Hi John,
As always, there is no shortage of political news to bring to your attention -- this month I want to highlight a few stories that remind us why winning power is so damn important.
State legislative chambers are in session and as is the standard, many Republican electeds are doing a pretty horrific job!
As of now,
state legislators have introduced 361 bills designed to make voting harder -- particularly for young, Black, and new voters -- in 47 states. Georgia is the first and most successful attempt to deny the freedom to vote -- but they will not be the last.
In Arkansas, the state GOP just passed the most oppressive anti-transgender youth bill in the nation. It is now illegal for medical professionals to provide gender-affirming treatment for people under the age of 18. There are countless kids who can't access the care they need, and it's entirely the GOP's fault.
And our fight for reproductive justice continues to grow tougher:
over 500 abortion restrictions have been introduced in 44 states this year (so far). All of them have a chance to go to the U.S. Supreme Court and affect
Roe v. Wade.
This is what Republicans do with power in the states -- they undermine the promise of democracy, tell us who we have to be, and control our bodies. Diverse, young progressives need to win back power for the people, and Run for Something is dedicated to helping them do it.
Now, check out what Run for Something has been up to
WIN SOMETHING
Tuesday, April 6th was our first big election night of 2021 -- we had 31 candidates on the ballot in Alaska, Colorado, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.
Results are still coming in, but here are a few victories to celebrate:
- Clinic escort, housing rights activist, and publicist Anne Schweitzer is the newest member of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen in Missouri.
- Chair of Columbia's Commission on Human Rights (and roller derby champion) Andrea Waner is Columbia, Missouri's newest city councilmember.
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Heather Hardinger is now the first BIPOC woman to serve on Springfield, Missouri's City Council.
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Juliana Bennett's win makes her the first queer Black woman to hold the District 8 seat on the Madison, Wisconsin City Council and the only student representative on council.
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Kevin Hall won his campaign for Edwardsville, Illinois township supervisor. Nathanial Booker is the mayor-elect of Maywood, Illinois. And Brian Lavaque won his campaign for Lombard, Illinois city council District 1.
LISTEN TO SOMETHING
Before I bump these incredible episodes for you, I wanted to let you know that I'll be co-hosting the Recount's
Battleground podcast with Faiz Shakir, Sen. Bernie Sanders's 2020 presidential campaign manager!
I am
extremely excited to start this project and reach a new audience to talk about state and local politics and electing young progressives.
But don't worry, Run for Something (the podcast) isn't going anywhere. I truly love the conversations we have here as well as the opportunity to hear our candidates' come-up stories in their own voice.
Speaking of which, here are the latest Run for Something episodes for your listening pleasure:
READ SOMETHING
- The Washington Post: "Power Up: Competitive state legislative races gave Biden a boost in 2020, Democratic group finds" >>> Read more
- Intelligencer: "Gerontocracy Is Hurting Democracy" >>> Read more
- NowThis: "500+ Republicans Have Ties To The Capitol Riot. Young People Are Signing Up To Unseat Them" >>> Read more
Talk soon,
Amanda Litman
Co-founder
Run for Something
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Run for Something is a grassroots-powered organization that recruits and empowers young progressives running for local office, with the goal of winning permanent power for decades to come. We rely on support from grassroots donors pitching in a little to create big change. Please chip in now to help us continue running and winning.
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