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Progressive Champions

2024 Defending Progressive Power

By Progressive Champions

Defend Progressive Power

Our movement worked hard to elect the largest Congressional Progressive Caucus in history. Now, we must defend these seats against rightwing lobbyists like AIPAC, set to spend $100 million trying to unseat some of our strongest voices for Peace in Congress.

That’s why Our Revolution is proud to re-endorse US Reps. Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Delia Ramirez (IL-3), Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Summer Lee (PA-12), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), and Cori Bush (MO-1) in 2024!

Holding these seats will be critical to our inside-outside strategy for change. These progressive leaders have been champions, not only for Peace in Gaza, but for climate, housing, immigration, racial justice and more. 

Together, we have more work to do! Chip in to our 2024 Progressive Power Fund to help us out-organize big money and re-elect our top progressive allies in Congress. 

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Bernie Sanders Endorses Susheela Jayapal

By Progressive Champions

Sen. Bernie Sanders has joined us in endorsing Susheela Jayapal for Congress because she is a powerful voice for abortion rights, Medicare for All, peace, democracy, wages, housing, climate, and more.

Now, Sen. Jeff Merkley has spoken out against the dark money pouring into Oregon’s 3rd District:  “I strongly condemn the dark money campaign underway to smear Susheela Jayapal and any other dark money campaigns that are underway or planned,” he said.

More than $3 million is being spent on attack ads against Susheela and to prop up her opponent, Portland Mercury reported, but she has people power at her back. Susheela and her sister, Pramila Jayapal, were joined by the grassroots to knock more than 2,000 doors last weekend alone.

“Democratic voters here have made it very clear they don’t want AIPAC and MAGA money interfering in their primaries,” Andrea Cervone, Jayapal’s campaign manager, said.

Read the full story by The Intercept on how AIPAC money is targeting Susheela Jayapal in this critical congressional race here.

Susheela is an AIPAC target, just like Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman, and Pramila, because she has spoken out for the human rights of Palestinians — and stands against corporate power. 

Like Bernie said this week: “The billionaires who fund these SuperPACs are not only concerned about protecting Israel’s right to do whatever it wants, but also about protecting corporate interests.”

“And you have a lot of wonderful members of the House of Representatives, who have stood up for the working class, have taken on corporate interests, and have also expressed their deep concern with what Israel is doing in Gaza,” Bernie continued. “What you’re seeing, and this is the corruption of the American political system.”

He rightly points out that these are some of the best people in Congress, adding: “I’m going to do my best to protect them and defend them.” We here at Our Revolution completely agree, and will be working overtime to protect elected progressives under attack.

DONATE TO HELP US DEFEND AND EXPAND PROGRESSIVE POWER IN CONGRESS IN 2024

Reject AIPAC Coalition Battling $100M Aimed at Progressives

By Homepage, Progressive Champions, Take Action

AIPAC plans to spend $100 MILLION to try to unseat pro-Peace progressives this election year — and it’s already getting started with Congresswoman Summer Lee’s primary for re-election less than one month out.

Our Revolution is partnering with more than a dozen organizations nationwide as part of a new Reject AIPAC coalition to fight back. Voters must know AIPAC is as toxic as the NRA.

AIPAC and its GOP megadonors have no place spending millions in Democratic primaries & lobbying against Palestinian lives. Join our movement!

Our Revolution Chair Larry Cohen has signed on with Jewish Americans Opposing AIPAC with a mission to “support candidates who are opposed by AIPAC and who are advocates for peace and a new, just US policy toward Israel/Palestine,” The Nation reports.

Support our work with a $10 one-time gift or $5 monthly donation and get your “Reject AIPAC” sticker to spread solidarity in the fight against this toxic right-wing lobbying group!

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Susheela Jayapal for Congress

By Progressive Champions

Our Revolution is proud to endorse Susheela Jayapal for Congress in Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District, and we Bernie Sanders has joined us in supporting her in this race!

Susheela, a mother of two, has been an outspoken champion for reproductive rights, education, and economic justice.

Prior to entering elected office, she was a dedicated community advocate and volunteer, serving on numerous local boards, including Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette, Metropolitan Family Service, and All Hands Raised; and as an advocate with CASA for Children among others.

Susheela most recently served as the Multnomah County Commissioner, where she has been a fierce advocate for her work supporting survivors of domestic violence and sex trafficking as well as finding real solutions to the homelessness crisis.

