RFS feel-good update (3/25): One easy way to make 61% of young Democratic voters more likely to vote
Spoiler: It's what we do!
Hi all -
This stat will amaze you.
We worked with expert youth pollster John Della Volpe to ask swing state voters ages 18-29 how a young progressive running for state or local office would change their likelihood of voting this fall.
61% of young Democratic voters told us it would make them MORE likely to cast their ballots in November.
More noteworthy demographics of the voters who said it’d make them “more likely to vote”: 50% of non-white voters, 51% of college students, and 53% of college graduates.
THAT’S HUGE. That’s the kind of increase that can be the margin of victory for democracy.
I know there’s an inclination to find this frustrating — surely 18-29 year olds (like everyone else) should just get that this election is existential. If Trump wins, democracy is at risk, a national abortion ban is likely, LGBTQ rights will be under threat, the climate is fucked, and so much more. But we know based on basically all survey data available to us over the last year that even with all that being true, too many young people are not super-pumped to show up this fall.
What this poll tells us is that we have another very valuable tool in our toolbox to save democracy. Getting young folks to run for state and local office is good for short-term goals and long-term ones, too. I strongly suspect that at the end of this year, reverse coattails will be the story of this election cycle.
It’s (just barely!) not too late to recruit candidates for this year to ensure we’re running full slates everywhere we need to be and definitely not too late to ensure those candidates have every posisble resource they need.
If you’re ready to step up, this is the last week for your donation to make double the imapct. Between now through March 31st (that’s Sunday!!!), a few generous supporters are matching every donation up to $100k — give when it matters most. If you’ve been waiting to give, do it now. We’ve still got a ways to go before we fully unlock the total potential here.
Following up on election updates… Last week we had 9 amazing candidates win elections, including Christine Cockley (who at 28, will likely be the youngest member of the Ohio State House!!), Graciela Guzman (who was outspent nearly 4:1 by an incumbent member of the Illinois state senate!!), and Maria Rodriguez (who will be the first Colombian American to win office in Broward County, FL, as she takes her seat on the Pembroke Pines city commission.
In other RFS community updates:
In a powerful speech on the AZ senate floor, Sen. Eva Burch shared she was getting an abortion for a non-viable pregnancy. She explained to the Cut:
”I am a typical person seeking abortion care. There’s nothing extraordinary about my situation. There’s not this typical patient who fits this really stigmatizing profile that is being painted by people trying to restrict access to abortion for patients, for families, and for communities. We need to have a more honest and comprehensive conversation of who abortion serves and what care looks like in Arizona.”NC Sen. Sydney Batch is sponsoring legislation to require insurance companies to cover the costs of supplemental breast cancer screenings — as a breast cancer survivor, she notes how personal this is for her.
OK Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval is working to bring the Latino community into the political process, reminding them “Tu tienes una voz".”
MN Sen. Alice Mann is cosponsoring legislation to make it easier for immigrants with medical training to practice medicine in the state, helping fill harmful gaps in medical care across Minnesota.
Lancaster (PA) City Councilmember Jaime Arroyo is speaking out on the city’s new ordinance to prevent local police and city officials from inquiring about a person’s immigration status, as part of a larger package of sanctuary policies to keep the city welcoming to immigrants.
MI Rep. Dylan Wegela is leading on two bills to limit the political activities of utility companies.
In DE, Wilmington City Councilmember Shané Darby is addressing water affordability — finding ways to deal with unpaid utility bills that don’t result in people losing their homes.
PA Sen. Nikil Saval is pushing forward on legislation to create a culture of second-chances by making it easier for people with conviction records to obtain housing.
In Kansas City, City Councilmembers Melissa Cheatham and Drew Mitrisin are leading on efforts to add more electric vehicles to its fleet and create more infrastructure for charging.
Housing continues to be a top priority for RFS alum:
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb has overhauled the housing code to hold landlords accountable with an aggressive set of policies.
Onondaga County (NY) legislator Maurice Brown hosted a forum to talk about the desperate need for affordable housing — it was standing-room only!
In Somerville, MA, City Councilor Willie Burnely Jr. is cosponsoring a resolution to reduce parking minimums, helping pave the way for more strategic housing construction.
Let’s talk school boards…
The fight for education is still (always!) happening everywehre, from Alaska, where RFS school board candidate Carl Jacobs is currently going up against a Moms for Liberty member:
To in NYC (yes, New York City!), where a Manhattan community education council controlled by Moms for Liberty-ish members voted to ban trans athletes from competing.
That’s why the 50 State School Board Strategy is so important - we can’t take our foot off the gas on this work in any state or any community.
We’re partnering with Every Library to recruit people to run for book-ban related offices! Learn more and share this widely.
Finally, another necessary reminder that what happens in a red state never stays in a red state: This week the Supreme Court is hearing arguments in FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, otherwise known as the abortion pill case — the Supreme Court could make a decision dramatically limiting access to the pill, mifepristone, a critical component in abortion care, undermining national access to reproductive health.
To fight for care - much like in the fight for education - we have to fight everywhere.
Thanks for being on our team. You’re the hero we need.
- Amanda
Just donated hope it helps!
Thanks Amanda for sharing these updates on the important work that RFS is doing.
I do want to say that the Republican agenda to control women’s bodies, and therefore their lives, is based on the lie (or so-called "belief") that "life begins at conception”. This is patently false. Life begins long before that. In fact, the egg that eventually developed into you was alive and well in your mother’s ovary months before she was born!
Of course, conception was a crucial point in your long journey toward personhood. But I challenge anyone who claims to believe that a fertilized human egg is the moral equivalent of a baby to consider this: You are a mother of a newborn baby, and you are in the maternity ward. Your baby is in the newborn nursery down the corridor to the left. Down the corridor to the right is the IVF clinic where you have two frozen embryos. A fire breaks out, and you have time to save your newborn baby or your two frozen embryos. Which will you choose? Now ask yourself this: How many frozen embryos would you have to save to justify abandoning your newborn baby, as the “moral” choice?
Many “believers” have been, and continue to be, bamboozled by their religious leaders about this moral question. But the simple act of considering the above ethical “dilemma” reveals the truth: When asked to act on their supposed “belief,” no sane person actually believes that a fertilized human egg is the moral equivalent of a baby.
Justin StormoGipson, MD