RFS feel-good update (7/7): State and local leaders matter more than ever
Plus: Some good news in the form of ~9000 new leaders in the last 2 weeks
Hi all -
Last week — like most weeks, sadly — was rough. Even with the holiday, the bad news continued.
The passage of Trump’s domestic policy bill will lead to millions losing their healthcare, millions losing access to affordable food — it’ll shut down hospitals and nursing homes, kill the dreams of young people hoping to become doctors or lawyers or veterinarians, and it’ll make ICE better funded than the militaries of all but 15 countries in the world. (Plus, it’ll explode our national debt.) All for what? Tax cuts for the billionaires.
RFS alum across the country were loudly making the case against it and beginning the necessary work of communicating to their communities about how it’ll hurt people:
One key takeaway: State and local governments are going to be more important than ever. Every local leader will matter as states and municipalities have to pick up the slack, find new ways to balance their budgets in light of the federal cuts, and advance progress wherever possible (while mitigating harm where they can.)
Run for Something will continue to work with hyperlocal candidates in all 50 states. Be a part of that work.
Some good news amidst the sadness:
Last Monday I told you we’d had 5,000 people sign up to run in the 5 days after the NYC mayoral election.
Now that we’re nearly two weeks out, we’re at nearly 9,000 new people in the pipeline.
This pace of new candidate recruitment is on par with the two weeks after Trump won back in November.
A new generation of leaders is coming, like it or not. (And we do!!!)
Two ways you can get involved to help this growing movement:
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.
On July 15th, we’re launching our new training & mentorship community specifically for people thinking about running for office. Perfect timing for this new program — we’ve built it to scale!
In RFS community updates:
PA Rep. Manuel Guzman wrote about Trump’s big bill in the local paper before it passed:
Let’s cut the nonsense — Donald Trump’s new spending plan is a direct assault on poor and working people. And cities like Reading are the bullseye.If this bill passes, thousands of families in my district will lose food assistance and health care. That’s not speculation — that’s baked into the bill. And the politicians pushing it know exactly what they’re doing. This is cruelty dressed up as policy.
Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija won two Emmys for his short film about his team’s work to protect democracy. Watch the video here:
Alexandria, VA Mayor Alyia Gaskins was featured in this NYT story about what it’s like to run a city right now.
FL Rep. Anna Eskamani, Rep. Michele Rayner, and other FL legislators were denied access to visit the cruel immigrant detention facility opened up in the Everglades.
PA. Rep Andre Carroll is working with colleagues to lead on a new initiative to improve safety and support systems for young people, in response to the challenges in the juvenile justice system.
A must-read interview with NY Councilmember Chi Ossé:
We’re seeing a shift in priorities for the up-and-coming generation of Americans. We see that in how we communicate. It’s in what we want to see change in this country. That’s what we are experiencing as a generation who don’t have the liberty and privileges of, at least most of us, putting a down payment on a mortgage. I think we are experiencing a lot of the real-time effects of late-stage capitalism, of a level of complacency that exists within our government, not only by the Republicans, [but] by some of our older Democratic leaders as well.Caseen Gaines, a local teacher who won a seat on the Hackensack City Council (NJ), was chosen as mayor and sworn in — leading to this excellent headline:
CA Assemblymember Sade Elhawary is leading on legislation to require human oversight when AI is involved on decisions related to promoting, demoting, firing, or disciplining workers.
Also in CA: Assemblymember Alex Lee is working to cap the number of homes that corporations can buy in California.
The Stranger endorsed Alexis Mercedes Rinck for re-election to the Seattle City Council.
Knoxville city councilmember Amelia Parker joined transit workers protesting for better wages and benefits.
Portland City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney pushed forward a plan to temporarily waive some construction fees to help boost new apartment development in the city.
Montgomery City Councilmember Marche Johnson teamed up with local partners to host a first-of-its-kind home ownership summit to help people learn more about first-time ownership.
In a continued bench watch:
IL Rep. Hoan Huynh announced he’s getting into the race for IL-9, the open race for Jan Schakowsky’s seat outside Chicago. He’s the second RFS alum in this race! Our bench is deep!
In related watching, reading, and listening:
On Tuesday I went on NY1 to talk with local news about the wave of young people running for office.
I also joined CSPAN on Sunday morning to talk about the future of the Democratic Party (and answer questions from viewers…) - tune in if that’s your jam.
NYT columnist David Wallace-Wells shared 10 ways of making sense of Zohran Mamdani’s win. I particularly liked this point:
You make this all possible. Thanks.
- Amanda
I enjoyed your book. You're a good writer; please keep at it.