Election Day countdown: 166 days
Hi friends,
I’m always thinking about how each of you, individually, and all of us, collectively, can have the greatest impact. There’s one opportunity that we haven’t discussed – state legislatures.
In this pandemic, they’re challenging executive authority and are, otherwise, shaping reproductive rights, gun safety, and climate measures. A select, wealthy few often determine who is represented in these bodies, but in most states, you can have a significant impact! On the low end, in a state like Maine, a competitive race could be won for ~$15,000.
Over the coming weeks, I’ll begin to introduce you to state legislature races in states often ignored by Democrats. Supporting these candidates is an investment in new leaders and can help us win races up the ballot, too.
What we’re up to: Join us on Wednesday, May 27th at 8pm ET, as we host our Candidate of the Week to discuss turning the south blue and breaking the trifecta of Republican control in South Carolina’s state government. A state senate seat in The Palmetto State can flip for less money than Joe Biden will raise in a single presidential fundraiser!
Candidate of the Week
About the candidate: Sam Skardon is a 32-year-old, first-time candidate for the South Carolina State Senate. He previously served as a legislative aide to civil rights icon Congressman John Lewis. Currently, he is a senior staff member of a community development finance institution focused on empowering small businesses and disadvantaged communities in Charleston.
About this contested election: The Republican incumbent ran unopposed for this seat in 2016. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, nearly won the district, and two years later, Democrat Joe Cunningham overwhelmingly won the district and flipped the congressional seat blue. Sam is running in a district whose voters will help flip the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Lindsey Graham and keep Congressman Cunningham in office. An investment in this race has triple importance!
Learn more on his website. Meet Sam here.
Check out other races and organizations that you can support here.
Shout outs
Bo Machayo, Karima Farishta, Jamie Engel, and Guillermo Creamer are organizing for Joe Biden’s first virtual Young Professionals fundraiser with Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Symone Sanders.
Chaze Vinci is supporting Jon Foster’s virtual fundraiser with four critical candidates for U.S. Senate.
Nse Ufot of the New Georgia Project published a piece in The New York Times about the crimes against democracy witnessed by black voters.
Sean McElwee and Data for Progress released their memo about securing America’s elections in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Next 50 and our partners at the 92nd Street Y hosted a panel on voting rights!
Are we missing any political work that you are up to that you’d like to share? Reply and let us know!
What we are reading
Donate wisely: “I give people very little political advice, but I will volunteer one thing: If you want to affect election outcomes, don’t bother donating to presidential general-election campaigns.” (Bloomberg)
Election interference 2.0: “In short, Trump is trying to use the force and funds of the federal government to enhance his reelection chances—and if that sounds familiar, it’s because he was impeached in December for doing much the same.” (The Atlantic)
Lockdown letdown: “There was no science to support the notion that a national quarantine would halt the spread of infection, they wrote. It could increase the risk of infection for people living in close quarters.” (Bloomberg)
Generation Pandemic: “More than half of Americans under 30 say someone in their household has lost a job or taken a pay cut because of the corona-virus crisis, according to Pew, and the youngest workers are more likely than older generations to say that the pandemic has hurt their finances more than other people.” (Time)
Lessons of the Great Depression: “The Communist organizer Steve Nelson recalled how he and his comrades had begun by ‘agitating against capitalism and talking about the need for socialism.’ Quickly, however, they figured out that working-class people were more concerned with their daily struggles.” (The Atlantic)
Stay safe,
Zak
P.S. If you liked what you read, recommend a friend and provide feedback here.