Feel-good update (5/4): What governing during a pandemic looks like
Hi all -
First, for those who’ve been getting this email for weeks (or months, or even years!) you may notice it’s a little different… while it’s no longer from my personal email address, I promise: I’m still writing every one & sending it directly to you, and you can respond directly to me. The only change is the tool used to send ‘em. (Candidly, I was running up against limits sending it thru Gmail.)
For those of you new to the list: Welcome! Every Monday morning, I send an update to Run for Something supporters with updates, news, and reading material all meant to give you a little bit of hope in these dark times.
These are not fundraising emails. (Although I hope you get our fundraising emails and contribute to them!) These emails are just meant to show you what’s going on around the country with the thousands of candidates we work with. Let me know what you think, and share it with friends.
First, two quick org updates…
At 1pm ET today, we’re hosting a Front Row Seat Encore event. Speakers are being announced as this email hits your inbox: Get ready for an intimate convo with Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, (D-NY); Jessica Ramos, New York State Senator (D-13); Rui Xu, Kansas State House Representative (D-25); & Josie Raymond, Kentucky State House Representative (D- 31). We’ll be talking about their experiences managing parenthood and political leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Donate whatever you can to join.
On Friday, Ross and I hopped on a live Zoom to answer any & all questions — including a common one: Why Run for Something only supports young people. You can catch up here.
We’ve said it once, we’ll say it a thousand times: Local candidates & elected officials are leading while the federal gov’t is falling down on the job. Take a scan through a whole bunch of Run for Something alumni & candidate stories…
NY: State Sen. Zellnor Myrie is leading on an effort to push the state to specifically address the impact the pandemic is having on black New Yorkers. (I highly recommend following Zellnor on Twitter — his rage is righteous and justified.)
TN: State Sen. Katrina Robinson left Memphis and came up to NY to work for a month as an ICU nurse in Manhattan. Her experience in the crowded hospitals will directly inform her perspective as the Tennessee gov’t considers next-steps.
TX: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo rolled out her three-pronged plan: Test, trace, & treat. She announced a strike-team for testing to target vulnerable facilities & stood up pop-up testing sites. She also helped pass enough funding to send every registered voter in the county a mail-in ballot for July and November elections.
ME: State Rep. Chloe Maxmin (who’s running for ME senate!) posted an update on what her campaign has been to:
To date, we've had almost 200 folks sign up to volunteer with us. This incredible network has so far made 9,640 calls, talking to 2,839 seniors in our community. By the end of this week, we will have called every senior in District 13.
We've connected people with the Lincoln County Food Initiative, picked up prescriptions for folks, given rides to urgent medical appointments (since most local ride services have shut down), and more. We had one woman request large print books so that she could read. A volunteer tracked some down and delivered them to her door. Another volunteer connected with someone through our phone-bank who asked for the New York Times, and yet another stepped to pay for the month-long subscription. We have multiple volunteers who check-in with people daily or weekly to make sure that everything is okay. Ours is a network of hope and love – it is truly a special thing.
PA: Middletown Supervisor Anna Payne has cystic fibrosis — she and others with the disease have dealt with social distancing and masks as part of their health regimen for a long time. She’s hoping her community can inspire others to find ways to deal with the new way of normal.
IN: State Sen. JD Ford is absolutely furious that Republican state election officials are refusing to scale up vote-by-mail infrastructure — and that Democrats aren’t fighting hard enough for voters’ safety. You’ve got to read his op-ed.
AR: In Little Rock, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. rolled out some new initiatives to help minority-group communities & business-owners, including a new testing site, distributing masks in underserved neighborhoods, and a new small-business loan program. Not-so-fun-fact: Black Arkansans make up about 16% of the state's population but account for more than 27% of the confirmed cases and almost 35% of the confirmed deaths.
MI: Brendan Johnson is running to flip a seat in the MI state house — in this new environment, he’s trying all kinds of campaign tactics, from “Coffee with Brendan” zooms to virtual house parties to baking sessions to piano performances (Brendan’s a professional pianist). And that’s all before he came down with COVID-19 himself.
SC: State Rep. JA Moore — the first professional chef elected to the SC state legislature! —kicked off Feeding It Forward on Friday, during which he prepared & delivered meals to health care workers & first-responders.
IA: It’s not pandemic-related, which almost makes it refreshing: This is a fascinating deep-dive into the scandal in which out-of-state companies are buying up mobile home parks and then raising fees on residents, preying on low-income residents with no alternative. State Sen. Zach Wahls was championing a bill to protect mobile home occupants, including restrictions on rent hikes, requiring cause for evictions, and instituting more advance notice on rent increases. The bill had broad bipartisan control until GOP legislators nixed it.
PA: Matt Shorraw, mayor of Monessen, explains how Mitch McConnell’s suggestion to let local gov’ts go bankrupt is appalling and dangerous: Local governments provide essential services that people literally can’t live without.
OH: Zach Stepp is running to flip a seat in the OH state house. This interview is worth reading — he explains what it’s like to run, what he’s learned so far, and why his message is about making Ohio a place young people want to stay & raise a family in.
Finally, two examples of what governing during a pandemic looks like…
Thanks for being on our team. We’re so grateful to everything you’re doing to support our candidates, our work, and to keep yourself & others healthy & safe.
- Amanda