Creating more affordable housing, long term rent assistance, behavioral health services, standing with workers to fight for a living wage and has increased support for immigrant and refugee communities.

In Congress, Susheela will continue to be a strong progressive voice, fighting for the health and safety of our community, championing abortion rights, taking on big polluters and fighting climate change, and standing up to election deniers to defend our democracy.

Thanks to the work of Our Revolution members and our progressive movement, we now have the largest Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) in history!

Endorsing Susheela Jayapal and helping to get her elected in Oregon’s 3rd Congressional District is an opportunity to make our progressive voting bloc in the U.S. House even stronger.

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What’s next for Team Lee

By Progressive Champions

Barbara Lee didn’t get across the finish line, but our work for her Senate campaign was not in vain.  Every vote for Barbara was a vote for the Peace Candidate in this race. 

Our supporters and volunteers reached out with approximately 2 MILLION voter contacts, and we were joined along the way by Ro Khanna, Pramilia Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush and other progressive leaders to lift up Barbara and our issue priorities for Peace, healthcare for all, environmental justice, housing, and much more.

We accomplished a lot in face of big money headwinds and the party machine backing Adam Schiff. It’s unfortunate that Schiff used his plentiful resources to elevate two-time Trump voter and Republican opponent Steve Garvey — a strategy that may have backfired now that the two are neck-and-neck for the general election in November.

“Despite being heavily outspent by my opponents, our values never wavered,” Barbara said. “In every step of this campaign, we never backed down from our progressive vision, and worked relentlessly to build a coalition that represents communities that too often are not afforded a seat at the table.”

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Getting Out the Vote in California

By Homepage, Progressive Champions

This week, Our Revolution kicked off the start of early voting in California by hosting a LIVE virtual GOTV event with U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee, Ro Khanna, and Ayanna Pressley, and congressional candidate Lateefah Simon!

Ballots are arriving in mailboxes, and we’re mobilizing to get out the vote on behalf of powerful progressive slates across the state with candidates for Congress, critical state and local offices, and Democratic committee seats to help transform the party.

We’ve endorsed a total of 95 progressive candidates in California, and we’re activating our grassroots army to power our massive GOTV operation – from calling and texting to knocking doors.

Our Revolution organizers and volunteers have already made 1 million voter contacts into California. Help us reach our goal of making another 1 million before voting ends on March 5th.

Barbara Lee told us Monday how much love she is feeling from the progressive movement in this final stretch of her campaign for Senate.

“We got the highest vote in the convention because of all of you, and we’re going to take the top two on March 5th because of this multiracial, multigenerational coalition,” she said.

“In the Senate, I’m going to take on the challenge of forging peace,” Barbara stated. She was the first to call for a ceasefire in this race because she understands the humanitarian catastrophe taking place in Gaza.

“Peace, poverty, climate, making billionaires pay their fair share — these are the progressive issues that need a bigger megaphone in the U.S. Senate,” she said. 

She reminded voters that they’ll need to vote for her twice: once to serve the remainder of the term left by the late Dianne Feinstein, and once to serve the full 6-year term beginning in 2025. (Yes, this is legal and correct!)

Our Revolution is also proud to join Barbara Lee in endorsing Lateefah Simon to succeed her as the Congresswoman from District 12.

Lateefah is a veteran organizer and nationally recognized advocate for civil rights and social justice. Having lost her husband, she’s committed to single-payer healthcare for all.

She is also a strong advocate for reducing military spending, putting peace first, and lifting up priorities of housing, reproductive justice, and more. 

As Barbara said, “Lateefah is from the community and for the community.”

“From her work supporting young women and trans youth to fighting to make public transit more affordable, she is a fierce advocate and proven leader,” Barbara continued. “It’s my honor to pass the blue baton to Lateefah.”

Lateefah told us Monday that during her 30 years of organizing, Barbara Lee has been a close mentor and she’s honored to follow in her footsteps.

“Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s legacy and decades of service to the people of our district are incomparable,” said Lateefah. “She has been a voice for moral clarity in Congress and boldly represented the progressive values of this district.”

HELP US ELECT BARBARA LEE, LATEEFAH SIMON, AND OUR PROGRESSIVE POWER SLATES ACROSS CALIFORNIA.

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, who is chairing Barbara’s campaign, spoke to us Monday about the dire need for her strong antiwar voice in the Senate.

“Barbara Lee would make a difference on Day 1 to get equal human rights for Palestinians and make sure we don’t get into another war in the Middle East,” Ro said.

