RFS feel-good update (3/10): Our pipeline keeps growing
Up to 27k new potential candidates since Election Day
Hi all -
The desire to fight back keeps growing: Over the weekend, we crossed 27,000 new candidate sign-ups since Trump won.
Just to break that down:
In the 11 weeks between Election Day and inauguration, 13,000 people signed up with us to run.
In the seven weeks since inauguration, we’ve more than doubled that number.
It’s an unprecedented amount of energy. And I don’t expect it to slow down anytime soon! In the last few weeks, we’ve been averaging ~500 sign-ups a day.
Remember: The median Run for Something candidate spends 310 days in our pipeline before filing for endorsement: The people signing up now are the most likely the people who will be competing anywhere we need to win in 2026. (So, everywhere!)
Last week I joined Rachel Maddow to talk about what we’re seeing. This is a quick 4 minutes if you want to get the update in video form.
I also chatted with Tim Miller from the Bulwark for his podcast about why 2026 is going to be a great year to run for office.
One of the best things you can do to help keep up the momentum is fund the work with a recurring donation. It helps us plan and grow!
Per usual, we have Run for Something candidates on the ballot this week — we’ll be watching Dom Vargas for Boynton Beach City Commission and Kerri-Ann Nesbeth for Miramar City Commission down in Florida.
In RFS alumni updates:
MT Rep. Zooey Zephyr joined with colleagues to successfully defeat two extreme anti-trans bills — one that would ban drag performances and Pride parades in Montana, and one that would remove trans kids from their parents.
OK Sen. Jo Anna Dossett has introduced legislation to further gun safety that even gun advocates are in favor of — eliminating sales tax on gun safety devices that will further incentivize use of them.
We need more librarians (like RFS alum Ilana Stonebraker!) to run for office!
FL Rep. Ashley Gantt is leading on seven bills this year, focusing on improving mental health services for first-responders, boosting veteran-owned businesses, and improving health care services across the state.
The Altadena Library has re-opened, two months after the fire — RFS alum Library Trustee Dr. Katie Clark lost her home but is thrilled to at least be able to reopen a community home in the library.
KY Rep. Adam Moore makes the case to his community that “America First” is really “America alone” in the Lexington Herald Leader: “Kentucky understands the value of partnerships. Our economy thrives on trade with Canada and Mexico. Our farmers, bourbon distillers, and auto manufacturers depend on these relationships. When we break deals, when we turn our backs on allies, the cost is not abstract—it hits us right here at home. It means lost jobs, lost markets, lost opportunities. It means a weaker America, not a stronger one.”
AZ Sen. Priya Sundareshan joins her colleague in explaining how the AZ Republicans want to do a duplicate census, wasting taxpayers money and laying the groundwork for gerrymandering. Some bullshit.
NV Assemblymember Joe Dalia is leading on bipartisan legislation to criminalize using AI to make child pornography. Horrific.
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee is working around the clock to fight back against Trump and stand up for Texans.
AL Rep. Phillip Ensler’s legislation to make it a crime to have devices that turn semi-automatic weapons into machine guns has moved out of committee.
VA Del. Katrina Callsen, a former teacher, talked about how her background shapes her legislating and the bipartisan successes she’s had this year.
More from Del. Callsen and fellow RFS alum VA Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg, who are leading on legislation to increase incentives for solar energy projects.
CO Rep. Javier Mabrey is sponsoring legislation to make it easier to streamline the process for religious and educational institutions to build housing.
TN Rep. Aftyn Behn organized a protest outside a Nashville social security office who was on the DOGE list of leased buildings to cut. This is what local leadership can do! Draw attention to impact!
OK Sen. Jo Anna Dossett successfully put forth a plan for an in-depth study of the impact of offering paid family and medical leave. This is a small baby step in the right direction!
LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman is leading on a small change to the housing code that could have a big impact — by reducing the requirements on the number of staircases in mid-sized buildings, they could build bigger homes for families.
Thanks to CO Sen. Lindsey Daugherty, CO employee health insurance plans will now cover abortion care
Check out a day in the life of Rep. Yassamin Ansari during Trump’s joint session, shown by pictures from a disposable camera.
Toledo City Council president Carrie Hartman helped bring free pads and tampons to bathrooms across all city buildings — a big deal when one in four teens and one in three adults struggle to afford them.
In GA, Gwinnett County Commission Chair Nicole Love Hendrickson is taking a big swing to combat homelessness, turning an extended stay hotel into a housing development for people making less than $45k a year, homeless youth, kids aging out of foster care, and senior citizens.
PA Rep. Amen Brown gave out over 1,000 cartons of eggs at his local district office — a big deal when eggs are $8-$10 a dozen right now.
NY Sen. Jabari Brisport makes the case for the Universal Child Care Act, a bill that would rapidly invest in the child care workforce and build up a system where child care is free and available for every family. This could be transformative governance that makes a real difference in people’s lives.
WA Rep Darya Farivar is pushing forward legislation to require a state permit to purchase guns — a common sense policy that would meaningfully reduce gun violence.
No related reading this week — we’re all gas, no brakes!
Thanks as always for making this possible.
- Amanda
What a great thing you are doing! YAY!!!!!!!!!!
How are potential candidates vetted to weed out MAGAts posing as democrats?