INSIDER NEWS FROM THE FRONTLINES OF THE POLITICAL REVOLUTION
HEADLINES: Barbara Lee Speaks Truth to Power | 2023 Election Guide: Build Local Power | Progressives on the Ballot! | Sub-Minimum Wage in Chicago | UAW Solidarity Actions | & MORE!
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As the country’s largest grassroots progressive action organization, we count on the recurring small-dollar donations of our members and supporters to power the work behind our inside-outside strategy for change.
The more of us that are organized together with our talents and resources, the more powerful we become to make democracy work for all of us.
Please chip into our Progressive Power Fund to make sure progressives win 2023 elections and hit the ground running in 2024!
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“The reason Gavin Newsom didn’t appoint Barbara Lee is the reason she should be a senator,” wrote John Nichols in The Nation.
Barbara Lee has a “tradition of speaking truth to power” — and she’s the most progressive, most experienced candidate in the race. Newsom promised to choose a black woman to fill the vacancy, but he passed over Barbara Lee for a corporate Democratic insider who has lobbied for Airbnb and Uber.
The political establishment is clearly threatened by Barbara Lee and don’t want to see her team up with Bernie Sanders in the Senate. That’s why grassroots and progressive leaders like Ro Khanna, Cori Bush, Pramila Jayapal, and others are rallying behind Barbara.
Barbara Lee has been in the trenches from Day 1 for workers, climate, peace, Medicare for All, and more — and she can win this election on the merits.
Use this handy tool to share on social media and encourage other progressives to Pledge Support for Barbara Lee for Senate!
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Our Revolution is “swinging its network of grassroots activists and a list of more than 1.1 million California supporters behind the campaign that the Congresswoman identifies as ‘a march for justice for all,’” Nichols wrote in The Nation.
You can help elect Barbara Lee to the Senate from anywhere in the country — making calls, sharing out on social media, and more. If you're in California, you can help by knocking on doors or reaching out to friends - even hosting or attending a house party!
We invite you to join Our Revolution’s Progressives for Barbara Lee's organizing team. Let's make this a people-powered campaign and send Barbara Lee to the Senate.
And, be sure to sign up now for our upcoming LIVE virtual events with Barbara Lee! She will join Our Revolution and Ro Khanna for our Beyond Fossil Fuels Town Hall on Oct. 17th. Then Rep. Lee will join Ro Khanna and Pramila Jayapal for a Healthcare for All Town Hall on Oct. 24th.
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2023 ELECTION GUIDE
The 2023 General Election is exactly one month out, and Our Revolution has endorsed inspiring progressive champions in cities and states nationwide!
Meet our candidates below, and be sure to get out to vote on November 7th!
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Our Revolution-backed Sara Innamorato beat big money to win the primary in May, and now she’s on the ballot on 11/7 to become the next Allegheny County Executive.
If she wins, she will be part of a progressive trifecta in Pittsburgh that includes Mayor Ed Gainey and U.S. Rep Summer Lee!
We supported Sara in her successful run for PA House back in 2018 alongside then-candidate Summer Lee, and we will be proud to see her take the helm of the second-largest county in Pennsylvania!
As County Exec, Sara will have the power to directly affect people’s lives — from county-wide housing to addressing human rights violations in the county jail to protecting abortion care.
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Our Revolution Twin Cities has a powerhouse slate of progressives in Minnesota — and we are working to get out the vote to make sure each of these champions wins re-election!
These candidates include Minneapolis City Council members Jeremiah Ellison (Ward 5), Elliot Payne (Ward 1), and Robin Wonsley (Ward 2). And, in St. Paul, we are backing City Council members Mitra Jalali (Ward 4) and Nelsie Yang (Ward 6).
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Also in Minnesota, Our Revolution members weighed in and we are endorsing an exciting slate of progressive champions to win a majority on the city council in Duluth!
We’re organizing to elect these three amazing women: Miranda Pacheco and Jenna Yeakle for City Council At-Large and Wendy Durrwachter for City Council District 1.
These candidates have a real shot at winning and building a strong progressive bloc of local power, and we can’t let an opportunity like this pass us by!
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As corporations broaden their dark money fundraising networks into city council and school board races, we need working-class champions ready to confront them head-on, everywhere. That’s why we’re endorsing this slate of progressive candidates in Washington!
Our slate includes Leah Perkel for Vancouver City Council, Charles Adkins for Everett School Board (Position 5), Tammy Morales for Seattle City Council (District 2), Teresa Mosqueda for King County Council (District 8), Jorge Baron King for King County Council (District 4).
Leah is an Our Revolution member and a former Bernie delegate. She has firsthand experience with medical debt resulting from our lousy private health insurance system, and she wants to be an agent of change to help create healthier people and communities.
We have just ONE MONTH until all of these elections. Pitch in today to help elect progressives to make a difference in these critical state and local offices!
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Our Revolution stands with Izola Shaw in her run for Rockville City Council At-Large and Martin Mitchell who is vying for Mayor of the City of Laurel.
Izola Shaw was chair of the Montgomery County Racial Equity and Social Justice Advisory Committee, helped found the County’s Racial Equity Network (MORE), and helped pass the Racial Equity and Social Justice Act.
She has worked with the County Executive on public works, policing, rent stabilization, and environmental protection through the Rockville City Academy.
Laurel City Councilmember Martin Mitchell was a 2020 Bernie delegate and a founding member of Maryland for Bernie Sanders. He has been a leader in the fight for rent stabilization, marijuana decriminalization, and collective bargaining for municipal employees.
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Our Revolution is endorsing the Ithaca Solidarity Slate in New York!
Jorge DeFendini (Ward 4) and Phoebe Brown (Ward 2) are both seeking re-election to the Ithaca Common Council, and Kayla Matos is a challenger who would grow our progressive bloc on the council.