“She is a true fighter for transformative change — for racial justice and reproductive rights, for Medicare for All and housing policy and a living wage,” he continued.

Ro said there are still around 30% of voters still undecided in California about the Senate race. “I know that she can win this campaign. If we’re active, if we’re mobilized, she can be in the top two, and that difference is going to be all of us.”

U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley was celebrating her birthday when she joined our GOTV Call Monday night to root on her mentor Barbara Lee.

Last time Ayanna was on our call was in September, when she announced her endorsement for Barbara Lee for Senate alongside fellow progressive Congress members like Cori Bush, Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib, Mark Pocan, and others. 

There’s a reason not only the grassroots but progressive leadership are all in for Barbara Lee:

“Barbara is the OG. She gets things done. She has courage and the strength of her convictions,” Ayanna said. “I’m so grateful for her example. She’s an icon, a mentor… she has blazed a trail! The whole country would benefit from a Senator Barbara Lee.”

Fatima Iqbal-Zubair serves as the Progressive Caucus Chair for the California Democratic Party – the largest progressive caucus in the country.

She knows the importance of mobilizing progressives – not just to vote, but to get active in getting candidates like Barbara across the finish line. 

“We need folks making calls, knocking on doors — that’s how we win, people power,” Fatima said. “Barbara came in first at the CA Democratic Convention because progressive delegates organized.”

“I support Barbara Lee for Senate because she is a true progressive who has always stood with the most marginalized,” she said. “We need progressives to turn out and work for Barbara and all the way down ballot as well.”

Organized people can beat organized money, and these races are going to come down to our grassroots power. Pitch in today to fuel our GOTV operation in 2024.

TAKE ACTION

Contra Costa County Progressive Power Slate

By Progressive Champions

Our Revolution is building progressive power in Contra Costa County and statewide in California! That’s why we’ve endorsed Barbara Lee for U.S. Senate, and are working to elect an exciting slate of progressives across Contra Costa County. 

In addition to electing progressive champions to the California Assembly and building a progressive majority on Contra Costa City Council, we want to transform the California Democratic Party from the inside out with many endorsements of progressive champions running for seats on the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Central Committee!

Elected Offices

Jovanka Beckles

for CA Senate District 7

Marisol Rubio

for CA Senate District 9

Monica Wilson

for CA Assembly District 15

Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Central Committee

Cameron Sasai

(District 1)

Jamin Pursell

(District 1)

Devin T. Murphy

(District 1)

Marisol Rubio

(District 2)

Alexandria Marisol Rubio-Talavera

(District 2)

Leslie Baxter

(District 4)

Michelle Simone

(District 4)

Ena Silva

(District 4)

Laura Patch

(District 4)

What's at Stake

Winning this slate of seats is essential in protecting working people of the district. These progressives are working together to win a majority on the County Central Committee, which will ensure endorsement of the best candidates and adoption of better policy positions.

How to Vote

Vote By Mail – Ballots will begin arriving by mail around Feb 5th. To be counted, ballots must be dropped off at drop boxes no later than 8 pm on March 5th or sent via U.S. mail and postmarked no later than March 5th.

Vote Early In Person – Begins Feb 24th at Vote Centers.

Election Day – The last day to return your ballots or vote in person. All Vote Center locations are open on Election Day March 5th from 7am to 8pm.

More information about voting is available here.

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Alameda County Progressive Power Slate

By Progressive Champions

Meet our Candidates!

Our Revolution is building progressive power in Alameda County and statewide in California! That’s why we’ve endorsed Barbara Lee for U.S. Senate, and are working to elect an exciting slate of progressives across Alameda County.

Elected Offices

Lateefah Simon

for US House of Representatives, District 12

Marisol Rubio

for California Senate, District 9

Jovanka Beckles

for California Senate, District 7

Jennifer Esteen

for County Board of Supervisors, District 4

In addition to electing progressive champions to the California Assembly and building a progressive majority, we want to transform the California Democratic Party by electing progressives to the Democratic Party of Alameda County Central Committee.

