We’re officially in the thick of election season, John — and we’re continuing to organize on the ground to deliver victories for working people.
Think you missed any WFP updates from last month? Don’t sweat it!
Here’s your WFP newsletter to catch you up:
REP. SUMMER LEE OVERCOMES ATTACKS FROM THREE BILLIONAIRE-BACKED SUPER PACS
This past month, we celebrated Rep. Summer Lee’s primary victory in Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. Voters delivered a massive blow to the right-wing Super PACs who funneled swaths of cash from some of the wealthiest billionaires in the country to pull out every single trick in the book and take her down. They strongly said NO to the right-wing agenda that wants to defund our schools, bust our unions, pollute our planet, and destroy our futures.
This 20-point victory could not have been possible without the hard work of WFP members and volunteers who made over 50,000 calls, sent out nearly 500,000 texts, and delivered more than 6,000 postcards to voters in Summer’s district.
Together, we showed the right-wing lobby that their millions are no match for our people-powered movement, and guaranteed one of the biggest champions for working people in the country another two years in Congress — where she’ll continue fighting for our priorities.
For coverage of the commanding victory — and the role of the WFP and allies in securing it — see The Guardian, CNN, The Intercept, and The Nation.
DEFENDING RIGHT-WING SUPER PACS’ NEXT TARGET: JAMAAL BOWMAN
This month, we’re turning our attention to our other champions in Congress who are under threat, starting with Jamaal Bowman in New York whose primary is on June 25th.
Jamaal’s facing a tough primary challenge from AIPAC, who’s far-right megadonors are expected to spend up to $25 million to attack him and prop up his opponent, George Latimer — which could make this the most expensive House primary in U.S. history.
With this much spending against Jamaal, and with recent polls showing this race is neck-and-neck — we need your help making calls and speaking with the voters in these critical final weeks
RSVP now for our phonebank with Jamaal Bowman this Monday, May 13th at 5:30PM ET/2:30PM PT, and help make a difference in this close race — or scroll down for more volunteer opportunities in the weeks ahead.
RSVP: Bowman Phone Bank »
MORE ELECTION RESULTS FROM PENNSYLVANIA
In addition to Rep. Summer Lee’s victory, we celebrated some other major primary wins in Pennsylvania.
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta — who we supported in the 2022 Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race — won his primary for Pennsylvania Auditor General by 30 points, and will advance to the general election against the incumbent Republican auditor.
WFP champion Andre Carroll also cruised to victory in the race for a Germantown-based State House seat in Philadelphia. If he wins again in November, he’ll be the district’s first openly gay representative and one of a handful of Black LGBTQ+ members in the Pennsylvania State Legislature. Lehigh Valley’s Anna Thomas and Lancaster County’s Brad Chambers also won their State House primaries and will challenge incumbent Republican representatives in November’s general election.
Other WFP challengers who ran for state office, like Keir Bradford Grey, WFP’s endorsed candidate in the Pennsylvania Attorney General race, and Ashley Comans in Pennsylvania’s District 34 State House race, unfortunately came up short — as did Cass Green in her rematch against of the most conservative Democrats in the Pennsylvania House, losing by just 42 votes after a recount. Still, we are so incredibly proud of the campaigns each of these candidates ran, and we know that the future of Pennsylvania is brighter for it.
And finally, we racked up several wins for WFP-endorsed incumbents, including State Sens. Nikil Saval (SD-1) and Amanda Cappelletti (SD-17), and State Reps. Izzy Smith Wade-El (HD-49), Carol Kazeem (HD-159), Elizabeth Fiedler (HD-184), Rick Krajewski (HD-188), Roni Green (HD-190), Tarik Khan (HD-194), Chris Rabb (HD-200).
OUR RESPONSE TO VIOLENT ATTACKS ON GAZA SOLIDARITY STUDENT ENCAMPMENTS
Since October 7th, more than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in an indiscriminate bombing campaign that the U.S. continues to fund with no end in sight — and across the country, students are boldly rising up, demanding that their universities divest from Israeli companies complicit in the war on Gaza.
