RFS feel-good update (2/3): The leaders we need
They're in the RFS pipeline
Hi all -
Somehow today marks two weeks of Trump 2.0 — two long, scary, overwhelming weeks.
I don’t know about you, but I have been wildly disappointed by Democratic leadership in Congress so far. While yes, Democrats are in the minority and don’t have a ton of legislative options to stop everything Trump has done, they have failed to show courage, a willingness to fight, or even the slightest indication they have a plan for how to keep the rest of us engaged and motivated to keep going.
Fortunately, many aren’t waiting for them.
We crossed a milestone late last week: More than 15,000 people have signed up with Run for Something to consider a run for office since Trump won office in November; 2000 of them raised their hands just in the last two weeks.
In less than 3 months, more people have signed up to join the RFS pipeline than in all of 2017.
Don’t let anyone tell you there aren’t Democrats ready to get in this. They are.
We’re here to help them.
If you also want to help people run, we’ve got a volunteer call coming up this Wednesday, February 5th. You can volunteer from home (or work, or the car, or wherever) — we’ll train you on everything you need to know and how to get involved. This is a great way to support the RFS pipeline and get little bursts of optimism baked into your schedule.
Our next candidate intro call is February 25th. Sign up now to learn more about running for office. If you don’t ever want to run, but want to learn a little more about what RFS does for potential candidates or see our team in action, this is a great way to do so.
(And of course, recurring donations make this whole thing possible.)
In RFS alumni updates:
Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer will not allow her department to assist ICE with deportations. This is why electing leaders like her matters.
Similarly: Alexandria, VA, mayor Alyia Gaskins said her city will not cooperate with ICE. This is leadership.
Emma Curtis, Kentucky’s only trans elected official, speaks out against Trump’s anti-trans EOs:
”It’s the biggest honor of my life that I was elected to serve the folks in the fourth district. But we don’t exist in a silo. The president of the United States issued an executive order implying that transgender folks cannot live honorable, truthful, or disciplined lives, and I just want to state for the record that that’s not true. I want to point to every single trans person who’s watching this, who may be feeling alone, or like their life doesn’t have value. I’d like to just say that our words, our humanity, and our dignity were given to us by our creator, not by our government, not by any individual within our government.”CO Rep. Javier Mabrey and Sen. Julie Gonzales are introducing legislation to help tackle the cost of living in CO, including banning rent algorithms that collective drive up housing costs.
CA Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez is leading on legislation to shift the burden of insurance costs from Californians over to fossil fuel companies, allowing people to sue oil companies for damage after fires.
Sasha also pushed forward a new bill requiring schools to notify students and parents if ICE agents arrive on school campuses.
I have been saying for years that RFS alum are the present & future leaders of our party. PA Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta just made that official, winning the position of Vice Chair of the DNC.
PA Sen. Amanda Cappelletti, co-chair of the PA Women’s Health Caucus, shared her story of pregnancy loss just before the 2024 election and that she needed an abortion that, in many other states, would’ve been an illegal. Amanda’s shared her stories before, helping put a face to the bans that the GOP tried to pass.
This is a great interview with GA Rep. Bryce Berry on his journey from public school teacher to youngest elected official in the GA state house.
In NY, Assemblymember Claire Valdez is pushing forward legislation to make landlords pay the rent for any tenants displaced by fire — a way to nudge landlords to make repairs faster.
ARizona Sen. Priya Sundareshan making meaningful progress on climate.
IL Rep. Nabeela Syed introduced a bill to create a prescription drug affordability board, which would have the power to set upper limits on certain drug prices. Tackling real issues that matter to people - we love to see it.
WA Rep. Adam Bernbaum introduced legislation to establish a comprehensive community solar program. States & cities are the only places we’re going to see meaningful climate progress - this matters.
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee is joining the larger challenges against Trump’s birthright citizenship EOs.
And as we always keep an eye on the bench we’re building:
CO Rep. Manny Rutinel announced his campaign for Congress in 2026 — it has begun!!
In related reading:
ICYMI last week, Democrats flipped a seat in the Iowa state house, winning a district Trump won by 21 points. We also held a Minnesota state senate seat, ensuring control of the chamber. Trump may have won the popular vote but he is not popular, his agenda is not popular, and without him on the ballot (which he never will be again!), Republicans are not popular. If we run big this year, we can win big.
In the NYT: “Many Democrats believe any evolution will come not from leaders in Washington but from what many see as a strong bench of governors, attorneys general and state legislators.” ← why our work over the last eight years has mattered, and why it will continue to matter, in a nutshell.
The first two weeks of Trump 2.0 have been tough. I’m so glad to have this team with us in the fight back.
- Amanda
I'd love to see a presidential candidate who announces "Immigration attorneys for everybody!! 5-grand for every migrant to spend on representation toward full citizenship -- so Trump's racists would finally have to shut the f up.
This is great, thanks Amanda!