Democratic Party of Alameda County Central Committee

Alfred Twu

(District 14)

Avery Arbaugh

(District 14)

Carol Coyote

(District 14)

Chip Moore

(District 14)

Michael Cheng

(District 14)

Paola Laverde

(District 14)

Sadia Khan

(District 14)

Seema Badar

(District 16)

Andrea Luna Bocanegra

(District 18)

Austin Tam

(District 18)

Chaney Turner

(District 18)

Desmond Jeffries

(District 18)

Howard Egerman

(District 18)

Iris Merriouns

(District 18)

Kalimah Priforce

(District 18)

Royl Roberts

(District 18)

Pamela Price

(District 18)

Yoana Tchoukleva

(District 18)

Sean Dugar

(District 18)

Anish Mohanty

(District 20)

Austin Bruckner Carrillo

(District 20)

Barisha Spriggs

(District 20)

Dolly Adams

(District 20)

Joey Mauro

(District 20)

Jatinder “JP” K. Sahi

(District 20)

Victor Aguilar

(District 20)

Kelsey Pressnall

(District 24)

Mel Sheun-Mallory

(District 24)

Victoria Birbeck-Herrera

(District 24)

Vinnie Bacon

(District 24)

What's at Stake

These candidates have a real shot at winning these seats and will build a strong progressive bloc that gives our movement power and leverage to advance our progressive priorities against the political establishment.

How to Vote

Vote By Mail – Ballots will begin arriving by mail around Feb 5th. To be counted, ballots must be dropped off at drop boxes no later than 8 pm on March 5th or sent via U.S. mail and postmarked no later than March 5th.

Vote Early In Person – Begins Feb 24th at Vote Centers.

Election Day – March 5th is the last day to return your ballots or vote in person. All Vote Center locations are open on Election Day from 7am to 8pm.

GET INVOLVED

Barbara Lee Shares Vision for Education

By Homepage, January 20, 2024, Progressive Champions

It was a packed house for Our Revolution’s Education for All Town Hall with Barbara Lee at the Bayview Opera House in San Francisco on Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.

Barbara laid out her vision for education in California and beyond — and her historic run for U.S. Senate. 

“There is no place for the profit motive in public education,” she said. “Education is about enriching our young people. We can’t let corporations and billionaires run our schools. It’s so important we elect progressives at all levels of government to push back.”

Barbara was joined on stage by Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese, CA Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and many local officials, educators, students, and parents active in the fight for educational justice.

Special thanks to Our Revolution’s local chapter, San Francisco Education Alliance for organizing this inspiring and successful event!

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2024 California Voter Guide

By Homepage, January 20, 2024, Progressive Champions

Local power matters. We refuse to let the far right take over school boards and critical down ballot seats that directly impact people’s lives.

Bernie Sanders founded Our Revolution to build power from the bottom up, and we’ve helped elect more than 1,000 progressives at every level of government. 

We know strong city and state leadership is the last bulwark for the working class against the rise of rightwing and corporate extremism — and that’s why we’re rolling out exciting new slates to build progressive power in 2024.

First, as you know, Our Revolution is working overtime to make sure Barbara Lee becomes the next U.S. Senator from California. This week, she snagged a key endorsement from McClatchy papers, including the Sacramento Bee. 

“Barbara Lee stood out from the rest. Her independence, her perseverance in fighting for the underdog and her life experiences set her apart,” the endorsement reads.

As Rep. Lee heads up our California endorsements, and with ballots due to hit mailboxes around Feb. 5th, Our Revolution is proud to announce our Sacramento County Progressive Power Slate! 

Sean Frame for CA Assembly (District 6)

Dr. Flo Cofer for Sacramento Mayor

Katie Valenzuela for Sacramento City Council (District 4)

Mai Vang for Sacramento City Council (District 8)

Roger Dickinson for Sacramento City Council (District 2

Murad “Moe” Sarama for Sacramento County Office of Education (Area 4)

Our slate of champions are taking on anti-union and pro-school privatization opponents and running on strong platforms of progressive change.

In addition to growing progressive influence on the California Assembly and building a progressive majority on Sacramento City Council, we are endorsing 13 progressives running for important seats on the Democratic Party of Sacramento County Central Committee:

District 1 – Andrés Ramos, David Lee Mandel, Mohammad “Mo” Kashmiri, Shirley Toy, Fatima Malik, and Tamika L’Ecluse

District 2 – Justin “J.D.” Garcia

District 3 – John D. Kincaid

District 4 – Chris Yatooma

District 5 – Lee “Marsha” Miller, Monica Madrid, Randa Allathkani, and Yassar Dahbour

Help Our Revolution elect progressive champions in Sacramento County by donating here.

