RFS feel-good update (11/15): Introducing Run for Something Civics!
Our new non-partisan non-profit (501c3) dedicated to empowering young people to lead
Hi all -
Huge news: Today, we’re launching Run for Something Civics, a non-partisan 501c3 that promotes youth leadership and encourages young people from diverse backgrounds to run for elected office at all levels in order to create a more reflective democracy.
RFSC will work in partnership with Run for Something Action Fund (our 501c4 project) to recruit new leaders and empower them to take charge.
I want to thoroughly explain what we’re doing and why -- but if you’re excited and just want to know how to help: The best thing you can do right now is make a tax-deductible donation to RFS Civics; the first $50k we raise today will be matched by a generous funder.
A few questions you might have…
What will RFS Civics do?
Ultimately, RFSC will have four programmatic pillars:
Research: We need to increase awareness of the lack of young people in elected office by getting clear stats on the problem, identifying the challenges young people face, and promoting them to the public.
Education in service of inspiration: We need to inspire young people to begin their journey of civic engagement at the local level by explaining (without ever condescending) about what local government does, and bring those resources to them on the platforms they’re already on.
Recruitment: In order to get young people from “citizen” to “interested” to “taking action,” we need to ask them, and make it easy for them to say yes!
Support: We can’t ask people to run and then leave them hanging without a guide. We need to support folks in the lead up to their campaigns and facilitate their continued civic engagement no matter what happens on Election Day.
What kind of people will Run for Something Civics work with?
RFSC will look for young leaders who share the following values:
Pro-democracy & pro-Constitution: The most basic promise of American democracy is fair and free elections. RFSC seeks leaders who will protect and defend that promise, and all other rights and responsibilities enshrined in the Constitution.
Anti-hate: RFSC seeks leaders who believe in the dignity of each person and see the humanity in every person. Our leaders will commit to the equal protection of every person’s rights under the law. Bigotry or discrimination in any form -- against someone’s race, sexual orientation, gender identity, class, ability, religion or any other identity-marker -- undermines our democracy and will not be tolerated.
Pro-facts: Our leaders may often disagree about what to do about the facts -- and in fact, our democracy thrives in robust participatory debate -- but all participants must start from a place of shared reality, and commit to stay in that shared reality. That means trusting verified experts, incorporating the best science has to offer, and engaging with a free press.
Inclusive & diverse: RFSC empowers the next generation of diverse American leadership. We are seeking to broaden the definition of what a “public servant” means, and to embolden those who reflect their communities, especially when those communities are currently under-represented in leadership -- especially young people, people of color, LGBTQIA+ folks, women, and people who see the world through unique lenses -- because democracy works best when more people are reflected it and feel like they have a stake in it.
Why are you launching this new project?
Creating a more reflective and inclusive democracy that can last is — and in fact, must be! — a non-partisan mission, even if that seems hard to imagine with our current leaders.
Our focus on young people is much-needed: Right now, America’s government is run as a gerontocracy, and young people are wildly underrepresented. The trends are undeniable at every level of government:
In the 117th Congress, the average Senator is 63.9 years old and the average House member is 58.3 years old -- a full half of the U.S. Senate is 65 years old or older.
30 of the 50 U.S. governors are 60 years old or older.
The average U.S. mayor of a major city is 58 years old.
Fewer than 5% of state legislators are under the age of 35.
The median age of school board members is 59.
These stats compound on each other: School board members and state legislators are future members of Congress and governors. The older our local leadership is, the older our federal leadership is.
Meanwhile, the median American is 38 years old. More than half of all Americans are millennials or younger. Even if you take into account age restrictions, Congress alone still isn’t representative -- if you’re striving for proportional representation, there should be at least 100 millennials currently serving. Right now, there are only 31.
Age is only one metric of diversity, but it’s a shortcut to account for race, gender, class, and sexual orientation -- the millennial generation is more diverse than those that came before, and gen-Z even more so. By any possible measurement, the U.S. government is not reflective of the American people.
The impact of that failure has meant the people predominantly in charge have perpetuated a system that has privileged them. One only needs to watch a congressional hearing on technology to see exactly how the lack of young people in the room affects the tenor of debate; the same kind of baffling out-of-touch governing is happening in city councils around affordable housing or state legislatures on college costs, and on nearly any other issue.
Government’s failure to meaningfully act on issues directly affecting young Americans has led to a vicious feedback loop. As young voters continue not to see themselves or their lives reflected in our leadership, they feel cynical, disengaged, or like it doesn’t matter who wins, and then abstain from participating in the process entirely, as voters and as candidates.
There are countless reasons why young people are not rising to the top in the American political system -- structural barriers, legal hurdles, financial obstacles, and political realities are all at play here.
