners to navigate their new landscape.

Thanks for making all this ​possible. Our work matters now more than ever, and we wouldn’t be doing it without your help.