RFS feel-good update (7/18): "Survivors, dreamers, fighters"
As always, our community is leading when it matters most
Hi all -
Let’s start this week off with a few of the many many RFS candidates & alumni leading the fight for abortion access:
RFS candidates Ashley Gantt (FL) and Becca Moyer DeFelice (TX) talked with USA Today about the stakes for abortion access in their campaigns and what they’re hearing on the campaign trail.
AZ Rep. Alma Hernandez makes the case in the Arizona Daily Star for why the abortion ban violates Jewish law
CO Sen. Julie Gonzales was a prime sponsor of the Reproductive Health Equity Act, and is working on round two of the bill, which will come back next legislative session, so that they can keep Colorado as safe place for patients seeking care.
PA Rep. Emily Kinkead is sponsoring legislation that would prohibit law enforcement from cooperating with out-of-state investigations into abortion patients from other states.
Memphis City Councilmember JB Smiley Jr. successfully sponsored a resolution to urge law enforcement and the county DA not to investigate or prosecute doctors who perform abortions.
The White House featured FL Rep. Fentrice Driskell, who’s been a fierce advocate against the state’s abortion bans.
Abortion access will not be won in Congress — it’ll be won (or lost) in thousands and thousands of local elections for everything from sheriff to DA to city council to state legislature. Bolts magazine has a good guide on a bunch of local races happening (and good news, a ton of these include Run for Something candidates!)
And more slivers of good news — thousands of young people, mostly women, have signed up to run for office since the Roe decision dropped.
Since this story, we’re up to more than 4,500 people who’ve said “I want to run — now what?” — that’s the beginning of the long fight to win back our rights.
Meanwhile, democracy is still in shambles, so here’s a nudge on why our Clerk Work program matters (and why we can’t leave even a single county or town up for grabs…):
“What’s clear is this is a nationally coordinated effort,” said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat. “It’s multi-year, multi-faceted … not just pressuring election officials, but pressuring local elected officials as well.”
Election officials fear the handful of publicly disclosed incidents over the last two years are only the start of a wave ahead of the 2022 and 2024 elections.
“It can create a domino effect, because if one county successfully manages to tank their election by not certifying it, we’re gonna see copycats,” said New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a Democrat and former president of NASS who sued to force certification last month.
Meanwhile, here’s what Steve Bannon is up to:
The show is a hefty contributor to a grassroots surge that is sending political neophytes to city councils, school boards, and state legislatures … The solution [to supposed election fraud], Bannon tells such listeners, is to take matters into their own hands by diving into local politics across the country to take control of the election process and keep Democrats from “cheating.”
In one other Clerk Work-related update:
RFS alum Santa Fe County Clerk Katharine Clark explains why she can’t be intimidated or harassed out of her job: “My dad served in the military, my grandfather served in the military … I don't feel it's bad enough yet to feel that my public service is too much."
And in case you needed the reminder: Moms for Liberty and the GOP (including Ron DeSantis and Rick Scott) are going hard for school boards:
The conference in Tampa was a moment for members to meet like-minded parents, reflect on their success in shaping the national debate around school curricula and policies, and learn how to spread their message further. They strategized on what they want to do next: elect their own candidates to school boards, pass state legislation and diminish the influence of teachers unions.
In other RFS community updates:
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb makes the case for long-term strategic investment of ARPA funds instead of just pet projects and one-and-done ideas.
PA Sen. Nikil Saval and Rep. Sara Innamorato have successfully passed transformative first-of-its-kind legislation to allow folks to get state assistance to pay home repairs so they can stay in their homes.
DE Sen. Sarah McBride led on legislation to create a digital literacy education curriculum.
This is a great accomplishment for Somerville City Councilmember Willie Burnley Jr.
The first Office of Cardiac Arrest Management has been established after Rep. Dylan Roberts successfully fought for it — it’ll save lives.
NY Sen. Andrew Gounardes lays out everything NY Democrats have done to protect communities from gun violence - even in the fact of Supreme Court decisions that have made it much harder.
PA Sen. Katie Muth led on legislation to raise the minimum daily pay for the state’s national guard members.
After far-right trolls came for RI Sen. Tiara Mack for a video, she’s using her newfound fame to bring attention to the need for a new vision of leadership.
Take a few minutes to hear TX Rep. James Talarico talk about why it matters for our party to fight hard for our values.
There’s been a ton of conversation about why young voters are frustrated with Democratic leadership — I joined MSNBC over the weekend to explain the generational divide and why it matters to elect leaders who can speak authentically to the issues young people are facing right now.
Finally, heads up that it’s Election Day in Maryland this week and we have dozens of candidates on the ballot - stay tuned to our social media for updates!
Thanks for making all this possible. So much more to come.
- Amanda