RFS feel-good update (10/12): Reverse coattails are back & stronger than ever
The way to win national elections is to compete for and win local elections.
Hi all -
Only three more Mondays until polls close! We can make it.
First: In many states, today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In honor of the holiday, we’re raising money for Indigenous candidates running for local office across the country. Contribute directly to their campaigns and support Native leadership.
Second: Let’s talk about reverse coattails…
Experts and Texan leaders — including Beto O’Rourke — are confident that if Biden wins Texas, it’ll be because of incredible local candidates (like the 38 amazing ones Run for Something is working with this November). If you need a refresher on what reverse coattails are, read this HuffPost story from Ross back in 2017. This is one of the fundamental theories of change of RFS: The way to win national elections is to compete for and win local ones.
For a deeper dive on why local elections are a key part of the fight against voter suppression — especially as more and more voters live in cities — read this in Texas Monthly. I’d call your attention to this paragraph:
The ability of the Republican majority to suppress turnout and influence election results should lessen, bit by bit. If Democrats take control of the state House, they’ll have a seat at the table in the 2021 round of redistricting, perhaps the most consequential way the Legislature shapes election outcomes. … Perhaps more important is what is happening at the local level. As the state’s most populous counties turn bluer, Democrats are being put in charge of administering elections for more and more of the state’s population. Local election officials like interim county clerk Chris Hollins in Harris County, who has been pushing to expand access to mail ballots, have a lot of discretion.
(This is one reason why Data for Progress co-founder Sean McElwee urged folks to donate to state legislative and other down-ballot races right now. It’s a smart investment!)
Relatedly, you absolutely must watch this video, in which the Kansas senate president, a Republican, says the quiet part out loud: They have to control the legislature so they can further gerrymander the state and maintain their power.
For a full list of Run for Something candidates in Kansas, check out our directory.
If you’re looking to volunteer for local races in key battleground states, we have a massive running list of options for you.
Finally, keep an eye out on your inbox — our final endorsements of 2020 come out on Wednesday (and include a few folks running in 2021.)
In other RFS candidate & alumni updates…
We’re honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day, but many states celebrate it differently. NY state Sen. Jessica Ramos has introduced legislation to get NY onboard.
Elizabeth Madeira is running for a newly open seat in the TN state house after the GOP Speaker had to resign in a scandal. She’s raised more than any Democrat in the county in the last two decades, and has called more than 10,000 voters so far. She could win this.
We could win the Iowa state house because of great candidates, including our very own Kayla Koether.
Just a tweet to make you smile! (How rare is that?!?)
Francesca Hong, candidate for WI state assembly, wrote in Bon Appetit about how her experience as a chef/restaurant-owner directly drove her campaign for office: Her industry is at stake, and legislators control what happens to it.
In Wisconsin, Democrats are fighting hard and not repeating past mistakes— Emily Siegrist’s campaign has made more than 15,000 phone calls alone.
This story is wild: A Republican incumbent in the PA state house has been caught on camera encouraging his 5 year old son to smoke cigars and saying inappropriate things to other young kids. Everyone is calling him to resign, including the PA GOP. His opponent: RFS-endorsed candidate Kolbe Cole.
CO Rep. Brianna Titone’s opponent used offensive transphobic language in an attack ad against her; she made them pay for it by raising more than $10,000 from supporters in response.
Last month you may have seen Bethany Hallam, Liv Bennett, and Emily Kinkead baring all for a PSA about mail-in ballots. A massive crew of celebrities including Tiffany Haddish, Amy Schumer, Josh Gad, Naomi Campbell, Sarah Silverman, and Chelsea Handler jumped on the trend.
Also happening in PA: A huge win for PA Democrats, led in part by Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta
Andrew Gounardes is in a tough fight for his re-election to the NY state senate. Listen to this interview he did to understand why the GOP is throwing tons of cash up against him.
A beautiful op-ed from PA House candidate Jessica Benham: “I have a pre-existing condition. I’m a disabled, bisexual woman. In many ways, my life is on the ballot this fall. Following the lead of President Trump, many Republicans in the Pennsylvania State House have refused to wear masks and blame pre-existing conditions, rather than COVID, for the deaths of people like me. I’m sorry, if I get hit and killed by a bus, it wasn’t the pre-existing condition that killed me, it was the bus. People like me are dying, and many people, including our president and many of my potential future colleagues in the PA house, don’t seem to care.”
Shanna Danielson’s campaign for PA state senate has made more than 100,000 phone calls and text messages to voters. That’s the kind of voter contact that wins elections.
In the latest newspaper endorsements:
The Cleveland Plain-Dealer endorsed Phil Robinson for re-election to the OH state house.
The Arizona Daily Star endorsed both Dr. Ravi Grivois-Shah and Adam Ragan in their races for TUSD Governing Board.
The Detroit Free Press endorsed Laurie Pohutsky for re-election to the MI state house and Ranjeev Puri in his campaign to flip a seat.
The Charlotte Observer endorsed Terry Brown for a seat in the state house.
Abigail Wheeler is 21, a firefighter, a college student at Western Michigan University, and a supremely competitive candidate for MI state house, up against a Republican incumbent. Read this interview she did with the League of Women Voters.
We have a ton of events coming up. Put these on your calendar:
Tuesday, 8pm ET: Unapologetically Progressive in PA, with Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, Re. Sara Innamorato, state senate candidate Shanna Danielson and state house candidate Rick Krajewski. UP events are free; just claim your spot.
Also Tuesday, 8pm ET: A special event to benefit Run for Something Texas! Hosted by authors Jenny Han, Nicola Yoon, Soman Chainani, Victoria Aveyard, and Jessica Knoll. (This is my dream lineup - I’m so excited!) Tickets start at $25 and enter you in a raffle for signed books, swag, and more.
October 20, 8pm ET: Unapologetically Progressive in FL: Meet candidates Nancy Metayer, Ben Marcus, Ricky Junquera, and Luisa Santos. Tickets are free!
October 27th, 8pm ET: A virtual house party. Special guests TBA; stay tuned. Tickets start at $25.
Tomorrow’s Run for Something: The Podcast episode is a powerful one — I talked with Gabby Salinas, who came to the United States from Bolivia when she was diagnosed with cancer as a child. The Memphis community took her family in and cared for her -- and then showed itself to be even more welcoming when Gabby's father and sister died in a car crash that also paralyzed her pregnant mother. A few years later, Gabby was diagnosed with a new type of cancer, which came back again just before she went off to college. Gabby kept fighting, became a scientist, a candidate for state legislature in Tennessee, and a fierce advocate for the kind of health care that saved her life many times over. Listen to her story wherever you get your podcasts; the episode drops tomorrow.
Thanks for making all this possible. We have so much work to do between now and when polls close, and even more work to do afterwards. I hope you’re committed to be all-in no matter what happens, because we can’t stop fighting.
- Amanda
P.S. We’re hearing reports like this from candidates all across the country. Sure, it’s anecdote. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make us feel better!
