Election Day countdown: 89 days
Hi Friends,
Last week, I ventured west for some distanced nature exploration. Trump paraphernalia was proudly displayed across the five states I visited (no Democratic equivalent), signs on doors of small businesses lashed out at Democratic governors for their mask mandates, and a driver violently cut us off and made threatening gestures due to the liberal association of the town on our license plate.
These experiences serve as a reminder of how much our country will need to heal after November, regardless of the results. We are deeply polarized, resentful, and, I think, scared, about our future. I firmly believe that it will be young people who lead us into a new era of American politics. Because in moments of crisis and division, history suggests it nearly always is.
Learn and Act
The average age of a state legislator in America is 56, the average for a Democratic member of Congress is 58, compared to 53 for Republicans. We can do better. Too often great young candidates for all levels of public office are inhibited from running because they are not born into fundraising networks. That is where we step in.
Join us on Tuesday, August 25th at 8pm ET (tentative), as we introduce you to our inaugural class of extraordinary candidate endorsements!
Shout outs
Ben Sheehan recently authored OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say? and OMG WTF is Gerrymandering? In an election and Census year, these are must reads.
Forward Montana is hosting an election briefing on their state.
Manny Yekutiel and Sara Bahat for being phenomenal partners in organizing our historic Flip the Senate event with 10 candidates on Tuesday, August 11th at 8pm ET.
My middle school teacher Frank Bua and all of the amazing teachers who are planning to go back to school in a challenging, if not dangerous, environment.
Candidate of the Week
Sarah Beeson, Candidate for Georgia State Senate District 55
About the candidate: She is a 31-year-old lifelong resident of her district who operates a 50+ employee family business. Previously, Sarah worked for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy group, and has served as statewide president of the Young Democrats of Georgia.
About this contested election: The incumbent Republican won this race by 5 points in 2018. The seat sits within Congresswoman Lucy McBath’s highly contested congressional district. Georgians describe this as the most flippable State Senate and believe it can also flip three pivotal State House seats, while providing a boost for the two statewide U.S. Senate races and the presidential election.
Support her here.
What we are reading
Dramatic shifts: “A more evenly distributed liberal base could empower Democrats in the Sun Belt; accelerate the Rust Belt’s conservative shift; strengthen the moderate wing of the party by forcing Democrats to compete on more conservative turf; and force the GOP to adapt its own national strategy to win more elections.” (The Atlantic)
They don’t win elections: “Debates may get a lot of attention from the media, but general-election debates rarely have any significant effect on election results.” (Bloomberg)
Dangers of the hybrid model “In a hybrid model, when students are kept out of school for multiple days each week, or every other week, a sizable percentage of them are likely to intermingle with other children and adults. (Wired)
In solidarity,
Zak
P.S. Recommend a friend and provide feedback here.
P.P.S. My 2020 travel style (I promise I put the second strap on):