WASHINGTON—Today, People For the American Way’s Next Up Victory Fund announced endorsements of state and local candidates in Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Next Up supports young progressive candidates forty and under running for state and local office across the country. The program helps candidates win races in the short term while creating a pipeline of leaders to run for higher office in years to come.

Our endorsed candidates in Georgia are:

• Bee Nguyen, candidate for Georgia State Representative District 89
• Sachin Varghese, candidate for Georgia State Representative District 89

Our endorsed candidates in North Carolina are:

• Pierce Freelon, candidate for mayor of Durham
• Levon Barnes, candidate for Durham City Council Ward 2
• Irving Allen, candidate for Greensboro City Council At-Large
• Uriah Ward, candidate for Greenville City Council District 3
• Olivia Scott, candidate for Charlotte Mecklenburg School Board District 3
• Calvin Deutschbein, candidate for Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education

Our endorsed candidate in Virginia is:

• Stephanie Morales, candidate for Commonwealth’s Attorney for the city of Portsmouth

Michael Keegan, People For the American Way president:

“The Next Up Victory Fund is committed to winning elections that will lead to progressive outcomes that reflect our true American values. Our latest group of endorsed candidates embody the kind of leadership we need to transform our country from the ground up. This is why we are excited to endorse these candidates today who have bold visions for the future and who can rise in leadership for years to come.”

Lizet Ocampo, People For the American Way political director:

“We created the Next Up Victory Fund to build a deep bench of young, progressive candidates around the country with the goal of turning states blue. And we are on our way to doing just that. Through Next Up we are providing resources for young candidates to put their ideas into actions—and, more importantly, to win. We are pleased to endorse these candidates today to continue building power in the progressive movement.”

More information about the Next Up Victory Fund and the candidates can be found here.

People For the American Way is a progressive advocacy organization founded to fight right-wing extremism and defend constitutional values including free expression, religious liberty, equal justice under the law, and the right to meaningfully participate in our democracy.

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