In San Francisco, a group funded by corporate billionaires has pledged to spend $850,000 in the Democratic County Central Committee Candidates race opposing our slate of diverse, progressive leaders:

Assembly District 19 – Sandra Lee Fewer, Greg Hardeman, Natalie Gee, Connie Chan, Frances Hsieh, Gordon Mar, Leah LaCroix, Queena Chen, Hene Kelly, and Mano Raju

Assembly District 17 – Sydney Simpson, John Avalos, Michael Nguyen, Jeremy Lee, Peter Gallotta, Anita Martinez, Jane Kim, Joshua Rudy Ochoa, Sal Rosselli, Gloria Berry, Vick Chung, Patrick Bell, Adolfo Velasquez, and Kristin Hardy

These candidates have a real shot at winning and holding these seats and continuing to build a strong progressive bloc that gives our movement power and leverage to advance our progressive priorities against the political establishment.

We need to continue our transformation of the California Democratic Party from the inside out. Click here for more info about this slate on our new web page!

We are pleased to announce endorsements for Judges Michael Begert and Patrick Thompson of the San Francisco Superior Court.

Rightwing forces are trying to push tough-on-crime judges, and we need to support fair, impartial judges and preserve the independence of the San Francisco judiciary.

Our Revolution has endorsed a total of 95 candidates in California, and counting!

You have already met our slates in Sacramento – where we can elect Sean Frame to the CA Assembly and win a progressive majority on the City Council – and San Francisco, where we’ve endorsed two judges facing right-wing “tough on crime” opponents in addition to many candidates running to transform the party.

Now, we’re excited to introduce you to the slates of progressive candidates endorsed by Our Revolution in Alameda and Contra Costa counties and Southern California!

We are running a massive GOTV operation on the ground, on the phones, by mail and through voter to voter conversations. Chip in to help us build progressive power in California and beyond this election year.

In addition to Barbara Lee and Lateefah Simon heading up our Alameda County Progressive Power Slate, Our Revolution is proud to endorse two candidates for CA State Senate, Marisol Rubio (D-9) and Jovanka Beckles (D-7), and Jennifer Esteen for County Board of Supervisors (D-4).

Our slate of champions are taking on anti-union and pro-school privatization opponents and running on strong platforms of progressive change.

And, we have 30 progressives (!) running for important seats on the Democratic Party of Alameda County Central Committee in Districts 14, 16, 18, 20 and 24.

This is how we push back against the establishment and make the party more democratic, transparent, and responsive to the grassroots. 

Click here to visit our website to learn more about our entire Alameda County Progressive Power Slate!

In Contra Costa County, folks can vote for Jovanka Beckles and Marisol Rubio for State Senate because of overlapping districts, but they can also cast a ballot for Monica Wilson for CA Assembly in District 15.

These candidates have a real shot at winning and holding key seats to build movement power and leverage that advances our progressive priorities against the political establishment.

We also have great candidates seeking to do just that if elected to the Democratic Party of Contra Costa County Central Committee:

District 1:  Cameron Sasai, Jamin Pursell, Devin T. Murphy

District 2:  Marisol Rubio, ​Alexandria Marisol Rubio-Talavera

District 4:  Leslie Baxter, Michelle Simone, Ena Silva, Laura Patch

We need to continue our transformation of the California Democratic Party from the inside out. Click here for more info about this slate on our new web page!

Alex Mohajer is running for CA State Senate in the 37th Senate District, representing his hometown in Orange County. An LGBTQ+ civic leader, Alex will make history as the first openly gay legislator elected from Orange County and the first openly gay Iranian man elected anywhere in the world.

Our Revolution is endorsing Sade Elhawary for CA State Assembly (District 57). An educator, organizer, and foster parent, Sade is the eldest daughter of immigrants who is deeply committed to transforming underserved communities.

Our Revolution supports Tina McKinnor for CA State Assembly (District 61). She has served as Chief of Staff to several Assembly members and led the passage of over 100 bills, including historic legislation that gave the California legislative staff the right to unionize and collectively bargain for the first time in the state’s history.

Nithya Raman is the most progressive choice for LA City Council (District 4). Nithya has worked to remedy extreme poverty in India and started a grassroots volunteer program in her community in Los Angeles which reduced the number of unsheltered homeless in her district for the first time in years.

For Pasadena City Council, we’re endorsing Jonathan Horton (District 3) and Brandon Lamar (District 4), the former 3rd VP of the Pasadena NAACP and Chair of the Human Relations Commission of Pasadena.

As the 2024 elections get into full swing, we’d love to hear from you about candidates our members are excited about! Email our political team at political@ourrevolution.com to nominate candidates for Our Revolution’s endorsement.

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