RFS feel-good update (6/13): Time to Party for Something!
Plus: Some personal news...
Hi all -
First, happy Party for Something week!! This Wednesday we’re throwing what’s sure to be an excellent party in D.C. — get your tickets and join us at MetroBar to see from keynote speaker Sen. Bernie Sanders, special guest FL Rep. Anna Eskamani, and emcee VA Del. Danica Roem. The event is 100% outside, 100% open bar, and 100% guaranteed good times.
Looking backwards, last week we had some amazing candidates on the ballot. Congrats to winners Dr. Megan Srinivas, Elinor Levin, Sam Wooden, Tavis Hall (all in Iowa), Zooey Zephyr (who’s likely to be one of the first trans state legislators in Montana when she wins in November!), and many others - we’re still waiting on a number of results out of CA but we’ll keep you updated.
We never take a week off: There are 12 Run for Something candidates on the ballot tomorrow in Maine, Nevada, and South Carolina. Here’s who we’re keeping an eye on.
I know many many many of you watched the January 6th hearings on TV last week and are likely to tune in to the hearings this week and next. One thing I want to call out for you: The Proud Boys and Oathkeepers we saw namechecked on TV as leading the mob into the capitol (at Trump’s urging) are the same ones running for and winning local office all across the country in order to build sustainable power.
That’s what we’re up against. Thanks for being a part of that.
In RFS community updates:
In Utah, Nate Blouin is taking on an incumbent state legislator who’s been in office longer than Nate’s been alive.
NYC Councilmember Shahana Hanif makes the case for expanding NY’s language services workforce and growing the interpreter community to better provide gov’t access to immigrants.
Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam is leading efforts to transform the county Democratic party and bring fresh energy into the old machine.
If Devin Murphy wins his race for Contra Costa County Clerk-Recorder, he’ll be the first LGBTQ person of color, first African American, and youngest person to ever hold the position. His work championing democracy is why the local paper has endorsed him!
Alexandria city councilmember Canek Aguirre is leading on free transit.
CO Sen. Julie Gonzales successfully cosponsored legislation to stop homeowners associations from seeking foreclosures against homeowners based solely on fines, and will set a cap on fines.
Elinor Levin won her primary for IA state legislature making the case for why it matters to keep young people in the community — make it easier for them to find jobs, get homes, and feel safe to raise families.
Last week our western regional director, Andrea Johnson, joined our partners in Oklahoma to work and partner and got to get together with some of our excellent candidates and alum down there. Every state matters!
In related reading:
Our Clerk Work program also has an impact on outcomes like this: A Missouri county clerk is singlehandedly disenfranchising people with disabilities.
From this must-read profile on Steve Bannon: “And how, specifically, does Bannon propose that his audience use its agency? By taking back their government from the ground up—as election inspectors, as school-board members, and, most practically of all, as precinct-committee members. Bannon may be the country’s biggest exponent of the “precinct strategy,” first developed by the Republican lawyer Dan Schultz, which encourages interested citizens to sign up for the grunt work of elections, because it can lead to the big stuff, like helping decide who oversees them. War Room regularly features citizen activists who have figured out how to work the system. After each segment, Bannon asks: “How can people get to you? How do they find out more about what you’re doing?” And they provide Twitter and Gettr handles, websites, on occasion even a cellphone number.”
Why working in all 50 states matters: The worst abortion laws will come from the reddest places.
One quick upcoming event later this month: On June 22, we’re hosting See Yourself Running: Pride, a conversation for LGBTQIA+ folks thinking about running for local office. 100% free; don’t miss it.
Finally, some quick personal news: I’m so excited to share that my husband and I are expecting a baby girl in early December! We’re very happy, both about the baby and about having a miserable first trimester behind me. All tips, hand-me-downs, and book recs are welcome.
Thanks for being part of this community. The Run for Something team couldn’t do it without you.
- Amanda