These are the races that determine the direction of cities and help us build progressive power at the local level, where we can directly improve people’s lives.
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Our Revolution is backing Jared Evans for re-election to a third term on the Indianapolis City Council.
Jared has been a strong progressive ally in Indianapolis, fighting for higher wages, good jobs, and more for the blue-collar neighborhoods he serves in District 17.
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Juan Marcano is the proud son of Puerto Rican migrants and has been a voice for working-class people representing Ward 4 on the Aurora, Colorado City Council since 2019.
Now, Our Revolution is proud to endorse Juan to lead the city in a progressive direction as Mayor. We know he will champion education, affordable housing, and economic and social justice at the helm.
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Greater Worcester Our Revolution is supporting Robert Billota for City Council (District 2) in Worcester, MA.
Robert is running for this seat because he believes Worcester should be a place where everyone can build a prosperous future. He has served on the Worcester Human Rights Commission and is a member of the Worcester Affordable Housing Coalition.
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Our Revolution Ohio is proudly endorsing Andrej Rotter for Upper Arlington City Council to give back to the community he says has given him so much.
Andrej and his family were political refugees from Czechoslovakia, and he is a retired scientist, teacher, and mentor. He is committed to environmental sustainability, fighting climate change, and economic security.
Donate today to Our Revolution and support the phone banking, texting, door-knocking and our grassroots organizing to GET OUT THE VOTE by November 7th in these critical down-ballot races!
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VICTORY! Our Revolution helped elect Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson earlier this year, and this week he officially delivered on his campaign promise to eliminate the “subminimum wage” for tipped workers!
Together with One Fair Wage, we fought for this new law which calls for tipped workers — currently paid 60% of Chicago’s minimum wage — to receive 8% annual increases beginning next July until they reach 100% parity in 2028, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
In July, Mayor Brandon Johnson joined us to serve up food to restaurant workers and raise awareness in this fight. Our own members submitted testimony directly, and we just won!
Stay tuned! In Ohio and Arizona, Our Revolution has teams canvassing for signatures for petition drives that will put a $20+ MINIMUM WAGE directly on the ballot in 2024.
Our movement is critical to advancing policies to address the many crises facing our country. If you’re not already a monthly member of Our Revolution, sign up today!
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STUDENT DEBT
Student debt payments are resuming “after the Supreme Court’s conservative majority turned its back on Americans in need,” US Rep. Ro Khanna wrote in The Messenger.
Ro’s op-ed features the lived experience of Our Revolution member and student debt activist Vanessa Torres, who grew up with a single mother and knew that higher education was her only ticket out of poverty.
Vanessa still owes $186,000, and like so many of us, doesn’t know how she will make ends meet now with payments resuming during an affordability crisis.
Watch this clip of Ro and Vanessa discussing the topic of student debt HERE.
This week, the Biden Administration canceled $9 billion worth of student debt for borrowers who have worked in public service for a decade, those who have made income-based payments for 20 years, and borrowers with permanent disabilities.
We’re not giving up. Our Revolution and our student debt activists will keep organizing and pushing the President to go all the way and fulfill his promise to eliminate $50k for every student borrower in the country through executive order using the Higher Education Act.
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ACTION: Our Revolution is calling on our activists to Stand with Striking UAW Autoworkers at the Big Three!
We’re asking you to organize a dealership canvass and leaflet members in your community about the UAW’s Stand-Up Strike and how Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis are refusing to settle fair contracts with 150,000 workers after making $250 Billion in profits.
Join or organize an event here and be sure to read instructions for canvassing and leafleting dealerships.
Our Revolution members have been joining UAW workers on the picket lines around the country — in Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and beyond!
Last week, President Biden joined the picket line with UAW, seeming to take the advice from Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese in the The Hill: “This strike is an opportunity for the President to say to the Big Three, ‘You’re incredibly profitable, but the return on investment we need to see is for working-class Americans.’”
Joseph also represented Our Revolution by speaking at the LIVE Solidarity Summer Rally with UAW with UAW President Sean Fain and a powerful coalition of progressive organizations supporting the striking workers.
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VICTORY! Our progressive coalition beat back a power grab by establishment Democrats that would have disenfranchised thousands of grassroots party members.
Virginia Democrats rejected a change to state party rules that would have altered how the commonwealth’s DNC delegates are elected, TYT reports.
This is a major win for progressives! Our Revolution Northern Virginia’s Sandra Klassen (who is also a State Central Committee Member of the VA Dem Party) was thrilled that “all of our work and our allies paid off!”.
ARE YOU RUNNING TO BE A DELEGATE TO THE DNC NEXT YEAR? If so, we want to hear from you. Please reach out to [email protected].
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From boots on the ground to the halls of Congress — it’s going to take an organized movement fighting on every terrain to take power back for the people.
If you’re already a member of Our Revolution, thank you! Please consider chipping in an extra donation to fund our work leading up to the big elections in November and beyond. If you’re not yet an official member, please consider signing up today!
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR REVOLUTION
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Barbara Lee will be joined by Ro Khanna at Our Revolution’s LIVE Beyond Fossil Fuels Town Hall on Oct. 17th. Reps. Lee and Khanna have worked together to fight for climate action, and now they’re working to keep oil drilling out of backyards of schools, hospitals, nursing homes and more.
RSVP
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Medicare for All, ending medical debt, lowering drug prices — Barbara Lee and our progressive movement are fighting on many fronts for healthcare justice.
Join Our Revolution’s LIVE Healthcare for All Town Hall with US Reps. Barbara Lee, Pramila Jayapal, and Ro Khanna, and CA Assemblyman Ash Kalra.
RSVP
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WHEN WE ORGANIZE, WE WIN!
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