RFS feel-good update (10/19): We can do anything for 15 days
(Because the next 15 days are building on years of practice!)
Hi all -
Voters are voting. It’s happening. While it feels like this election has lasted 10 lifetimes, there are another 10 lifetimes before it’s over.
Here’s the thing: While the final 15 days are critical (keep donating! make calls! volunteer without putting anyone at risk of COVID!), keep in mind they’re happening on top of the years of organizing we’ve been doing leading up to this. The doors you knocked, calls you made, and money you donated in state legislative elections in 2017, the 2018 midterms, the 2019 local races, the special elections scattered throughout and then during the Democratic primary for the candidate you preferred — none of that happened in a vacuum. It all builds on itself.
We’ve been running a collective marathon; the next 15 days are when we sprint to the finish line and then lean into the tape. To torture this metaphor, when this election (eventually) ends, we’ll all get take a beat to hopefully celebrate, stretch, recover, and then start training for the next one, stronger than when we started — because, sorry not sorry, the next race will be on the calendar.
With that, some Run for Something updates!
We made our final endorsements of 2020 (and a few endorsements for 2021) last week!
Some 2020 stats to highlight for you:
We endorsed 664 candidates this year — after primaries, 525 are on the ballot this November. Of those 525 candidates…
52% are Black, Indigenous, or people of color
56% are women
24% are LGBTQIA+
31 are Gen-Z’ers (born after 1996)!
65% of the 525 candidates running for state legislature; 22% are running for municipal office, 8% are running for education roles, and 3% are running for legal positions.
206 of the 343 state legislative candidates are running to flip seats; 189 of them are running in districts Trump won in 2016. 9 are the first Democrats to run for their seat in 2+ cycles.
More than 35 million Americans can vote for a Run for Something candidate this November!
Our team has had 700+ one-on-one tracked calls with these candidates, and thousands of additional interventions (calls, texts, emails, etc.) We have found a way to balance providing deep 1:1 support with a model that scales. (for example: the 2 million+ people who watched our Armchair Chat events.)
Between RFS Ascend and other efforts, we’ve raised more than $200,000 for more than 200 candidates nationwide, including municipal and local candidates. Given the scale of their races, this is much needed cash.
We’ve done all this with an operating budget well under $3 million. We’re still working to close a small budget gap before the year ends — every dollar goes to making sure we can stay in the fight for our 525 candidates on the ballot and the 62,000+ people in our candidate pipeline.
Get ready for Election Night/Week/Month, where we’ll be tracking all 525 races closely. It’s going to be a blast.
In candidate & alumni news….
Them. has a beautiful story on the 1,000+ LGBTQ candidates for office this year, including Kim Jackson (GA), Sarah McBride (DE) and RFS alum Del. Danica Roem & Rep. Brianna Titone. The story gets into what they call the “virtuous cycle” and what we often describe as “the first is never the last” — one history-making candidate inspires countless more to run themselves.
Nithya Raman is challenging an incumbent member of the LA City Council with a neighborhood-focused grassroots-driven campaign - her race is a “glimpse of the future of LA politics.”
The movement we’re building is so special!
I’m hoping to be the first Dem to represent my district in 40 years. Thank you @JennOMara4PA for the inspiration and @runforsomething for the endorsement! Let’s #Flipthe5th in Delaware and elect dynamic new leadership up@and down the ballot in 2020 #VOTE https://t.co/y6kVyEcB8KI’m the first Dem to represent my district in 40 years. And I am so, so proud to be an alum of @runforsomething. Back in 2018 when no one knew me, they endorsed my campaign & helped put me on the map. Now I’m a recurring monthly donor to help other candidates up & down the ballot https://t.co/wPRhecmu1j
Jennifer O'Mara @JennOMara4PA
Sarah Tyree is a sexual assault survivor and a fierce activist who, if she wins against a racist Republican incumbent, will become the first Black woman to hold her seat in the Arizona state senate.
Mauree Turner will likely be the first Muslim lawmaker in Oklahoma history. Mauree is a young queer Black activist who will bring a much-needed perspective to the OK state legslature.
NY state Senator Alessandra Biaggi is pushing to get the police out of traffic enforcement — a policy that, as it turns out, is wildly popular in New York.
303 Magazine spotlights RFS alum Denver school board director Tay Anderson and Denver city councilmember Candi CdeBaca as two of three elected officials shaking up the city and driving the future of Denver.
Billionaire Ronald Lauder is spending millions against RFS alum NY state Sen. Andrew Gounardes, specifically attacking him for much-needed criminal justice reform.
You’ve probably been seeing (and getting excited about!) the early vote stats in Texas, particularly in Harris County. We’ll remind you: The way to win national elections is to win local elections.
PA Rep. Sara Innamorato has introduced a bill to keep landlords from reporting missed or delinquent rent payments to credit reporting agencies — she’s doing what she can to reduce the harms of COVID’s economic crush.
Allan-Charles Chipman, candidate for Richmond city council, had a fascinating conversation with RVA Mag on his faith, politics, and his passion for tackling gentrification and fostering “development without displacement.”
Sean Elo-Rivera’s campaign for San Diego City Council got a bit complicated when his opponent suspended his campaign (but remains on the ballot) - Sean is still campaigning hard, especially on issues around ensuring young people are a key part of the COVID recovery plan.
The Dane County Board in Wisconsin — which includes four RFS alum — approved a 21-part criminal justice reform package, including developing a mental health crisis center, a community justice center, and structural changes to law enforcement, the court system, and the state Dept of Corrections.
Zachary Perry is a third-year law student at UGA and a candidate for GA state senate; his district is deep red and he’s the first viable Democratic candidate there since 2012. He’s approaching this tough campaign in the exact right way.
In USA Today: RFS candidates Julie Gunnigle (Maricopa County Attorney, AZ) and José Garza (Travis County DA, TX) are part of a larger wave of local candidates tackling racial justice and inspiring voters to show up at the polls.
Kelly Krout, candidate for Arkansas state legislature, has one of my favorite TikTok accounts around. She’s used it to raise enough money to be competitive, and has brought a wave of attention to her longshot race.
Jessica Harrington lost her FL state legislature by 7 points in 2018; she didn’t let that discourage her and jumped in again for 2020 — after the GOP incumbent suddenly resigned, now she’s running for an open seat and outraising her last-minute challenger. She can win this.
Related reading & listening:
We talked with The 19th about why statehouse races are ground zero for the fight over reproductive access. As the NYT showed in a powerful map this week: Without Roe, abortion would probably become illegal in 22 states.
Ross joined Swing Left’s podcast for a great conversation on how to make change down the ballot. Listen in.
Some event updates:
Tuesday, 10/20, is our final Unapologetically Progressive event. We’ll be talking with Florida candidates Nancy Metayer (Coral Springs Commissioner), Ben Marcus (state house), Ricky Junquera (state house) and Luisa Santos (Miami-Dade School Board.) Tickets are free — RSVP now.
If you missed last week’s Unapologetically Progressive: Pennsylvania event, you can catch the whole video here.
Also Tuesday: A new episode of Run for Something: The Podcast drops — I had a powerful and emotional conversation with Rev. Kim Jackson, candidate for GA state legislature. She got in deep on her faith, the challenges (and similarities) of being both a religious leader and a politician, and how her campaign reunited her broken family. Subscribe so you can listen first thing tomorrow.
We’ve made it this far because of you. We’re going to make it through the next two weeks, and then the subsequent two (or ten) years after that because of you, too. Thank you for being on our team.
- Amanda