NEWS FROM THE POLITICAL REVOLUTION |
HEADLINES: 2026 Kickoff | Mamdani Momentum | Schumer, Step Down! | Platner’s Bold Senate Run | Starbucks Strikes | New Endorsements | & MORE!
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As establishment Democrats falter, the progressive movement is rising. Not only are we electing bold new leaders like Zohran Mamdani in NYC, it’s clear that the energy, ideas, and base of the party are with US.
We are the ones feeling the pain of Trump’s cruel policies and corrupt regime. It’s OUR neighbors being snatched up by ICE. It’s OUR families losing healthcare and food assistance.
The grassroots want REAL opposition to Trump and the Oligarchs — and we know that means a new generation of leadership unafraid to take on powerful interests and stand unequivocally with the people.
That’s why we went to the mat to make history with Zohran in NYC. That’s why we’re ramping up pressure on Schumer to step aside after the shutdown fight failure. And that’s why we’re launching our work to elect the next class of candidates in 2026.
Read below to learn what candidates like Graham Platner and Cori Bush are saying about this moment — and chip in any amount to help us build bigger and stronger than ever.
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Earlier this year, Mamdani was polling at just ONE percent. But he scored a decisive victory over both the Democratic establishment and the radical right — because our movement had his back.
Our Revolution organizers and volunteers made over HALF A MILLION calls, texts, and door knocks in the race (give yourselves a hand!). This is the model that wins in the age of Trumpism.
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But leave it to the Democrats to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Instead of building on Mamdani’s momentum, Senate Dems caved to Trump in the shutdown fight.
“Chuck Schumer should step down as Senate Minority Leader immediately,” Our Revolution leader Joseph Geevarghese told USA Today. “If he secretly backed this surrender and voted ‘no’ to save face, he’s a liar. If he couldn’t keep his caucus in line, he’s inept. Either way... the country can’t afford his failed leadership any longer,” Joseph said. |
Our Revolution was first out of the gate calling for Schumer to step aside — and you all stepped up to add your voices. Our Citizen Action Team delivered more than 15,000 petition signatures to his office on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Politico reported.
“Whether Senate Democrats voted this way behind Schumer’s back or they did it with his consent, either way shows a lack of leadership from the Minority Leader in the Senate,” Our Revolution Deputy Director Paco Fabián told the Washington Examiner.
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Schumer’s weakness in holding the Democratic caucus together to oppose Trump has cost us too much. It’s time for courage. It’s time to fight for the people, not protect the status quo.
“Our democracy — and our party — need fighters, not dealmakers who fold when working people need them most,” he told Wall Street Journal. “Schumer’s failure to keep Democrats united handed Republicans a victory and left millions of Americans without affordable health care. Instead of ‘fight, fight, fight’ — it’s ‘surrender, surrender, surrender.’” |
In our survey of 3,500 Our Revolution members, 90% said Chuck Schumer should step aside. More than 70% said they feared Democrats would take the wrong lessons from last week’s victories — and they did.
Only 6% said they’re confident Democrats understand the struggles of the working class. And nearly everyone agreed: the party must take on the oligarchs, make life affordable, and make government work for the people — not the donor class.
As we head into 2026, this is our time to hold Democrats accountable - that’s why Our Revolution is going to run the biggest Democratic primary program we’ve ever run. We’re doubling down on fighting the oligarchs and making life affordable for everyday Americans — the same vision Mamdani ran on and won. And that’s how we’ll elect a new generation of leaders ready to fight alongside us - instead of betray us - and deliver real change for working people. |
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Last week, thousands of Our Revolution members tuned in for our Live 2026 Kickoff Call — an electrifying launch to the next phase of our movement to take on Trump and take back power from the political establishment and the Oligarchs. We heard from five fearless, people-powered candidates — Mai Vang, Robert Peters, Randy Bryce, Cori Bush, and Graham Platner — all ready to take the fight for working people from the streets to the halls of Congress. |
We were thrilled to sit down with newly endorsed Graham Platner, a Marine veteran and oysterman running to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine.
