RFS feel-good update (1/11): Both hope & rage
How could one week contain so much?
Hi all -
I want to start with the good from last week: Thanks to the incredible organizers on the ground — led mostly by women of color and especially by Black women, who’d been working hard for decades — Democrats flipped two Senate seats, taking control of the Senate.
(Doesn’t that feel like a lifetime ago?)
There is so much to say about the Georgia Senate victories, but I want to flag two things for you, as they relate to Run for Something’s work:
It took years. Stacey Abrams (a former state legislator!!) began her work to flip Georgia blue a decade ago. Countless other organizers — especially Black women — have been working at the same effort for even longer. Democrats have to embrace and invest in the long game! Understand that losses can be part of a path to a future victory.
Look at the type of candidates who won, and consider how you evaluate candidates moving forward:
(a) Jon Ossoff, who is about to be the first millennial senator. He’ll be joining a chamber where the average age is 63 and will soon include 7 octogenarians. He’s the youngest senator elected since Joe Biden joined the senate himself in 1973. He ran before, he lost, then he ran again, using the skills from his first campaign. One of many reasons why he was able to eke it out: His digital campaign was genuine and authentic to who he is.
(b) Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Black faith leader who was able to meaningfully connect with working-class Georgians of all backgrounds. (If you want to know who the future of Georgia politics is down the road, let me suggest you get to know the state senator, Rev. Kim Jackson.)
Remember how good you felt on Tuesday night as they called the elections? I’m holding on to that optimism for as long as possible.
Wednesday, on the other hand, took us in a very different direction. There is both so much and nothing new to say about the coup and riots in the Capitol. January 6th was somehow both avoidable and inevitable, shocking and not surprising, terrifying and infuriating. I’ll repeat what Ross and I said in our email on Thursday:
Donald Trump is the primary instigator of [Wednesday]'s disgusting attack, but he is NOT alone. He took advantage of centuries of systemic racism, and he was abetted by elected Republicans at every level who only care about power -- not the people.
It is not enough to impeach Trump or invoke the 25th Amendment. We must hold everyone responsible who entertained his delusions and played along with him, whether it's Missouri Senator Josh Hawley objecting to legitimate election results or a county board of canvassers in Michigan trying to block the certification of votes. They knew exactly what they were doing before [Wednesday], and we will not let them feign ignorance and surprise now.
Even if Trump is never on the ballot again, Trump Republicans are. We can't let them win -- not for president, Congress, state legislature, school boards, or anything else. We have to fight hard, even (and especially) in the presumed red states and communities.
We have to hold every single person who participated in this insurrection accountable — and we also have to look ahead to what it will take to keep them and everyone who agrees with them out of power for as long as we can.
It’s worth noting where many of the Republican members of Congress and Senators who voted to overturn the election got their starts. Matt Gaetz, who took to the House floor to rant about how antifa was the source of the riots, was first elected as a FL state legislator when he was 28 years old. And he’s not alone. Our partners at Future Now Fund did the research:
Electing great local leadership is not just about the impact on policy, and not just about building a bench of great talent who can later run to higher office; it’s also about stopping the worst parts of the Republican Party (i.e. most of it…) from winning locally and gaining credibility. We can stop future Matt Gaetzes from rising through the ranks by running against them from the start.
We’ve already taken one down. One of the many folks arrested after the riots: Nick Ochs, the leader of the Proud Boys Hawaii chapter, who most recently lost a campaign for state legislature in HI — he was beaten by Adrian Tam, a Run for Something candidate (who also became the first openly LGBTQ Asian American in the state house.)
At least a half dozen currently serving state legislators also joined the protest; we’re committing to helping candidates run against them all.
Here’s the tiniest dash of good news: Between Tuesday night and Friday morning, nearly 700 people had signed up to run for local office. (That’s 3x what our weekly rate had been since Thanksgiving.)
We are here to help each and every one of them as they take back power. I hope you are, too.
I know it feels weird to highlight other good news from RFS candidates & alumni — but I want to remind you: While Republican elected officials are inciting violence and committing treason, our folks are making meaningful progress where it matters:
The Cut profiled Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride, following her around her neighborhood with a beautiful and accurate portrayal of the public service that drives the first trans state senator in America. (Also, these photos!!!)
In his first few days in office, New Washtenaw county attorney Eli Savit has stopped seeking cash bail.
Luisa Santos, Lucia Baez-Geller, Sarah Leonardi, and Alexandria Ayala are part of an incredible cohort of new young school board members in South Florida. Fun fact: Luisa and Lucia helped lower the median age of the Miami-Dade school board by 15 years.
Sydney Batch lost her seat in the NC state house this year, but good news: she’s being appointed to fill a vacancy in the the NC state senate. NC is so lucky to have her in leadership.
Rep. Michele Rayner, the only openly LGBTQ woman in the FL state senate, is committing to get the state’s law banning gay marriage off the books, even if it’s no longer enforceable.
PA state Rep. Sara Innamorato is leading on legislation extending Pennsylvania’s eviction moratorium.
“I knew that being helpless [during the pandemic] was going to destroy me. So running for office saved me in that it gave me a sense of purpose. It gave a lot of folks in the industry a sense of direction that maybe we’re moving toward having representation and voices of lived experiences finally at the table.” - Rep. Francesca Hong, a restaurant owner and new Wisconsin state assemblymember.
Missouri Rep. Keri Ingle has introduced legislation to outlaw discrimination against potential foster parents based on sexual orientation.
State representative Josie Raymond, (D) Louisville, is also a mother of three who suddenly found it impossible to juggle it all. Raymond left her full-time job at the University of Louisville in the spring to care for her children. After telling people about her decision, she says other mothers have started telling her about their struggles. “You walk around my cul de sac and you hear the same stories and it’s from both sides,” Raymond says. “It’s women who have been forced to leave the workforce and care for their children or to teach their children and women who have stayed in the workforce who are trying to juggle it all.” Raymond says the challenges facing working mothers because of several societal structures have only been compounded by the pandemic. - Read more about how Rep. Raymond is part of the wave of moms who’ve had to leave their jobs during the pandemic.
There were some beautiful swearing-in ceremonies over the last few weeks. This one is particularly meaningful.
In tomorrow’s episode of the Run for Something podcast, my guest is Alex Lee, the first openly bisexual, first gen-Z and youngest member of the CA state assembly. We talk about his experience running for office as a 24 year old living at home and working in the gig economy, why housing and public transit are such big priorities for him, and how he balances governing with watching Spongebob cartoons during his breaks. (We talked just as the coup was beginning — you’ll forgive us if we sound a bit distracted!) Get the episode wherever you get your podcasts.
Two small events to flag for you coming up next week: On January 19th, we’ll be celebrating National Run for Office Day. That evening, we’ll be hosting some of our all-stars and YOU for a 4 year anniversary virtual event. Save a spot now; the event is free. Then on January 20th at 7:45 a.m. ET, we’re doing virtual yoga to calm down before inauguration.
Finally, I want to say thank you to everyone who felt compelled by the events of last week — both good and bad — to donate, sign up to run for office, or to get involved as a volunteer. It’s so humbling to know that when you’re looking to take meaningful action, you come to us. Thank you.
- Amanda