Election Day countdown: 68 days (27 days until early voting!)
Friends,
Young people are stepping up to run for office, but costs of a race often get in the way. Our friend Lily Herman wrote for MTV:
“Millennials and Gen Zers often have a difficult time [running for office], especially compared to older opponents who may have established careers, supportive networks to fall back on, and savings they can dive into. Considering that the average millennial or Gen Zer is struggling with $27,900 and $14,700 in debt respectively, running a viable campaign on top of simply trying to pay the bills is a tall order.”
Wealth should not determine who can run, let alone who can run a successful race. That is why, this week, we committed to breaking down barriers by supporting seven trailblazing, young candidates.
They include young leaders who could become the:
1st Afro-Latina in Congress.
2nd youngest Black woman ever elected to Congress.
1st Black woman in Western New York elected to the New York State Senate.
1st Black person ever elected to Michigan’s 79th State House District.
Learn more and help us invest in more groundbreaking young leaders.
Highlights
Billy Wimsatt, David Slifka, Heather Smith, and Taylor Holden launched an audacious effort to invest in voting groups, starting with a $38M commitment.
Karim Farishta joined the Biden-Harris campaign in Texas.
Kelsey Donohue helped launch the Harvard IOP’s Fall 2020 Fellowship.
Matt Wigler hosted an event with Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs for The Next 50 endorsed candidate Jevin Hodge, running for Maricopa County, Board of Supervisors in Arizona.
The Next 50 hosted a launch event with our seven endorsed candidates, as well as leaders of March for Our Lives, the climate strikes, and the racial justice movement.
What we are reading
Winning back state legislatures: “‘If we do not have adequate participation by voters of color in November,” [Stacey Abrams] warns, “gerrymandering will be worse than we’ve ever seen.’” (The Nation)
NBA players lead: “At the very least, this week’s historic disruption shows that Black players should leverage their talent to promote change at every possible opportunity. They’ve tried to sweet-talk America into caring about racial injustice, but the litany continues.” (The Atlantic)
Will Biden unify the country?: “Republicans have long accused Democrats of plotting to smuggle socialism into the United States. But leveling that charge against Biden, whose career has been distinguished mostly by careful centrism, is an awkward task.” (The New Yorker)
In solidarity,
Zak
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