2026 is days away.
John,
2026 is days away, and Leaders We Deserve is heading into this critical midterm year with a growing slate of young progressive candidates who are ready to fight for real change.
That’s why December 31 matters so much. How much we raise by the end of the year will determine how much early support we can provide to our candidates as the 2026 cycle ramps up.
That’s why we set a goal to bring in 250,000 individual contributions before the end of the year, and every donation helps us elect the leaders we deserve next November. Our records show that you haven’t made a donation this year. Will you step up today by making your first donation of $20.26 or any amount to help us reach our goal?
Donate $20.26 »
Here’s who we’ve endorsed so far:
- Laalitya Acharya is an engineer, a public school grad, and an activist. She’s running for Ohio’s 56th House District to fight for the same schools and communities that raised her.
- Nida Allam is challenging an ineffective Democratic incumbent in North Carolina’s 4th District because her district needs someone fighting for them. Nida has a strong record supporting education and raising workers’ wages.
- Kristian Carranza grew up on the Southside of San Antonio, raised by a single mom. Her family lived paycheck to paycheck, relied on school meals, and depended on Pell Grants to access higher education — giving Kristian firsthand insight into affordability challenges for working families.
- Justin J. Pearson is a member of the “Tennessee Three.” He organized to beat two billion-dollar oil companies to protect Memphis’ water and consistently protected his community from corporate greed. Now he’s running to defeat asleep-at-the-wheel Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen.
- Donavan McKinney is a State Representative who, in office, has delivered more than $10 million in community violence intervention programs, millions for public schools and community rec centers, and $600 million to replace lead pipes. He’s a fighter for Detroit, who’s taking on ineffective Democratic incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District.
- Demi Palecek is a military veteran, a survivor, and a community organizer. She’s fought for our democracy in uniform — literally standing guard at the Capitol after January 6. When Donald Trump sent troops to Chicago, Demi made headlines as a member of the National Guard who publicly said she’d refuse to follow illegal orders.
- Robert Peters has delivered real wins for working people in Illinois — from community violence prevention and overhauling how we respond to mental health crises to helping workers retire with dignity and improving services for children and families. Now, he’s running for Congress to represent Illinois’ 2nd District.
- Graham Platner is a Marine and U.S. Army veteran, oyster farmer, and Chair of the Sullivan Planning Board who’s running to defeat Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins and win back this seat for working Mainers.
- Matt Post knows that Maryland can have the best public schools, safest communities, strongest workers’ rights, most abundant affordable housing, healthiest environment, and more if the people are willing to fight for that future.
- Nabeela Syed is running for Illinois State Senate in the 26th District to continue the work she started as a State Representative: lowering costs for working families, protecting access to healthcare, making voting more accessible for young people, and strengthening public schools.
- Lauren Babb Tomlinson has been on the frontlines of the tough fights to defend abortion rights, expand access to affordable healthcare, and protect workers’ rights. Now she is running for Congress in California’s 6th District.
- Randy Villegas is an educator, an auto repair shop owner, and a proud son of Mexican immigrants. He is running for Congress to serve his home, California’s Central Valley.
Reaching our year-end goal is how Leaders We Deserve can help these campaigns hire staff, build field programs, and compete in a system that’s stacked against them.
If you’re able, please chip in before December 31 to help us start 2026 strong.
Donate $20.26 »
Thank you,
Leaders We Deserve
