Feel-good update: Who’s running in Texas

​I know it’s impeachment week, but bear with me: I want to talk about Texas.

​I know it’s impeachment week, but bear with me: I want to talk about Texas.

We ran $100k+ worth of ads in Texas — after last Monday’s filing deadline, it’s clear it paid off.

At least 26 of the 80+ non-incumbent Democrats running for state house in Texas are in the RFS pipeline. At least 17 of them are challenging Republican incumbents or running in open seats & 3 of them are running in districts that Democrats left uncontested in 2018. More than half of these folks are women. (And all these stats don’t include the 5 incumbents we helped elect in 2018, 4 of whom have been named top targets by the TX GOP.)

It’s worth noting: At least a half dozen of these folks signed up with us nearly 3 years ago, reinforcing something we say often: Candidate recruitment can take a long time, and requires permanent investment.

We’ll be soliciting and reviewing endorsement applications from these folks over the next few months, and will further engage with the true all-stars of the bunch who meet our criteria. Stay tuned!

More good updates from our candidates & alumni across the country:

• Berkeley City Councilmember Rigel Robinson wrote a great op-ed in the Daily Cal, encouraging other students to run for office — our network of 900+ alum are the best possible recruiters of their peers.

You are qualified to run for office
Op-Eds A year ago, you entrusted me to represent you on the Berkeley City Council. Every day since then has affirmed…www.dailycal.org

• The MI state house just passed Rep. Mari Manoogian’s bill banning drivers under 18 from using their cell phones will driving.

• FL Rep. Anna Eskamani has filed a bill seeking assistance for the survivors of the Pulse nightclub shooting, much needed after a federal grant for the local community center ran out.

• After high school activists brought the issue to her attention, CO Rep. Brianna Titone will be sponsoring a bill to pay for pads & tampons for students who need them.

• We worked with Dimple Ajmera in her 2017 when she became the youngest city council member in Charlotte, NC. Now she’s running statewide for NC state treasurer. Go Dimple!

• Councilmember Mo Seifeldein is sponsoring a new ordinance to add gender & transgender identities to the list of protected statuses in Alexandria, VA.

• CT state Sen. Will Haskell has a powerful op-ed on what he’d like to do to lower the cost of prescription drugs, since there’s no chance the federal gov’t will act.

And in related reading:

• Why it matters to elect folks to every level of office, no matter how small: 71 localities in Virginia, 64 counties in Illinois, and 30 counties in New Mexico have passed some kind of resolution refusing to follow any state-initiated gun control legislation.

• Our partners at Ignite ran an incredible conference for young women considering running for office — read this and feel good about the future.

• The entire Democratic ecosystem is taking on the fight to win state legislatures. It’ll take a village to get this done — glad everyone’s on board.

I can’t say it enough: Thank you for making all this possible. I rarely make an ask in these emails — but today, I hope you’ll make an end-of-year gift. We need to go into 2020 with a strong foundation — your generosity today matters most.

Thanks, thanks, thanks!

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