RFS feel-good update (11/1): Happy Election Day Eve!!
Rabbit rabbit - it's going to be a GREAT month!
Hi all -
Tomorrow, November 2nd, there are 271 Run for Something-endorsed candidates on the ballot, including folks in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.
More than half are women and 6 are non-binary. Half identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color. 33% identify as LGBTQIA+. 11% are running for education positions like school board, 4% are running for state legislature, 1% are running for legal positions, and 81% are running for municipal offices.
In our broader 2021 class — which includes 412 campaigns, many of whom already went through Election Day earlier this year — 61% identify as coming from low-income backgrounds; 34% are caretakers of kids, 23% are children of immigrants (and 6% are immigrants themselves), 15% identify as people with disabilities, and 5% are veterans.
Through Run for Something Ascend and our tandem pages, this community raised more than $140,000 spread across nearly 186 candidates. Our regional directors kept track of 820+ direct contacts with endorsed campaigns (and countless more off the grid) and have spent much of the last month on the road, working directly with campaigns in the final stretch, doing whatever it is they need.
Keep an eye on our social media tomorrow and throughout the next few weeks as we track election results across the country. All of this is because of your support — you made this progress possible. Thank you!
Instead of my usual round-up of what are alumni are up to, here are some of the many many many amazing people on the ballot tomorrow that you might be excited about:
Dr. Tyler Titus is running for Erie County Executive; if they win they’ll be the first trans county exec in the country and one of only a handful of non-binary electeds nationwide. Their story will move you to tears.
A number of other Run for Something-endorsed candidates could make history this week. NBC News highlighted 8 of them:
Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton has made national headlines; you probably heard of her first through an email like this! We’re proud to have been on her team since day one.
Royce Mann is 20 years old and running for Atlanta School Board - Gen-Z rises!
Justin Bibb came in a surprising first place in the Cleveland mayoral primary and now if he wins, could be the first new mayor of the city in decades.
Joel Folkemer and his slate of candidates are running for Central York School Board — a district that’s been in the news for trying to ban books by authors of color.
Nearly a third of the 51-member NYC Council and 4 of the 13-member Boston City Council could be Run for Something candidates.
Sheila Nezhad could take out an incumbent mayor of Minneapolis and blaze a new path for imagining public safety. (This is a trend among Run for Something mayoral candidates, as NYMag explains!)
Bridgette Craighead’s campaign for VA House of Delegates in a deep-red district is reaching voters who are too often forgotten. This is some real wholesome stuff.
And of course, we’re keeping track of our bench — if you’re in NYC, join me for an event on Wednesday in support of Malcolm’s U.S. Senate campaign:
In related reading:
Dave Weigel in the Washington Post raises the same alarm we’ve been ringing for nearly a year: “‘This new coalition of 'school board moms and dads’ is leading a political awakening against Democrat policies and leftist overreach that has gone way too far,’ said former Ohio GOP chair Jane Timken, a candidate for U.S. Senate, explaining why she donated to dozens of Republican-backed school board candidates. ‘I believe the ‘red wave’ we’ll see in 2022 starts with a flood of freedom-minded school board candidates winning on Tuesday.’ … Conservatives kicked off the 2021 cycle with a focus on school board elections, which Republicans now universally see as a way of defeating left-wing ideas at the local level and keeping activists motivated to knock on doors and vote. The party has become fixated on those races.”
Hmmmmmmmmmm: In Minnesota, a record number of conservative candidates are running for school board. In Pennsylvania, conservative school board candidates are raising records sums of money. It’s worth reviewing who’s funding all the school board protests we’ve seen this year; many of these orgs also recruit & train school board candidates.
Tomorrow on the Run for Something podcast: First, a quick rundown of some of the previous guests who are on the ballot today -- some of the 271 Run for Something folks up for a vote! Then, a conversation with Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, who went from lawyer to the state representative, fighting hard for voting rights, equality, and safety. As a new member of the legislature, she was constantly told to sit down and stay behind the scenes, but that's not Jasmine's style. Listen in then help her out at https://www.jasminefor100.com/.
Election Day is about the candidates and the change they’ll make (win or lose), of course — but it’s also a moment to reflect on the years of organizing and support from this community. You are part of something so special. Thank you.
- Amanda