Please see the important email below from Amanda Litman, Co-Founder & President, regarding the anniversary of Trump’s inauguration and the 9-year anniversary of Run for Something.

Investing in strong, local leadership has never been more important. Will you join 2,600+ supporters by starting a monthly gift today to advance Run for Something’s mission?

John,

Today marks one year since Donald Trump was sworn in again.

It’s been a dark, destabilizing year. Attacks on immigrants. Attacks on democracy. Attacks on basic freedoms. Chaos abroad. Fear at home. For too many families and communities, the pain has been constant and very real.

I won’t sugarcoat that.

But today is also the 9-year anniversary of Run for Something, and I want to be clear about what that means.

Nine years ago, on Trump’s first inauguration day, we launched this organization because we refused to sit back and accept what was coming. We believed then (and I believe even more now) that the way back to power runs straight through local government.

And here’s what we’ve done since:

• This week, we surpassed 250,000 people in our candidate pipeline, a quarter million people who raised their hands and said: “I’m not okay with this. I want to do something.”

• 80,000 of those people have shown up just since Trump was elected again in 2024, which is more than during his entire first term combined.

• Over the last decade, Run for Something candidates have won 1,600+ elections in 49 states.

• In 2025 alone we flipped 43 red seats.

• We’ve watched five of our local candidates go on to serve in Congress.

With your help, we’ve built the bench that will shape 2026, 2030, and beyond.

And here’s the part that matters most to me: Local office is one of the only places where progress is still possible right now.

While Trump wrecks things nationally, our candidates are protecting libraries, standing up to ICE, fighting censorship in schools, defending abortion access, and keeping communities safe city by city, district by district.

That work doesn’t magically happen. It happens because people like YOU fund the recruiting, training, and coaching that turn potential into power.

So John, on this strange but important anniversary—one part grief, one part pride—I’m asking you to help us keep going.

Will you start a monthly gift today in honor of our 9-year anniversary? Your support will help fuel the next nine years of Run for Something’s groundbreaking work.

Monthly giving is the most reliable way to make sure we can say “yes!” when the next teacher, renter, organizer, or caregiver decides to run.

Trump wants us exhausted. Cynical. Checked out. We’ve spent nine years proving there’s another option. With your help, we’re going to build the next nine together.

Amanda Litman
Co-Founder & President
Run for Something

P.S. A quarter million people have raised their hands. 😲 You can help make sure we’re ready for the next quarter million, too.

We change the system by changing who’s in it. We start local, build the bench, and shape the future from the bottom up. Together, we’ve already helped win over 1,000 elections.

This work is made possible thanks to thousands of grassroots donors who give a little each month to fuel big change. Become a monthly donor today and help our candidates keep running—and winning.

Photo Credit: Charles Edward Miller from Chicago, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Interested in volunteering or mentoring young, first-time candidates running for local office? We’ll connect you with our amazing candidates! Click here to find out more about volunteering and mentoring opportunities.

Throw everything you know about politics out the window. You’re qualified to run for local office — we’re here to help! Click here to find out more.

Privacy Policy