Following the violent, militarized response from on-campus and state law enforcement against the student encampments for Palestine on college campuses, we expressed our solidarity with students calling for the preservation of human life and an end to the devastation in Gaza, condemned the brutal crackdown on protestors, and reaffirmed our determination to continue the fight to end unconditional military aid to Israel and establish a lasting ceasefire.
You can read our full statement here.
CONNECTICUT WORKING FAMILIES PARTY HELPS PASS MAJOR EXPANSION OF PAID SICK LEAVE LAW
This past Monday, the Connecticut State Senate passed H.B. 5005, expanding paid sick days to more workers across the state. The CT Monitor called it “a victory for the Working Families Party,” after we led the lobbying effort for the bill's passage.
From paid family and medical leave to a $15 minimum wage, Connecticut WFP has been the driving force behind several of the biggest victories for working people in the Nutmeg State. But this month’s victory wouldn't have been possible without the tireless efforts of advocates and volunteers across the state — and the work of CTWFP activists, leaders, and legislative champions.
NEW ENDORSEMENTS IN DELAWARE, NEW MEXICO, CALIFORNIA, AND KANSAS
In Delaware, we announced our first round of endorsements for the 2024 election season. Click here to see who we’re supporting.
Over the last two election cycles, the Delaware Working Families Party has endorsed 12 state legislative candidates and has won in 7 of those races. In 2024, we’re seeking to repeat those successes and elect leaders who will move us forward on critical issues that working-class people in Delaware want progress on, like free school meals for all, true police reform, and community workforce agreements.
To read more on our endorsement of Collin O’Mara for Delaware Governor and first round of House seats, check out the Delaware News-Journal and Delaware Liberal.
Likewise in New Mexico, we rolled out our first round of endorsements for state and county offices ahead of the June primary election. You can see the full list of candidates here.
New Mexico Working Families Party State Director JD Mathews noted, “We are incredibly proud to endorse this first round of candidates from across New Mexico. They are proven champions on the side of New Mexicans and not wealthy and well connected, big corporate interests. Local elections are at the center of investing in the needs of our communities and the leaders we have endorsed today understand the importance of improving our quality of life.”
Meanwhile in California, we endorsed two candidates for Los Angeles City Council — Ysabel Jurado in District 14 and Jillian Burgos in District 2.
Los Angeles has proven to be a bright spot for California’s progressive movement, flexing its muscle at City Hall — and we’re excited to continue growing and building that strength.
Last but not least, in Kansas, WFP has endorsed Zach Thomas for Johnson County District Attorney and Byron Roberson for Johnson County Sheriff.
These two elections are our next opportunity to advance a fair and equitable criminal justice agenda, and elect more candidates that want to end mass incarceration, decriminalize poverty, and put our communities first. It’s also our latest effort to make further inroads in the midwest.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Phone Bank for Jamaal Bowman!
This Monday, join Rep. Jamaal Bowman at a virtual phone bank to support his re-election campaign!
Every Monday from now until the election, volunteers from across the country are making calls and speaking with the voters who will be deciding this race.
Never made calls before? Don't worry, you'll get all of the training you need to call with confidence. All you need is a computer or internet-connected device and a phone. You can sign up to phone bank here.
RSVP: Bowman Phone Bank »
Tuesday Text Party
Help support our candidates at a WFP virtual text party next Tuesday, May 14 at 6PM ET/3PM PT! Our organizers and volunteer leaders will support you as you use our easy program to text voters on behalf of WFP champions across the country. This month, we’ll be texting to defend Squad Rep. Jamaal Bowman! Sign up for the text party here.
RSVP: Tuesday Text Party »
WFP Welcome Gathering
On Thursday, May 23 at 7PM ET/4PM PT, join us for our monthly Welcome Gathering! These monthly calls are your opportunity — whether you’re new to the WFP or a long-time supporter — to hear directly from our staff and activists on the country and the party we’re building together. Click here to RSVP now.
RSVP: WFP Welcome Gathering »
Thanks for making it this far, John!
With major primaries right around the corner, can we count on you to make a contribution today to help us pull off even more victories? Pitch in $10 or whatever you can to help fuel our organizing and defeat the right-wing and corporate influences trying to take over our elections.
Pitch in »
In solidarity,
Working Families Party
