RFS feel-good update (6/5): It's always Election Day!
Plus: How the right is going hard on school boards
Hi all -
Whole lotta new folks getting this update today (👋👋) — so a quick refresher on what this email is:
At the top of each week, I send a quick-ish note about what’s going on across the Run for Something community — a mix of updates on our candidates and alumni, news stories that are relevant to our work, things I find interesting/alarming to put on your radar, plus any upcoming events you might want to know about.
There are no (or at least, minimal) fundraising asks; just good vibes. I’ve been doing this since RFS started over 6 years ago — you can scroll back through them all on our Substack.
Feel free to unsubscribe if you don’t want more emails from us; I won’t be offended. And if you do like it & have thoughts or feelings, reply! I see every response, and try to get back to you.
Coming up this week: 8 Run for Something candidates are on the ballot in Colorado and New Jersey! Keep an eye on our social media for election updates.
Some good news from the RFS community:
CA Assemblymember Alex Lee is pushing forward on legislation to create a state agency to develop “social housing,” saving the state money and helping solve the broader housing crisis. As the story notes, Rep. Lee is the youngest member of the state legislature; he lives with his mom in San Jose.
MT Rep. Zooey Zephyr joined The View this week to explain how the anti-trans laws hurt trans kids. This is worth a watch.
TX Rep. John Bucy used some wonky procedural tactics to ensure that Austin’s light-rail program moves forward.
An awesome profile of NYC Councilmember Chi Ossé: “Chi Ossé Is the Queer Gen Z Political Changemaker That New York City Deserves.”
On our Medium last week: Five Asian American RFS Alum you should know, including GA Rep. Marvin Lim, VA Del. Suhas Subamanyam (now running for state senate), Carlsbad City Councilmember Priya Bhat-Patel, NH Rep. Ben Ming, & MN Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura.
The far right has been tearing apart one of the best tools to fight voter fraud — NPR did a deep dive into their scheme, and spoke to RFS alum Boone County Clerk Brianna Lennon in Missouri, who explains exactly how it affects election administration.
Some related reading & listening:
The right’s work on school board got a lot of attention this week — Vanity Fair went deep into their effort to take over a county in Florida, and noted they opened a 6000 sq foot HQ for “conservative education activism”, which is a serious long-term investment. Their efforts continue to pop-up in a whole bunch of states, including California (where one school board voted to ban a book about Harvey Milk, calling him a “pedophile”) and Newtown, Connecticut, where a close vote kept book bans out of the community for now.
But in a little bit of hope, teachers, students, and parents are fighting back by showing up at meetings, resigning from their jobs, and protesting. Nationwide, there’s a broader movement of parents (especially moms!) not settling for the right’s ownership of the identity. The next step is for as many of these folks to run for office themselves.Somewhat relatedly, I joined Fated Mates, a romance novel podcast (seriously! it rules!), to talk about how anyone who loves books and wants to fight for them should consider running for school or library board. Come for the plea to run for office, stay for the convo on some very 🌶️🌶️🌶️ books.
“Many of the 22 Republican-led states pushed new curbs on abortion, sweeping restrictions on gender transitions for youths and laws limiting discussion about sexuality in school classrooms. Democrats, who have full control in 17 states, passed new gun control measures, set limits on carbon emissions, and created safe havens for abortion and medical care for transgender people.” Read more in the NYT about how state legislatures are doing more and more to hurt/help people.
Two quick upcoming RFS events:
If you’re in D.C., join us on June 21st for Party for Something, with keynote speaker Rep. Maxwell Frost. It’s going to be an excellent night!
On June 27th, we’re partneirng with LGBTQ Victory Fund to host See Yourself Running: LGBTQIA+ -a free online convo for LGBTQIA+ folks thinking about running for office. Don’t miss this inspiring & informative session!
You make this work possible. Thank you for being on the team.
- Amanda
Awesome as always!