RFS feel-good update (11/12): People want to run for office

Nearly 4,000 of them & counting

Hi all -

A quick update with some news to give you hope.

In the week since Election Day, nearly 4,000 people have signed up at runforwhat.net to consider a run for office.

That’s monumental.

To give you a sense of comparison: In the first week after Run for Something launched on Trump’s inauguration day back in 2017, ~1,000 people signed up to run for office. Ross and I felt that was meaningful enough to turn this into an organization.

15,000 people ended up raising their hand in the first year.

In just six days, we’re nearly a quarter of the way there.

I’ll confess: I was unsure whether the energy would be here for another #resistance. This time felt different: We are all so tired. I’m so glad to be wrong.

These devastating election results are galvanizing people into meaningful action that can both mitigate harm from Trump’s presidency and rebuild the party from the ground up with the next generation of leaders.

If you’re grieving this election, or hibernating, or just not ready to engage — I get it. (I’m alternating between fired up and a little bit numb, personally.) Take care of yourself however you can. When you’re ready to get back in the fight, we’ll be here.

If you’re ready to go now, one concrete thing you can do: Make a recurring donation to Run for Something.

It is sadly more urgent than ever that we are able to effectively and efficiently recruit and support local candidates. Our country needs new leaders — and those new leaders need this community’s support. Do what you can.

If you’d like to make a tax-deductible gift to Run for Something Civics, a 501c3 that works to bring young people into public service, you can make that donation here.

I cannot say it enough: Thank you. Watching our candidate pipeline grow over the last week has helped me get out of the deep despair of last week’s results — a pipeline we can only keep cultivating because of your support.

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As for more election results…

ICYMI: Last Wednesday, I shared some of our initial updates.

RFS feel-good update (11/6): What happened & what's next

We’ve still got a number of races too close to call or where they’re counting votes, but at least 174 of our candidates won elections. A few more to highlight:

• Adison Richards flipped a state legislative seat in Washington and helped expand Democrats’ majority in the chamber

• Ysabel Jurado won a seat on the L.A. City Council — a tenants rights attorney and affordable housing activist, she’s going to fight hard to make LA a city place people can live and thrive in.

• RI Rep. Megan Cotter held on to her seat — she first won by just 32 votes in 2022, and this time won by more than 700 votes (8 full percentage points) — even while Trump won the three communities in her district.

• I shared Emma’s victory in last week’s update, but I love these photos and her story of her success.

  

• In alum updates: Emily Randall officially won her seat in Congress, and Kyle Evans Gay was elected Lt. Governor of Delaware.

Stay tuned to Run for Something’s social media accounts for more updated overall stats and stories as we keep track of all the races still outstanding.

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One last note: After this week, I am heading back on maternity leave. While I’m still occasionally on social media (especially BlueSky and Threads, which are easy to scroll while feeding the baby at 3am), this Substack will be on hiatus.

You might hear from our team again sporadically between now and the end of the year — otherwise, I’ll be back in your inbox every Monday starting early 2025.

Thanks for making all this possible.

Amanda