RFS feel-good update (8/2): Our newest 2021 endorsements are truly excellent
You're going to love them!
Hi all -
Overall, we’ve now endorsed 326 folks for 2021 races across 33 states. Some stellar stats about those 2021 candidates:
53% identify as women and 2% identify as non-binary
27% are LGBTQIA+
57% are Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color
83% are running for municipal office, 11% are running for education roles, 4% are running for state legislature and 2% are running for a legal position
22% identify as having a disability, 53% are caretakers of kids, 96% identify as coming from a low-income background, 40% are children of immigrants, and 10% are immigrants themselves.
32% are between the ages of 18 and 30 — 27 candidates specifically are between the ages of 18-24.
These stats don’t begin to describe how amazing our 2021 crew is (and, of course, more to come.)
And heads up: We have 27 candidates on the ballot this week — stay tuned to our social media for updates.
In RFS candidate & alumni updates:
Like hundreds of thousands of other renters in Seattle, mayoral candidate Andrew Grant Houston is struggling to make rent — his opponents are trying to make this an issue, when the reality is, it’s what makes him intimately connected to the people he wants to serve.
MA Sen. Becca Rausch is leading on legislation that would require all large commercial buildings to meet energy performance standards - this could slash emission by more than 80% by 2040.
CO Rep. Dylan Roberts is one of 10 members - and the only representative from the Western Slope area - assigned to a task force deciding how to allocate $400 million in federal funds for housing initiatives.
TX Rep. James Talarico has drawn a GOP challenger. The Republican Party is likely to hustle hard to try and unseat him.
Lucia Baez-Geller, Luisa Santos, Annette Collazo and Anna Eskamani are all name-checked as rising stars in the otherwise struggling Florida Democratic Party.
NV Assemblyman Howard Watts continues to fight to end the sirens that ring in “sunset towns,” a stark reminder of the town’s racist pasts.
NY Sen. Zellnor Myrie is holding hearings on how the state’s elections are run and what can be done to improve them. It’s about damn time.
NH Rep. Megan Murray has a powerful op-ed on what the GOP is doing to public education: Republican-backed dismantling of public education funding through backroom special interest policy deals is harming our public schools. Over the past few months, House Republicans have worked with deliberate intention to dismantle New Hampshire’s education system to justify mandating a new system that funnels taxpayer money away from successful public schools and into often unproven private prep and religious institutions with little oversight.
This is amazing progress in Rhode Island:
In related reading: Republicans could retake the House simply through the gerrymandering process in Florida, Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina. Repeat after me and think long-term, past the next 2 years: Winning state legislatures and local office is the best and only way to build sustainable power.
Last week we joined with the National Council on Independent Living to host a special call specifically for folks with disabilities and/or in the neurodivergent community who might consider running for office. It was an incredible event.
Tomorrow on the Run for Something podcast: Ruthzee Louijeune is the daughter of Haitian immigrants -- a history that's intimately shaped her approach to serving and fighting for her community. Her experience as a housing lawyer (who also served as counsel to Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign) has prepared her to join the Boston City Council and bring affordable housing to a city that desperately needs it. We talk about her journey into politics, how campaigning fills her heart, and what her vision is for Boston. To support her campaign for councilor-at-large, go to www.ruthzeeforboston.com. Get the show wherever you get your pods!
Thanks for making all this possible. We’ve made it to August — much more to come!
- Amanda