RFS feel-good update (5/28): "When they show up, they help everybody."

Happy summer!

Hi all -

Hope your Memorial Day weekend was restful & meaningful — happy unofficial start to summer.

First, some good news: There will be no uncontested state legislative races in Florida!! (H/t David Pepper’s excellent newsletter.) Add the state to the list of places running full, nearly full, or record numbers of state legislative candidate slates, including Idaho, Arkansas, Arizona, Wisconsin, North Carolina and more -- 7+ years of our scaled candidate recruitment work is paying off when it matters most. You’ve made that possible.

Second: Some good reading on reverse coattails — which will be the story of the 2024 election if we invest strategically over the next few months — down-ballot candidates across the country are polling better than Biden is. (See: Sen. Tammy Baldwin in WI, Sen. Bob Case in PA, House candidates all over the place.)

DSCC chairman Sen. Gary Peters makes the case:

“If you have a strong campaign, in the field, working to turn voters out for an individual candidate, that tends to help the entire ticket. Even in races where you have a state representative that has a very aggressive ground campaign, that may turn out more people who are Democrats, and when they show up, they help everybody.”

Third, in less good news: Moms for Liberty is back, and they’re spending millions in presidential swing states specifically to gin up turnout for the entire ticket. That’s what GOP reverse coattails looks like…

Fourth & finally: Today is Election Day for RFS candidates in Texas — including Lauren Ashley Simmons, who’s in a runoff against a Democratic incumbent who has voted against the LGBTQ+ community.

Keep an eye on social media (and this newsletter) for updates!

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On to news from across the RFS community…

• There were critical races in Georgia and Kentucky last week — congrats to GA Rep. Saira Draper for holding on to her seat in a competitive primary!

• Congrats to Emma Curtis for winning her primary for Urban County Council in Lexington, KY.

  

• Also major congrats to Bryce Berry, a 22 year old public school teacher in GA, for advancing out of the primary for his GA state house race — if he wins in November, he’ll be one of the youngest members of the state legislature!

  

• Long Beach (CA) Mayor Rex Richardson has pushed the city council to pass new tenant protections to slow the pace of displacement.

• Luisa Santos, Miamie-Dade school board member, is leading on a plan to buy 100 electric school buses that are better for the environment, cheaper for the district to maintain, and better for folks’ health. Win/win/win.

• Madison (WI) Board of Education member Maia Pearson led on passing a long-term plan to make facilities improvements to aging buildings. This is what people want school boards to be focused on!!

• OH Reps. Phil Robinson and Michele Grim are leading on the most important issues, and also some other stuff:

  

• This is very smart voter communications about election security from Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark, debunking key myths about election integrity in a precise and approachable manner.

• In the Bay Area, CA, Pinole Councilmembers Cameron Sasai and Devin Murphy made the city the first in the East Bay to ban new gas stations, as part of a larger wave of area communities taking action to mitigate the climate impact of gas stations.

• In MI, Kent County Commissioner Stephen Wooden makes the case for changing regulations to ensure that broadband access is a fundamental right accessible to everyone, especially those in rural communities.

• NY Sen. Michelle Hinchey notes that the housing crisis cities are experiencing is just as acute in rural communities, who are losing population at twice the rate of urban areas, mostly due to housing shortages.

• Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb is leading a full-government approach to addressing and reducing crime in the city.

• Governor Glenn Youngkin vetoed RFS alum Del. Nadarius Clark’s legislation to increase teacher pay — what a bunch of bullshit.

• LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath and LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman are working around the clock to rectify long delays in reimbursing nonprofits that provide a vast majority of the city’s services to the local homeless community.

• Austin City Councilmembers Vanessa Fuentes and Paige Ellis make the case for environmental considerations around a major highway expansion project in the city.

In related news:

• The Louisiana state legislature has made abortion pills “dangerous substances” — make it illegal to possess them with penalties that include big fines and possibly jail time. What happens in a red state never stays in the red state. It’s safe to expect other states will pass similar laws, and possibly lay the groundwork for similar national legislation.

• It’s worth listening to the Run Up from the NYT every week — last week’s in particular is a particularly good one, on why President Biden isn’t getting credit for the economy. It includes an interview with local minimum wage organizers in Ohio explaining how local elections act as the gateway into political engagement for the people they’re talking to. Hmmm.

• You’ve heard from us, you’ve heard from others - now hear it from Jezebel: If you care about abortion access, you have to care about state legislatures and local races.

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With summer comes often a slow-down in engagement in politics before things get crazy in the fall — alas, not for this team. We’ve got more recruitment to do (seriously! there are still deadlines to come!), more endorsements to make, and lots and lots candidates to support as they spend the hot months knocking doors and building real relationships with voters.

Your generosity is what makes it all possible. Thanks for being part of this team.

- Amanda