Platner didn’t mince words about the state of Democratic leadership, calling it “entirely feckless” and pointing to last week’s shutdown vote as “a failure of leadership in the clearest terms.”
He added, “If the Democratic Party truly represented its people, it would be the party of workers and labor unions again — building power and creating big structural change. We’ve got to get rid of the failed leadership — they gotta go.”
Platner also spoke about the urgent need to fight corporate power, noting that “these billionaires aren’t getting rich because they’re geniuses — they’re getting rich off our tax dollars through government contracts and subsidies.” |
Our Revolution is fired up to stand with Cori Bush, who’s ready for a rematch against Big Money and determined to win back her seat in Missouri’s 1st District.
A nurse and activist, Cori has always fought on the front lines for justice, dignity, and equality — from the streets of Ferguson to the halls of Congress.
“I’m coming back stronger — more courageous, more determined — because our communities need fighters who won’t cave when it gets hard,” Bush said. She’s been a fearless voice for working people, leading the fight for Medicare for All, a living wage, and an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few. “We have to stop letting big money corrupt our politics,” she added. “It’s time to hold Democrats accountable for taking corporate cash and start building a party that truly fights for the people.” |
Our Revolution was proud to welcome Mai Vang, a Sacramento City Councilmember running for Congress in California’s 7th District. The daughter of refugees and oldest of 16 children, Vang has spent her life fighting for justice and equity. “In this moment, we need leaders who understand the day-to-day struggles of working families — people who actually live what they’re fighting for,” Vang said.
She is the only corporate-free candidate in the race, and she’s taking on a political dynasty that’s been in power for five decades — “because our communities deserve fearless leadership that puts people before profit.” |
We also had a great conversation with Robert Peters, a progressive Illinois State Senator running for Congress in the 2nd District.
A lifelong organizer and movement-builder, Peters shared how his campaign is rooted in delivering real solutions for working families and building a Democratic Party that fights for everyday people, not corporate donors.
“We can’t just fight back against Trump — we have to fight for what gives people dignity: health care, housing, and the ability to thrive,” he said.
“Power isn’t complicated — it’s organized people, organized money, and organized narrative. My job is to be the chief organizer inside the halls of power.” |
Next up was Randy Bryce, an ironworker, Army veteran, and union activist running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 1st District. Known nationally as “IronStache,” Bryce has spent his life building bridges — both on the job and in the labor movement — and now he’s taking that fight to Washington. “People can’t afford the basics — you can’t lie about the price of a carton of eggs,” Bryce said. “Our communities deserve leaders who will fight for them, not billionaires.” He spoke about how rising costs and stagnant wages have left working families struggling while corporations rake in record profits. “I don’t take money from corporate PACs or billionaires,” Bryce added. “I belong to the people, and I’ll fight like hell for working families across this country.” |
Zohran Mamdani wasn’t the only progressive to bring home victory on November 4th. Our Revolution-backed candidates clinched wins in races across the country, building power from the bottom up. |
Our Revolution-backed Chris Menefee will head to the runoff for the Congress seat in Texas’ 18th District, once held by the late Sheila Jackson Lee. Chris has built a reputation as a fighter for working families, combining his roots in community service with a bold agenda for economic justice and accountability. His leadership signals a new generation of progressive public service — one that prioritizes people over profits and delivers real-results for everyday Americans. |
In Jersey City, James Solomon ran an exciting grassroots campaign for Mayor and now heads to the runoff election! Solomon is a progressive reformer and public servant who has fought to make housing affordable and hold developers accountable. He will help our movement build a city that truly works for working people.
Congrats also to Eleana Little, who won a seat on Jersey City Council in Ward E — and At-Large candidates Michael Griffin and Roland Lavarro and City Council candidate Denise Ridley in Ward A, who all made it to the runoff. |
In Dayton, Ohio, we’re excited to report that Shenise Turner-Sloss will be the next Mayor and Darryl Fairchild won his bid for re-election as City Commissioner.
