This year People For the American Way Action Fund endorsed over eighty candidates of the age 35 or younger who were running for public office. Many of the candidates were already elected officials, while others were running for office for the very first time. The PFAW Action Fund helped provide young progressives with the resources to spread and bolster their messages of equality, justice, and good-government, and put them in the leadership pipeline to strengthen the progressive movement.
Of the candidates we endorsed for the general election, seventy-two of the eighty-six endorsed candidates won their races! Highlights from Tuesday include:
- Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, a solidly progressive State Representative and one of Time magazine’s 40 under 40, was elected to the State Senate.
- David Carlucci of New York, the Town Clerk of Clarkstown, won his highly-competitive race for a seat in the State Senate.
- Elena Parent of Georgia upset a conservative incumbent to secure a seat in the State House.
- Ariana Kelly, a women’s-rights activist from Maryland, was elected to the House of Delegates.
- Angie Buhl, a YP4 Fellow and Front Line Leaders Academy graduate, won a seat in the South Dakota State Senate.
- Bryce Bennett of Montana, Elliot Anderson of Nevada, and Daniel Biss of Illinois both were elected as new State Representatives in their states.
- State Sen. Michael Frerichs, State Sen. Jamie Eldridge of Massachusetts, State Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, State Rep. Seneca Scott of Oklahoma, and State Rep. Marko Liias of Washington all won re-election.
- We are also still waiting to hear the final results of Montana State Rep. Kendall Van Dyk, who is currently slightly ahead of his right-wing opponent in a competitive race for the State Senate.
Congratulations to all of the young candidates, and we hope you can support the efforts of the PFAW Action Fund to ensure a progressive future.