RFS feel-good update (8/3): 107 new candidates (& our most diverse endorsement class yet)
Hi all -
We’ve made it to August, somehow. Good news to brighten your morning…
Last week we endorsed 107 incredible candidates for local office.
Some fun stats for you about this class:
In July, 62% of our candidates are BIPOC, 24% are LGBTQIA+ and 62% are women — making this our most diverse and inclusive endorsement class ever (!!).
For the 2020 election cycle-to-date, RFS has endorsed 521 campaigns in 47 states + DC.
Since our start in 2017, RFS has endorsed 1,321 candidates.
Scroll through these bios — you’ll feel better, I promise.
In other organization news: More than 200k people watched last week’s Armchair Chat, in which Ross chatted with Sarah Audelo from the Alliance for Youth Action and Ben Wessell from NextGen Rising about youth voter engagement. Tune in this Wednesday at 6pm ET for a conversation with Clarke Humphrey from the DNC & Rachael Junard from ActBlue on online fundraising — keep an eye on your inbox later today for how to RSVP.
Finally, we announced that RFS Ascend has raised more than $100k to support state legislative candidates in TX & PA. We made our initial investments a few weeks ago, before the TX runoffs. Our first class of RFS Ascend candidates included:
Akilah Bacy, Candidate for Texas House District 138
Audrey Spanko, Candidate for Texas Senate District 01
Brittney Rodas, Candidate for Pennsylvania House District 105
Eliz Markowitz, Candidate for Texas House District 28
Elizabeth Beck, Candidate for Texas House District 97
Eric Holguin, Candidate for Texas House District 32
Erin Zwiener, Candidate for Texas House District 45
James Talarico, Candidate for Texas House District 52
Jessica Benham, Candidate for Pennsylvania House District 36
Joanna Smith, Candidate for Pennsylvania House District 120
Lissa Geiger Shulman, Candidate for Pennsylvania House District 30
Lorenzo Sanchez, Candidate for Texas House District 67
Malcolm Kenyatta, Candidate for Pennsylvania House District 181
Xochil Peña Rodriguez, Candidate for Texas Senate District 19 (lost her runoff)
Not-so-fun fact worth keeping in mind: In the 20 most competitive state House pickup targets for Democrats in Texas, Democrats have raised only two thirds of what their Republican counterparts have brought in. Our funds are helping close that gap. (Your donation can help.)
In alumni & candidate news around the country…
“Nada Elmikashfi, a recent University of Wisconsin graduate and a true Madisonian, has firsthand experience in fulfilling the American dream within the systems and institutions built to exclude so many. Because of this adversity, Elmikashfi fights for the working class, for women, for people of color and for everyone who wants to help build a better community. For these reasons, and more, The Badger Herald Editorial Board is proud to endorse Nada Elmikashfi for Wisconsin State Senate.”
The Badger Herald also endorsed new RFS candidate Francesca Hong for WI state assembly: “As a self-made entrepreneur, a child of immigrants, a mother and a woman in the service industry, Hong is poised to implement the intersectional economic and social justice initiatives crucial to securing a progressive future for the city of Madison and the state of Wisconsin.”
You’ll like this: Francesca has been leading a social media campaign titled #WearADamnMask, and getting lots of praise for her no-bullshit messaging.
“For the 14th week in a row, State Sen. Jessica Ramos was on hand to distribute fresh produce and hot meals in Corona, one of the neighborhoods hit hardest during the pandemic.”
Iowa is one of the few states with no mask mandate — Ames City Councilmember Rachel Junck is doing her best to keep people safe however she can: “I would really like to be able to be as strong as possible to keep our community safe, I think that would come in the form of a mandate, but unfortunately the City Council does not have the power to do that, that is reserved for Governor Reynolds' emergency power. The best we can do at this point is have the most consistent messaging. Have masks required on Iowa State property, city property and individual businesses can make their decisions as well, and to have as many people wearing face masks as possible would be the best thing.”
Denver School Board director Tay Anderson was hospitalized with a concussion after he was shoved by police officers while he was trying to mediate their patrol of an encampment outside the state capitol.
Dalbin Osorio may have lost his campaign last cycle but he’s not letting that keep him from leading — Dalbin was appointed to Montgomery County’s Policing Advisory Commission.
In Florida, Coral Springs commissioner Joshua Simmons and City Commission candidate Nancy Metayer have been part of the task force looking to improve the Coral Springs police department — they’ve released a long list of recommendations to reimagine public safety.
Allegheny City Councilmember Bethany Hallam pushed to mail an absentee ballot application to every voter — doing so nearly completely eliminated the education disparity in voting by mail.
State Sen. Becca Rausch led on a maternal justice bill to create a licensing system for midwives in Massachusetts, in order to make home births more accessible and reduce racial disparities in maternal health.
IL state Sen. Robert Peters has laid out a plan for holistically reforming the criminal justice system, including a state-level version of the BREATHE Act, abolishing cash bail, redirecting police funds to community safety programs, and adding more options to emergency hotlines.
Thanks to the leadership of state senator Zellnor Myrie, NYC now has automatic voter registration and will allow for more prompt processing of absentee ballot applications.
Keep an eye on this: Rep. Anna Eskamani is being recruited by grassroots supporters to consider a run for Florida governor in 2022.
If you, like me, wake up every day absolutely furious at Congress, consider channeling your rage into volunteering for a Run for Something candidate. A few options for you:
Text voters:
Suzanne Hug is running for AZ House, District 25, looking to unseat an incumbent Republican in her district. Sign up to help here.
Javier Estevez is running to flip FL House, District 105 from red to blue in November, and needs support to win his primary on August 18! Sign up to help here.
Dotie Joseph is an RFS superstar running for re-election to the FL State House in a three-way primary. Sign up to support her campaign here. (BTW: Did you see her on the 2020 RFS Awards show? Watch here at the one hour mark.)
Call voters:
Luisa Santos is running for Miami-Dade School Board on August 18 and needs help spreading the word! Make phone calls to help elect Luisa as the first Latina to the Miami-Dade School Board! Sign up here.
Tamisha Civil will be the first woman to represent MA House, 6th Norfolk District. Send an email to sign up to call voters leading up to the September 1 primary. Don’t forget to let her know you’re an RFS volunteer!
Brendan Johnson is running to flip MI House, District 45 from red to blue, but first needs to win the August 4 primary! Sign up here.
Alexsis Rodgers is an organizer and activist running for Richmond, VA mayor! Sign up to support her here.
Andrés Cano is running for re-election on August 4 for AZ House, District 3. He’s the youngest LGBTQIA+ representative in office in AZ! Sign up to help him here.
Send postcards to voters:
Nata Cornelio is a Chicana civil rights attorney and former public defender running for Criminal Court Judge in Harris County, TX (Houston). She would be the only Latina criminal judge in a county that has 45% Latinx population! Help her make history and volunteer here.
Finally: Just to make you smile, my favorite part of the Endorsement Day is the reaction of both the candidates & the Run for Something community. One example…
Thank you for making this all possible. Onward we go!
- Amanda