Shenise is a lifelong public-servant and union member who ran for mayor with a clear vision to put community, youth and workers first — we’re thrilled to see her victory signal a new chapter for our movement in Ohio.
Darryl is a lifelong advocate for working families who has fought to protect the city’s water, invest in neighborhoods, and deliver transparent, people-powered leadership.
These are the down ballot seats that can make a real difference in people’s lives. |
GRIJALVA FINALLY SWORN IN! |
That’s right! After seven weeks of delay - and pressure - House Speaker Mike Johnson finally swore in Adelita Grijalva, who will represent Arizona’s 7th District. In addition to carrying the legacy of her late father Rep. Raul Grijalva in this seat, Adelita also became the 218th vote needed to finally force a vote on releasing the Epstein files. Our Revolution is proud to have supported Adelita in her run for Congress and the push to get her sworn in against GOP obstruction — and we look forward to working with her as the newest member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus! |
Trump’s authoritarianism is reaching a fever pitch as he terrorizes communities with ICE, takes healthcare and food from working-class families, enriches himself with crypto schemes, and hands out billions to his billionaire cronies.
Our activists are on the streets every week — showing up on billionaires' doorsteps in the Hamptons, confronting oligarchs like Peter Thiel in San Francisco, bird-dogging politicians on Capitol Hill, and rallying against deportation contractors like Avelo Airlines and AT&T.
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On Thursday, Our Revolution activists joined the Starbucks Strike, where more than 1,000 baristas in 40+ cities walked off the job to demand better pay, more staffing, and a fair contract. From Brooklyn to Colorado to Illinois, this isn’t any ordinary strike — this is a Red Cup Rebellion. And Starbucks workers are prepared to strike indefinitely until their demands are met.
100 Congressional lawmakers led by Bernie Sanders and Pramila Jayapal also joined the push, sending a letter to Starbucks' CEO urging him to come back to the bargaining table.
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This Sunday, Our Revolution will join forces with People’s Action and The People’s Lobby to protest outside AT&T stores in Chicago — demanding they drop their multimillion-dollar ICE contracts driving Trump’s deportation machine.
AT&T likes to present itself as a “friendly neighborhood phone company,” but behind the scenes it profits from using its tech to help terrorize immigrant communities.
When corporations align with authoritarian policies, our communities suffer. But when we unite as neighbors and movement builders, we make clear that our collective power is stronger than corporate greed. |
We have to fight on every front. That’s why Our Revolution is focused on building grassroots power to Fight Trump & the Oligarchs with our targeted 3 Point Strategy: -
Fight Trump’s Oligarch Agenda - from Capitol Hill to City Halls
- Elect Anti-Oligarch Champions up and down the ballot
- Get Oligarch Money out of Politics and uplift the grassroots
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Victory! Prop 50 - the Election Rigging Response Act - won big in California. This is an important firewall against Trump and the GOP’s gerrymandering scheme for 2026.
This was a movement-wide push. Our Revolution organizers mobilized phonebanks and canvassed neighborhoods to make sure every ballot was turned in and counted.
We also hosted a Live California Organizing Call with Rep. Ro Khanna, State Rep. Ash Kalra, and others to rally support for this critical ballot measure. This shows what we can accomplish when we all pull together.
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Bernie founded Our Revolution to organize everyday people to take on Big Money and corporate power. He inspired a new generation to run for office — from AOC to Zohran — and built an army of activists to get out the vote and build power.
We’re not just organizing for elections — we’re taking the fight directly to the oligarchs like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk who are poisoning our politics.
That’s why Our Revolution’s Citizen Action Team (CAT) is organizing volunteers across the country to pressure Congress, mobilize voters, and push bold policies that put people before profit. |
With the launch of some great new candidates for 2026, we want to offer up our crowd-favorite Defund Oligarchy Merch at a special price. Every purchase helps fund our direct actions against oligarchs like Elon Musk and support our organizers to elect oligarch fighters like Zohran Mamdani coast to coast. |
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