John --

I’m Lauren Ashcraft, and I could not be prouder to have been added to the Brand New Congress slate for 2020! Here’s a little about me and my background.
My family roots are in West Virginia, where my grandfather worked as a coal miner. He was killed in the 1968 Farmington Mine Disaster, leaving my grandmother Kimiko, an immigrant from Japan who spoke little English, to provide for her children. My mom’s father was a hardworking small business owner who became a quadriplegic after a serious accident. Despite hardships, poverty and setbacks, my family has always persevered, and these experiences have shaped my work ethic from an early age. I’ve witnessed the effects of federal policy at a personal level. Unchecked corporate greed, and the lack of accessibility for people with physical disabilities have hit especially close to home.
I was born in West Virginia, but I got to New York as soon as I could. As a standup comic, I had produced a comedy show to celebrate the 2016 election. When the horrifying results rolled in, I reformatted the show into a fundraiser for Planned Parenthood. Collection Box Comedy was born; a series of comedy show fundraisers to support equal rights, animal rights, prison reform and disaster recovery. So far, we’ve raised $10,000 from passing the collection box around at our shows. Since the election in 2016, I’ve been involved as an organizer and speaker for the Women’s March Alliance here in New York City.
As a foreign exchange student in Germany during the Iraq War, I witnessed American actions through the eyes of other nations. I also visited concentration camps and peered into gas chambers. These experiences formed my world view; the seeds were planted for playing a greater role of service. I vowed to never stand by in silence. I see too many parallels to that dark history in Germany unfolding today in our nation, and I refuse to be silent.
I work in the banking sector, regulating the biggest bank in the world, and this drives my top platform issue: money in politics. I feel we’re approaching the same dangerous territory we found ourselves in back in 2008. The rollback of Dodd-Frank was a huge mistake, and politicians who accept corporate PAC money also contribute to the cycle of deregulation that feeds this impending disaster.
For all of the above reasons, I vow that the seat of the 12th Congressional District in New York will be used to serve the people. Unlike the incumbent currently holding this seat, I will never accept a dime from corporate and super PACs, fossil fuel or big real estate. I will answer to the people, not corporations.
Which is why I am thrilled to partner with Brand New Congress! It’s going to take an army of fierce progressives to join AOC and the rest of the Squad to get our government working for all Americans.
Contribute today to help Team Ashcraft and Brand New Congress bring more voices and diversity of ideas to Congress.

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In solidarity,

Lauren Ashcraft
Brand New Congress


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