Happy Monday, John. Welcome back to another edition of BNC Insider, your weekly recap of everything that’s happening in the world of Brand New Congress.

We now have less than 100 days until the 2022 Midterm elections, and there’s a LOT of ground to cover.

In this issue:

• Primaries THIS WEEK
• Happening on the Hill
• BNC News and Updates
• Ways to take action

Upcoming Primaries

There are now SIX Brand New Congress candidates on the ballot this week. We’re counting down to polls opening in Michigan, Missouri and Washington just HOURS from now.

That includes our newest addition to the slate, Rep. Andy Levin, who is in a tight reelection bid to represent the newly drawn MI-11.

Andy is a powerful progressive ally in the House and a true leader for labor. He was the ONLY male congressmember among the 17 Democrats arrested protesting abortion bans recently. And the next day he was back out on another protest for Senate Cafeteria workers’ rights – where he was arrested again.

Last Friday, Bernie Sanders traveled to Pontiac, MI, to rally for Rashida and Andy and help turn out the vote ahead of their primary Tuesday.

“I love being in space with people who understand that our communities can't wait any longer for meaningful change. Amo Bernie went off on corporate greed and reminded us that we have the power to fight back. Thank you to all who came out to support Andy and me.”

BNC Rep. Rashida Tlaib

Immediately after tomorrow’s elections, Odessa Kelly will cement her position as the Democratic nominee for TN-07 on Thursday. Then the real work begins to flip that seat in November.

Please join us in rooting for all of our candidates on the ballot this week!

Happening on the Hill

What are BNC’s elected representatives up to this week?

For the last two years, BNC Rep. AOC has pushed for a congressional ban on stock trading, citing the obvious conflict of interest that allows lawmakers and their spouses to get rich off insider knowledge from industries they regulate. On July 28th, news broke that legislation to ban lawmakers, their spouses, and senior staff from trading stocks will be introduced when Congress returns to session next month.

This week marked the one-year anniversary of Cori Bush’s historic Capitol steps protest that won a 60-day extension on the eviction moratorium, keeping countless families in their homes just as the school year was starting and COVID was again surging.

BNC News and Updates

New Candidates

Andy Levin wasn’t the only new addition to the slate last week. We also welcomed Becca Balint, running for the open U.S. House of Representatives seat to represent Vermont!

Becca is a Senator in the Vermont State Senate, where she currently serves as President Pro Tempore. She’s a proven and tested legislator who helped pass a range of progressive policies in the Senate – including paid family leave, climate action, and reproductive rights.

Becca has the enthusiastic support of Kesha Ram Hinsdale, also a member of the Vermont Senate and former BNC candidate who withdrew from the race to unite the progressive vote behind Becca.

Executive Director Adrienne Bell is headed up to Vermont this week to rally with Becca Balint. Becca’s primary is only EIGHT DAYS away.

If you didn’t get the chance already, help us welcome Becca to the slate with a split contribution here.

And we’re not done. We’ll have more exciting slate announcements in the days ahead!

This is BNC

Launching soon: An all new BNC podcast!

In the first episode, we’re going to dive into the world of campaign materials. Design dos and don’ts, essential information, and some creative uses we’ve seen in the field. If you work with campaigns or care about progressives having quality campaign materials, you don’t want to miss this conversation.

Bonus: Hear what other people are saying about BNC in the special segment, BNC Mailbag. If you have a question for BNC, send us an email at [email protected] and our Help Desk team will get back to you!

Take Action

How can you make an impact this week?

STAND UP FOR ABORTION RIGHTS
We’re calling on the Senate to abolish the filibuster and codify Roe NOW.

The radical, right-wing supermajority on the Supreme Court has plunged our highest court into a legitimacy crisis. Congress HAS the authority to check the court’s abuse of power – and it is their duty to do so.
 
Over 36,000 people have signed this petition organized by a collective or progressive organizations and candidates, demanding that the Senate take action. Will you add your name now to protect abortion rights?

VOLUNTEER

We’re just a few weeks out from the final primaries of 2022, and we still have a lot of candidates who need our support.

Sign up to volunteer directly with a campaign and help BNC turn out the vote:

→ Volunteer for Cori Bush

→ Volunteer for Rashida Tlaib

→ Volunteer for Andy Levin

→ Volunteer for Rebecca Parson

→ Volunteer for Stephanie Gallardo

→ Volunteer for Odessa Kelly

→ Volunteer for Becca Balint

→ Volunteer for Melanie D’Arrigo

→ Volunteer for Brittany Ramos DeBarros

→ Volunteer for AOC

→ Volunteer for Jamaal Bowman

→ Volunteer for Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

Or volunteer with Brand New Congress to support ALL of our candidates!

Thanks for reading our BNC Insider! 💜 Watch for this update every Monday to stay on top of what’s happening in the world of BNC.

Until next week,

The entire team at Brand New Congress

P.S. If you appreciate this content, please consider signing up for a monthly recurring contribution to sustain our work.