RFS feel-good update (6/30): 5,000+ new candidates in 5 days

Our biggest candidate recruitment surge ever

Jun 30, 2025

Hi all -

Phew, what a week.

Zohran Mamdani’s incredible victory against Andrew Cuomo is driving Run for Something’s biggest candidate recruitment surge ever.

More than 5,000 young people have signed up to run for office in the 5 days since he won on Tuesday night.

Help RFS scale to meet this moment

Last week’s big victory affirms one of Run for Something’s theories of change:

Young candidates who can communicate authentically about what they believe — and who stay focused on hyperlocal quality of life issues — can beat the odds.

They can inspire other young people to show up, too.

A new generation of candidates can transform what leadership looks like in America.

I know people may be nervous about Zohran’s win for any number of reasons. But change is always scary!

We can either fight it (and lose) or we can embrace it, shape it, and make it the future we’ve always dreamed of.

Or here:

Or in the LA Times:

“The establishment is not unbeatable. They’re only unchallenged. And I think the more that the Democratic Party establishment, as much as it exists, can understand that the people and the playbooks that got us here will not be the people and playbooks that get us out of it, the better off we’ll be.”

Or in Vox:

I also joined MSNBC a few times this week to talk about what all candidates can learn from Zohran’s campaign.

Not every candidate can run on the same issues (nor should they! they’re not all running for mayor of NYC, and none of them share the exact same ideology or beliefs as Zohran) but every candidate can talk passionately about the issues they care about in as many places and spaces as possible, while running strong grassroots organizing campaigns.

And while all this is happening, Run for Something candidates and alum also won big on Tuesday! A few of the highlights:

Shahana Hanif won her re-election to NYC Council in spite of a very gross campaign against her.
Anthony Tordillos won a seat on the San Jose City Council after knocking over 30,000 doors.
Lindsey Grossman beat a longtime incumbent for Ulster county legislature.
Jenn Puja won her primary for Westchester County Board of Legislators.
Maureen Richardson handily won her primary for Monroe supervisor and will move on to take on the Republican incumbent in the general election.
Daniel Atonna won the primary for Poughkeepsie City Common Council! As he describes it:

PK Ward 8 said Yes to Atonna! I’m honored to be the Democratic nominee to represent the neighborhood where I grew up. My campaign mobilized 100+ volunteers to knock 3,000+ doors. Thank you to the voters for believing in me. I’ll fight every day to put Poughkeepsie over profit!

As a union member, community organizer, and former campaign manager, I know how to bring people together and win. We knocked doors every week since December. We raised over $12,000 with an average donation under $60 (no donations from corporations or developers, all grassroots).

We focused on real issues impacting Poughkeepsie residents: housing, infrastructure, climate, public safety, public goods, transparency, and resisting Trump’s attacks on our city. Together we’ll keep people housed, replace lead pipes, repave roads, slow speeding cars, and more!
NYC Councilmember Pierina Sanchez beat out an anti-gay challenger (the former incumbent) to hold on to her seat.

It’s all happening. Keep it going.

Let's go!

Also last week: We hosted a really beautiful Pride live event in partnership with influencer Allie O’Brien, our partners at Human Rights Campaign and LGBT Victory Fund, and amazing local leaders. This will inspire you.

In other RFS community updates:

RI Sen. Tiara Mack and other RFS alum spoke with the Washington Post about how the threats of violence have changed their leadership and strategy. This is deeply sad and not how public service should feel.
Charleston (WV) City Councilmember Joe Solomon joined activists in getting arrested outside Sen. Shelley Moore Capito’s office as they protested federal cuts to food assistance and health care programs.
Hell yeah: RFS alum Rep. Dani Isaacsohn has been elected the next minority leader of the Ohio House Democrats; fellow alum Rep. Phillip Robinson Jr. will be assistant minority leader.
The Seattle Times endorsed RFS alum Kevin Schilling in his campaign for WA state house, citing his willingness to tackle challenging issues like housing, homelessness, and public safety during his term on the Burien City council.
Washtenaw County Sheriff Alyshia Dyer is working closely with community members who are experiencing an uptick in threats to their safety because of the global conflicts — her office is seeing an increased need for mental health-related services.
This is beautiful: Travis County Judge Denise Hernández is working with local businesses to offer free wedding ceremonies in Austin for LGBTQ+ Texans, in honor of Pride month.
Also beautiful: This profile from BET about PA Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta and his husband, Dr. Matthew Kenyatta, on their love and partnership in Philly.
Texas State Board of Education member Staci Childs is announcing a major $3.5 million pilot program to close learning gaps at the state’s lowest performing elementary schools that could fund high-impact tutoring, extra support for teachers, and more.
Chesterfield Circuit Court Clerk (VA) Amanda Pohl has declared her office will not cooperate with federal immigration authorities, even as ICE lurks around the courthouse to try and sweep people up.
PA Sen. Lindsey Williams and Rep. Emily Kinkead are leading on legislation to get free school meals into the state budget this year.

Two things coming up:

RSVP for our next volunteer training call on July 9th. We’ll walk you through all the ways you can be a part of this community besides running for office.