RFS feel-good update (9/23): Last email from me for a while!

Hi all -

As the subject line notes: This is your last email from me (and from this newsletter) for a little while: I’m heading out on maternity leave this week and while I’m out, the RFS feel-good update will be on a brief pause!

You may get a note or two from our team sporadically, and I’ll be sneaking into your inbox around Election Day to update you on how things go for the Run for Something community — but otherwise you can expect to see me back and giving you regular updates on all things Run for Something in January 2025, hopefully as we prepare for an exciting and inspiring Inauguration!

Before I log off this week: Thank you.

Whether you’ve been with Run for Something since January 2017 (what feels like lifetimes ago!) or you’re new to this community, you’re the reason why we’ve been able to accomplish so much.

Just a few of the many stats (that will continue to grow + change as we get closer to Election Day):

• In 2024 alone, we’ve endorsed 566 candidates — with one final class to come later this week! Of those who had primaries, nearly 70% won, and we’ve already helped elect 32 people this year, full stop.
  

• Our 2024 candidates are 51% people of color, 52% women, and 31% LGBTQ+. 48% are running for state leg, 35% for municipal offices, 13% for education-related positions and 4% for legal offices.
  

• The median age of a Run for Something-endorsed candidate this year is 33. 41% of our candidates are parents or caretakers; 12% are first or second-generation Americans.
  

• We’ve endorsed in 48 states — a full 10% of our endorsed candidates are in Michigan alone.
  

• By Election Day, our small but mighty campaigns team will have logged over 1,000 hours of direct candidate support time.
  

• Since 2017, we’ve won 1,265 elections - an incredible accomplishment.
  

• Our pipeline has grown by more than 15,000 people this year alone, and now exceeds over 160,000 people thinking about running for office — some of those are people running now but a vast majority are people ready to run in 2025 or 2026. We’ll be there for them!
  

• Just in the last year, we’ve rolled out incredible resources including guides for: candidates who lost but may be interested in running again, elected officials preparing for re-election, elected officials planning for succession, and materials for candidate and campaign security support — plus, we launched The Starting Line, a guide for what potential candidates on what local offices actually do and how you can run for them. We’ve piloted a number of different candidate community programs to solidify relationships among first-time candidates running for local office. Through partners we’ve raised over $75k (and more to come!) in direct candidate support and developed strong pipelines to help candidates hire staff.
  

• We’re bringing in thousands of volunteers for local races through our hub on Mobilize. In fact, we’re hosting a special call on Tuesday night to learn more about volunteering on campaigns as an entry-point into possibly running yourself. RSVP now.

All that has only been possible because of your support and generosity. You’re making this happen. No matter what happens over the next 6 weeks, you should be so proud of what you’ve accomplished so far.

All that being said: There is a ton of work left to do! The Run for Something team is working directly with hundreds of candidates, making sure they have every possible resource they need to get across the finish line, win themselves, run up the score for Kamala Harris and other bigger races, and defeat MAGA at every level of the ballot.

It seems likely that the presidential campaign and affiliated organizations will have over $1 billion at their disposal. Alas, local candidates like the ones RFS works with (and RFS ourselves!) do not have that kind of cash.

We’re still trying to close a fundraising gap before Election Day. Every single dollar helps. Even better, make your donation recurring and let us know we can count on you as we look ahead to 2025 and beyond.

Thank you for being on this team.

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In other RFS community updates:

• This is a brave and gutting piece from RFS candidate Emma Curtis on her experience as a victim of sexual harassment by a member of the Kentucky State legislature.

• CO Sen. Dylan Roberts is leading on efforts to expand cell service into dead zones across the state, which have led to dangerous outcomes (like stranded motorists, people trapped in cars, etc.)

• In West Virginia, Charleston City Councilmember Joe Solomon is leading (both on the council and outside of it, as a co-founder of an overdose prevention group) to run naloxone distribution events — a program he started in 2020 that’s now expanded to more than 30 states. This work literally saves lives.

• “It’s a hotly contested race featuring a former female prosecutor and a man credibly accused of sexual harassment, with the future of law and order on the ballot. No, it’s not the presidential race.” It’s RFS-endorsed candidate Christina Hines’ race for Macomb County prosecutor in Michigan.

• CA Assemblymember Alex Lee is pushing for accountability measures for the cosmetics industry’s efforts to sell to young kids.

• LA City Councilmembers Hugo Soto-Martinez and Nithya Raman are working with tenant advocacy groups to strengthen the language in the anti-tenant harassment ordinance, to ensure penalties are strict and attorneys will actually take the cases.

• RFS alum Rigel Robinson has a powerful op-ed on the impact of a place like Berkeley taking aggressive measures to “sweep its homeless” community and what that would model for other cities.

• Thanks to RFS candidates like Quantá Crews and others, Arizona candidates can now use campaign funds to pay for child care needs while they’re campaigning.

• NYC Councilmember Crystal Hudson successfully passed legislation calling for studies into reparations and other truth, healing, and reconciliation processes around the ongoing legacies of slavery in New York.

• There is nothing I like more than seeing pictures & anecdotes of our candidates out there doing the hard work to win elections under the radar. Case in point: Taylor Culliver, who’s running for SC state senate.

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A few reminders on why our Clerk Work program has been and continues to be critically important:

• You must read these secret emails showing how the “Georgia Election Integrity Coalition” - a network of elected officials and election deniers - has been coordinating to undermine democracy.

• Similarly, watch Rachel Maddow on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert talking about her concerns re: local election administrators challenging election results.

• You might also find this story about election denialism in the Atlantic interesting: “In the run-up to November 2024, they’ve sought to take control of state and local boards, and, in Georgia, are establishing the fundamentals to bring about even more election chaos. On the state board, a new far-right majority is changing the rules mere weeks before a national election that might hinge on Georgia.”

All that’s to say: This is why Run for Something launched and is continuing to run Clerk Work, to ensure pro-democracy local leaders have what they need to run, win, and protect the count.

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Thanks again for everything. Keep doing the work — see you on the other side of Election Day!

- Amanda