RFS feel-good update (6/15): Running for office has always required bravery - but not like this
On the events of the weekend, among other things
Hi all -
This weekend was both joyous and devastating.
On the one hand, my social feed was an avalanche of photos of RFS alum (and also, literally millions of other people!) attending No Kings protests across the country — being present with their neighbors and community-members who shared their values, speaking up for democracy and truth. Inspiring! Energizing!
On the other, an barrage of condolences and sadness, as we processed the violence against two legislators in MN that left the former speaker of the house and her husband dead, and another legislator and his wife wounded.
My condolences go out to Rep. Melissa Hortman and her spouse's family today, and to all her colleagues in MN and across the country -- and I’m hoping for Sen. John Hoffman and his wife's recovery.
I'm also thinking about the people the Run for Something team asks to run for office and change their lives in the process, knowing all the bravery it requires of them under the best of circumstances.
It's unacceptable that serving your community in office should include a literal risk to your life and your loved ones.
The goal of these seemingly political acts of violence is to silence us – to silence our leaders, and those considering leading. It is meant to sow fear and stop us all from showing up for our neighbors. It is meant to scare us.
This is also exactly the moment when being brave and present for our communities matters most. The other side can't succeed. We need good leaders, and we need them more than ever.
Run for Something has been working behind the scenes for the last few years to provide candidate security guidance and support as much as we can. There is so much about running for office we can’t control, but we’ll keep doing our best to help candidates stay safe and mitigate risk however possible.
Last week we hit another big milestone:
We've crossed 210,000+ people in the Run for Something pipeline - nearly 50,000 of whom signed up since the election. It's the biggest candidate pipeline out there — at this point, we're the only national org that works with hyperlocal candidates at scale.
Ordinary people ready to do the extraordinary step of running for office is how we rebuild and reimagine what comes next.
Some election updates:
Katie Brennan won big in NJ, defeating the party machine and bringing real advocacy chops (and a passion for affordable housing) into the NJ assembly!
NJ Assemblyman Balvir Singh also won his primary and will likely hold onto his seat in November — a big win for this public school educator serving in office.
In broader RFS community updates:
Port of Seattle Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed - an immigrant from Somalia herself - joined colleagues to speak up against Trump’s travel bans and how they harm the region’s economy.
Cambridge City Councilor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler is looking to strengthen the ordinance that forbids police from helping federal ICE agents.
CO Sen. Lindsey Daugherty is leading on legislation to keep the state ahead of vaccine changes that may come from RFK Jr. Terrifying - but glad to see leaders like Lindsey stepping up and thinking about what power the state has to protect people.
Santa Ana (CA) Councilmember Jessie Lopez, who joined protestors against ICE in the area: “This morning I woke up to messages from kids asking me, pleading to help find their fathers who had not come home last night. This is the fight of our lives.”
This is a must-read story about NYC Councilmember Chi Ossé, who’s modeling a powerful and authentic communication style that more politicians need to take their cues from. Partially it’s his tactics, but mostly it’s that he’s just a cool guy.
NY Assemblyman Alex Bores makes the case for thoughtful regulation of AI, understanding both its promise and its risks.
Cincinnati City Councilmember Anna Albi explains how the council has found ways to encourage gun safety and do public education even in the face of Ohio’s stringent laws restricting their power.
MO Rep. Ray Reed introduced legislation to cut childhood poverty in half through a tax credit that would provide direct payments to low income families. This could be huge.
DE Sen. Marie Pinkney is leading on legislation to ban citizens’ arrests in the state — a process that has deeply racist roots.
NYC Councilmember Pierina Sanchez is being challenged by her predecessor in the seat, an anti-gay pastor who held the office for over a decade. We’ve got PIerina’s back.
LA City Councilmember Nithya Raman introduced legislation to consider eliminating the parking requirements in new developments — a meaningful way to reduce the cost of building new housing.
Super excited to see Kristian Carranza announce she’s running again for Texas HD-118, a race she just barely came up short in last year in her efforts to flip a state house seat.
Read CO Rep. Brianna Titone’s op-ed on how Pride means nothing if it leaves some people behind.
MA Sen. Becca Rausch is continuing to fight for passing a press shield law in MA, one of only 9 states that does not have protections for reporters who refuse to disclose confidential sources.
NE Sen. Terrell McKinney has been leading on the state’s Poverty Elimination Action Plan, that requires a five-year citywide strategy to reduce poverty and in particular puts pressure on landlords to be better actors.
This is a great new ad from Anthony Tordillos, who’s running for San José city council.
A great letter to the editor in support of Daniel Atonna for Common Council in Poughkeepsie: “I’ve seen Daniel show up for his community in ways that no other candidate in this race has. In addition to attending and speaking at nearly every council meeting for the past few years, Daniel’s organizing was instrumental in securing millions of dollars from the state for lead pipe replacement, restricting unhosted “vacation” rentals to preserve our housing stock for residents, and passing Good Cause Eviction tenant protections to keep families in their homes.”
In a continued bench watch:
IA Sen. Zach Wahls announced his campaign to take on Joni Ernst for a seat in the United States senate. Our bench is SO strong.
Montgomery (MD) County Councilmember Andrew Friedson announced his campaign to run for county executive.
One thing to add to your podcast feed: I joined Kara Swisher for a conversation with Rep. Sarah McBride and Rep. Greg Casar to talk about the generational divide in the Democratic Party. Listen wherever you get your pods.
A few things to put on your calendar:
Our next candidate intro call is tomorrow, June 17th. RSVP now and share it widely!
Celebrate Pride Month with Run for Something Civics on Tuesday, June 24 at 8 PM ET for a special YouTube livestream! They'll be talking about how LGBTQIA+ leaders are shaping their communities through public service — featuring influencer Allie O’Brien (@allie_202_) and local organizer Bryanna Jenkins. To stay up to date, make sure you’re following RFSC on Instagram.
Heads up that the next deadline for folks applying for the RFS PAC endorsement is Sunday, July 6th, 2025. If you know someone running in 2025, make sure they have this application handy.
Thanks for making all this work possible. This weekend was an emotional roller coaster (an evergreen statement, perhaps) but we’re glad to be doing this with you.
- Amanda
That is exactly how I felt, devasted and furious about the acts of violence in Minnesota. State legislators are people who serve often for a low salary doing work that can be acrimonious and/or tedious. We want people to step up an run for something. It is hard enough without threats to their lives. But the marches were great!