WASHINGTON—Today, People For the American Way’s Next Up Victory Fund announced endorsements of city council candidates in New York and North Carolina. 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 slate of candidates in New York is the following:

• Ronnie Cho, candidate for New York City Council District 2
• Carlina Rivera, candidate for New York City Council District 2
• Corey Johnson, candidate for New York City Council District 3
• Marjorie Velazquez, candidate for New York City Council District 13
• Amanda Farias, candidate for New York City Council District 18
• Dylan Schwartz, candidate for New York City Council District 51

Our endorsed candidates in North Carolina are:

• Dimple Ajmera, candidate for Charlotte City Council At-Large
• Zainab Balock, candidate for Raleigh City Council At-Large
• Clark Covolo, candidate for Rocky Mount City Council At-Large

Michael Keegan, People For the American Way president:

“With an out-of-control presidential administration and an American public that is losing faith in our system, we need young leaders who have bold visions for the future and the passion to make those visions real. We need progressive leaders who can build from the ground up and put in place policies that reflect our values as a country. This is why we are excited to endorse these candidates today who can rise in leadership for years to come.”

Lizet Ocampo, People For the American Way political director:

“We are seeing a groundswell of energy in the progressive community all around the country. The goal of Next Up is to transform that energy into electoral victories. We are excited to provide support to these young candidates so they can win and position themselves for long careers as effective public officials at the local, state and federal level.”

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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