Feel good update: WhereCanIRun.org!!
HUGE news today: Check out wherecanirun.org to see where you can run for office in your community.
HUGE news today:
Through Run for Something Action Fund (RFSAF), our affiliated 501c4, we’re launching wherecanirun.org, a new groundbreaking tool that allows potential candidates to enter their name, address, birthday and see all the potential state & local offices they can run for — including, when possible, whether the position is part or full time, any eligibility requirements, filing instructions, and whether someone has already filed for the position.
This new tool is a critical part of our other big announcement today: RFSAF just kicked off a ~$50,000 ad campaign to recruit candidates in key state legislative districts in Texas ahead of the December 9th filing deadline. We’re the first organization (as far as we know) to ever use targeted online ads to generate possible candidates; the recruitment campaign in Texas is our first targeted time-boxed effort.
Digital ads are just one part of our recruitment drive — we’ve done events in Austin & Houston; we’ve worked closely with groups on the ground (including the Texas Democratic Party) and our alumni in-state to identify possible candidates; and we continue to do social media & press to amplify the stories of amazing candidates (especially young women & people of color) in order to inspire more.
Remember: We only need to flip 9 seats in the Texas State House in order to gain control. This is absolutely possible and will change the trajectory of Texas. We’re already working with Dr. Eliz Markowitz in her special election to flip HD-28 this fall, and we’ll continue to invest time, staff, and resources into the state. Onward we go.
In other news: Some updates on our 2019 candidates…
We had four candidates on the ballot in Memphis last week; congrats to JB Smiley, who won a seat on the Memphis City Council, and to Michalyn Easter-Thomas, who advanced to a run-off (against an incumbent!) for an additional seat on the council.
Richmond Magazine wrote up “The Battle of the Amandas” — a critical VA state senate race in which RFS candidate Amanda Pohl is taking on incumbent Sen. Amanda Chase. Chase is notorious for many things, including bringing her gun to the state capitol & for noting that those are raped “are naive and unprepared.” Pohl is a former social worker & hospital chaplain who’s running on health care, education funding, and rural broadband.
The Battle Of The Amandas
Gun-toting Republican Amanda Chase faces off against Democratic social worker Amanda Pohl for Chesterfield County's…rvamag.com
Phil Hernandez, candidate for VA House of Delegates, tells his story in Popsugar Latina: “About 99 percent of the time when I’m out knocking on doors, people will tell me, “You’re the first candidate who’s ever showed up at my door to ask what I think, what I care about. The changes I’d like to see for the future.” And that’s powerful. I think that makes them feel involved in the political process in a way that they haven’t before. And that means a lot to me.”
Want to feel hopeful about the future? Meet Safiya Khalid, who’s running for Lewiston City Council in Maine. She’s working on talking to every single unenrolled and Democratic voter in her district — all 800 of them. If she wins, she’ll be the first Somali-American on the council.
And don’t forget, our 220+ elected alumni across the country are also busy at work…
Connecticut state Sen. Will Haskell has an op-ed up about the Time’s Up Act, which he co-sponsored and became law last week. It extends the statute of limitations on sexual assault and mandates harassment training at work.
“Even when I was running for office, I expected to be harassed or bothered because I was a young Black man seeking an office that had never been held by someone of my skin color.” — Joshua A. Simmons, Commissioner of the City of Coral Springs, FL & RFS alum
FL. Rep. Anna Eskamani kicked off her re-election campaign with an incredibly moving video. Watch it.
In Michigan, state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky has introduced a bill to close the “marital loophole” in the state’s rape law. About damn time.
Finally, put it on your calendar: Join us in New York City on October 24th for a fun evening hosted by RFS board member Teddy Goff.
Less than one month to Election Day 2019. Let’s gooooooo! And thank you!