Some of these problems can only be solved from within government, like changing the pay of our elected officials and reforming campaign finance law to better make space for working-class candidates. But not being able to fix every problem keeping young people out should not stop us from trying at all.
To truly solve the problem of American political gerontocracy, we need to zoom out a bit, cultivate an even bigger funnel, and bring in many more partners -- we need more young leaders from any and all political parties who are committed to making change and defending democracy.
We need to broaden young Americans’ understanding of the levers of power and give space for them to see themselves in leadership.
Our new non-partisan 501c3 will be able to work with more people and will reach even more potential leaders. This is not instead of the work Run for Something & Run for Something Action Fund has done over the last 5 years; it’s all additive!
How can I support RFSC?
Three big ways, for now...
First: Make a tax-deductible donation. The first $50k we raise will be matched by a generous seed funder to the project.
Your early support of this work goes a long way -- candidly, we’ve written out plans for RFS Civics that range from $1 million to $3 million to $15 million, each more impactful than the next. This is our first foray into this kind of fundraising; we need YOU to show us you’re excited in order for us to know how big we can scale.
Second: Help us find new partners. One of the cool things about expanding this way is there are so many organizations (of all kinds!) who can only work with non-partisan efforts -- we will be able to do recruitment in so many new ways. If you have ideas, just reply to this email.
Third: Follow us on social media! Run for Something Civics is on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
What about Run for Something?
Run for Something (a non-federal 527 PAC) and Run for Something Action Fund (a 501c4) aren’t going anywhere, no worries. If you’re not sure which to support or how this all works, just reply here and we can jump on the phone.
I want to learn more about how else the Run for Something network is growing!
In other Run for Something community updates:
We have 5 candidates moving on to runoffs later this month — get the full list here. Our full list of 129 November 2021 winners is updated here. Meanwhile…
Kaua’i County Council member Luke Evslin is leading on legislation that would make it easier to build affordable housing — critical when Hawaii is in the midst of a housing crisis!
Indira Sheumaker, Des Moines city councilwoman-elect, talked with Teen Vogue about how her vibrant progressive campaign defeated a long-time incumbent.
MI Rep. Kyra Bolden tells the story of how her great grandfather was lynched — and how if the GOP state legislators have their way, that story wouldn’t be allowed to be told in public schools.
Incoming NYC Councilmember Shahana Hanif talked with Time about making history as the first Muslim woman elected in the city and how she navigates the city while struggling with Lupus.
In the last four years, Melanie Arroyo became a U.S. citizen, a licensed therapist, and now, a new member of the Lenexa City Council in Kansas. You love to see it.
"That was one of my pushes, is that people who often feel marginalized or, you know, not having access to the government or imagining themselves at these seats, to actually start doing that, because that's how we make shifts. Before you could get to a seat, you have to imagine yourself there." - Thu Nguyen, who became the first openly non-binary person elected in MA.
While D.C. flounders, NY Sen. Jessica Ramos is going to try and bring universal child care to the empire state.
FL Rep. Anna Eskamani is trying to end the 6% sales tax that Floridians pay when they buy diapers. A small thing that would be huge for families!
Keep an eye on this: The GOP-controlled legislature is trying to reform the Gwinnett County school board and county commission specifically because Democrats (like RFS alum Everton Blair JR, Nicole Love Hendrickson, Ben Ku, and Kirkland Carden) have taken them over.
19 year old Abdul Osmanu explains how he won his election for Hamden City Council: Door knocking!
In Texas, Rep. Erin Zwiener was one of the cofounders of the Texas House Caucus on Climate, Environment, and the Energy Industry — they’re pushing forward the conversation on climate change and protected renewable energy against unfounded attacks after the blackouts earlier this year.
SC Rep. J.A. Moore is working to prevent law enforcement from using military-style weapons.
In the ongoing RFS bench watch:
PA Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta - who is now running for U.S. Senate - talked with Essence about his beautiful love story and his handsome fiance, Dr. Matthew MIller.
Nida Allam is running for Congress!
In related listening: I talked with DNC Chair Jaime Harrison about why it’s critical for Democrats to focus locally for his podcast, Welcome to the Party.
I also talked with USA Today about how the GOP methodically turned “critical race theory” into something for conservatives to rally against. It wasn’t an accident — it was a strategy.
This week on the Run for Something podcast: I talk with two members of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners in Georgia -- Ben Ku and Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson. Ben won his seat in 2018 and became the first LGBTQ member of the board; Nicole won in 2020 and completed the full flip to give Democrats control of the board. We dig in on how county government works, what the experience has been like now that Democrats control the county, and why flipping a state blue doesn't mean it stays blue forever.
In addition to the aforementioned strategy session, we’ve got one final event for 2021: Learn how to run for a local election administration position!
Thank you for making this possible. The Run for Something network has been able to grow grow grow because of you — so much more good stuff to come!
- Amanda