RFS feel-good update (11/9): Fun facts on the results so far
207 winners - 63% BIPOC, 55% women, 22% LGBTQ+ - all amazing.
For those new to this list: Every Monday morning, I’ll email you with news & stories from the Run for Something community. It’s 100% public — forward it along at your leisure!
Hi all -
Good morning!! I hope your Saturday was full of joy. After the last four years, we needed that collective (masked) exhalation. We did the hard thing: Beating an incumbent president, electing the first woman of color to the White House, and overcoming an aggressive opposition who lied, cheated, and suppressed the vote wherever possible.
I don’t need to tell you that not everything is A+ good-to-go — there was some substantial losses down-ballot, control of the Senate stays unknown until the Georgia runoff, and 70 million Americans voted for Trump again, which is terrifying, especially given everything we’ve experienced under his leadership (or lack thereof.)
But still: There is a lot to be proud of, and we deserved a moment to relish the happiness of having reached a goal.
Now, back to work.
If you missed my updates after Election Day: The Run for Something community had so many amazing victories!
Catch up on notes from Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I highlighted all the firsts, the history-makers, and the good-vibes-only stories.
TL:DR: Run for Something has now elected 207 people in 2020. Four candidates moved on to run-offs and 56 races are still counting ballots. Some fun stats…
We elected or re-elected at least 132 BIPOC candidates, at least 70 of whom identify as women.
We elected or re-elected at 154 candidates who identify as women and one non-binary person.
We elected or re-elected at least 46 LGBTQIA+ candidates.
We elected or re-elected folks in 39 states, including: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Two candidates — Rebecca Mitchell in Georgia and Jo Anna Dossett in Oklahoma — were both the first Democrat to run for their seats in at least 2+ cycles. Both flipped seats red to blue.
Only two candidates have flipped seats in the Indiana state senate in the last two cycles. Both are Run for Something candidates who made history — J.D. Ford became the first openly gay state senator in 2018 and Fady Qaddoura became the first Muslim state senator in 2020.
Run for Something state legislative candidates flipped seats red to blue in CO, IN, ME, NC, NY, OK, HI, WV, DE, and KS.
12 of our winners are Gen-Z’ers. 60 winners are 30 years old or younger.
Our candidate directory is being updated daily so check back in for more news across the country.
Y’all know I love data & fun facts like these, so don’t worry: There’s much much more to come as we dive in and keep getting results. Let me know if you have specific questions you want answered and I’ll see what I can chase down.
Quick hits of some of the exciting stories over the last week:
Mauree Turner became the first non-binary lawmaker in the country and the first Muslim state legislator in Oklahoma.
Alex Lee will be California’s youngest state legislator and its first openly biexual state legislator.
Angel Harris was the first challenger to beat an incumbent in the New Orleans criminal courthouse since the 19702.
Adrian Tam beat a neo-Nazi to become the only openly LGBTQ+ member of the Hawaii state house.
Nida Allam (NC), Fady Qaddoura (IN), Madinah Anton-Wilson (DE) and Imam Joddeh (CO) became the first Muslim lawmakers in their states.
Sarah McBride (DE) and Taylor Small (VT) became the first trans lawmakers in their states.
Mark Brave was elected the first and only Black sheriff in New Hampshire.
Christian Menefee became the first Black Harris County (TX) attorney and the youngest ever.
April Fournier will be the first Indigenous woman to serve on the Portland City Council in Maine. Gabriella Cazares-Kelly will be the first Indigenous woman elected to office in Pima County, Arizona.
Francesca Hong became Wisconsin’s first Asian American state legislator.
18 year old Tony LaBranche won a seat in the NH state legislator and is one of the youngest state officials in the country.
Kim Jackson (GA state senate) and Torrey Harris (TN state legislature) made history as the first openly LGBTQ members in their respective chambers.
Manny Guzman became the first Latino to represent his district in the PA state legislature.
Ricky Hurtado became the first Latino to serve in the NC state legislature.
In related reading: ICYMI, Ross talked to Bloomberg about how young candidates are winning big and making meaningful change in cities across the country.
Tomorrow on the Run for Something podcast: An interview with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. We’re talking about how she became one of the most powerful women in Texas, what she did to make it easier for Texans to vote, and her priorities for the years to come. Subscribe on Apple, Google, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I’m here to answer any and all questions you may have about RFS’s results or anything else going on. Just reply to this email!
Finally: None of this would have been possible with you. We have a lot of work to do — these election results confirm exactly how important it is to rebuild the party from the ground up with amazing local candidates who can engage their communities authentically and personally — but I know we can get it done together.
Thank you, thank you, thank you,
Amanda