Progressive Champions

Our Revolution endorsed more than 100 candidates for elected office at all levels of government, and over 74% won, thanks to our grassroots supporters and activists!

Bernie Sanders started Our Revolution to engage folks in the political process and grow power from the bottom up — and that’s exactly what we’re doing.

Our candidates ran strong progressive campaigns, and your donations powered millions of direct voter contacts — email, texts, calls, and more — to mobilize voters to elect progressives coast to coast.

In his post-election analysis, John Nichols said on Democracy Now that Tuesday’s results show “a much more progressive country than a lot of the pundits would tell you. In election after election, people voted for abortion rights, labor rights, and progressive values.”

“This is a very powerful reminder that there’s a route forward. But it isn’t a route of concession,” Nichols said. “It’s a route of activism and engagement with communities that are rising up and saying they want a different direction, a more progressive direction, for this country.”

Read all about our 2023 victories below – but first! – if you can, please kick in a few bucks to help us staff up and gear up for the big elections ahead in 2024!

We’ve added Pittsburgh to our list of progressive cities with the election of Sara Innamorato into the powerful seat of Allegheny County Executive.

We backed Sara as she beat big money back in May to win the primary and now she forms a progressive trifecta in the city with Mayor Ed Gainey and U.S. Rep Summer Lee, whom she ran alongside successfully for PA House back in 2018 with Our Revolution’s support.

As County Exec, Sara will lead the second-largest county in Pennsylvania and have the power to help protect abortion care, push for county-wide housing, and address human rights violations in the county jail.

Great news out of Virginia, all of our candidates won — holding the State Senate, flipping the State House, and forming a bulwark against Gov. Glenn Youngkin to maintain Virginia as a bastion for reproductive rights in the South.

Winners include Nadarius Clark, Rozia Henson, Adele McClure, and Joshua Cole for Virginia State House; and Jennifer Carrol Foy, Stella Pekarsky, and Lashrecse Aird for State Senate.

We didn’t overlook any progressive candidates in Virginia, including Steve Descano who won Fairfax County Commonwealth Attorney, and Parisa Dehghani-Tafti who won Arlington County Commonwealth Attorney.

Abortion wins in Ohio! Organizers fought hard to get out the vote and shut down the rightwing playbook — passing Ohio Issue 1 to enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution.

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a small but loud group of deep-pocketed extremists took to the states, determined to gut abortion laws. But the resistance has been successful.

Marijuana legalization also passed in Ohio, showing that Democrats need young folks and progressives to hit the ground and drive voter turnout.

Looking ahead to 2024, we’re already kicking off organizing around Fair Maps to fend off Republican gerrymandering schemes in the Buckeye State.

Our Revolution candidates are taking over city councils in Ohio!

Congrats to OR members Trevor Elkins, who won Newburgh Heights Mayor, and Kim Mann, the newest member of Fairview Park City Council! Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney also won a seat on the Cincinnati City Council.

And, there was an exciting victory for our entire slate in Hilliard, Ohio, where progressives have now taken control of the City Council, including Cynthia Vermillion, Emily Cole, and Greg Betts!

“Progressives took control of the Minneapolis City Council” – Star Tribune

All 9 Our Revolution Twin Cities candidates won, taking over the City Council in Minneapolis:  Jeremiah Ellison, Elliot Payne, Jason Chavez, Aisha Chughtai, Katie Cashman, Soren Stevenson, and Robin Wonsley.

In St. Paul, progressives snagged City Council victories with Mitra Jalali, Nelsi Yang, Anika Bowie, Saura Jost, and Cheniqua Johnson.

We’re also growing progressive power in Duluth, MN, where Our Revolution candidate Wendy Durrwachter won a tight race for City Council. If we win one more seat, Democrats will have control of the council.

Wendy is a single mother, restaurant worker, and accomplished composer — and she will bring a necessary working class perspective to the council:  “When something needs to be done, I step up and do it. I’m not afraid to call out those who abuse their power.” 

Victories in the Seattle area!

As corporations broaden their dark money fundraising networks into city council and school board races, we need working-class champions ready to confront them head-on.

That’s why we were proud to endorse this winning slate of progressive candidates in Washington state! Our slate winners include Charles Adkins for Everett School Board, Tammy Morales for Seattle City Council, and Teresa Mosqueda and Jorge Baron King for King County Council.

 Our Revolution stood with Izola Shaw in her run for Rockville City Council At-Large and we are proud of her victory. Our organizers made more than 15,000 voter contacts in her district and turned out the progressive vote for this great candidate!

OR Member Izola Shaw was chair of the Montgomery County Racial Equity and Social Justice Advisory Committee, helped found the County’s Racial Equity Network (MORE), and helped pass the Racial Equity and Social Justice Act. 

She has worked with the County Executive on public works, policing, rent stabilization, and environmental protection through the Rockville City Academy.

Our entire slate of candidates won in New York City, making the council even more progressive to advance our priorities in the Big Apple!

These winners include Carlina Rivera, Althea Stevens, Amanda Farias, Tiffany Caban, Lincoln Restler, Jennifer Gutierrez, Crystal Hudson, Chi Osse, Sandy Nurse, Alexa Aviles, Shahana Hanif, and Rita Joseph.

And, the whole Our Revolution-endorsed Ithaca Solidarity Slate was victorious — Jorge DeFendini and Phoebe Brown won re-election to the Ithaca Common Council, and Kayla Matos won her race to join them on the council.

This is exciting news out of Ithaca, where these progressive council members can make a real difference in the everyday lives of working-class folks in the community.

In Onondaga County, Maurice Brown won a seat in the legislature with a pledge to confront vital community issues like the lead crisis, high housing costs, and unreliable public transportation.

These are the races that determine the direction of cities and help us build progressive power at the level of government closest to people’s lives.

Our Revolution member Jared Evans was re-elected to the Indianapolis City Council with 53% of the vote in a district that Trump Republicans won in 2022 and which city media predicted would go Republican again.

We’re getting many Republicans to vote Democrat for the first time because progressive policies offer real material improvements to people’s lives and because of the direct voter mobilization operation that our grassroots donors make possible.

Jared has been a strong progressive ally in Indianapolis, fighting for higher wages, good jobs, and more for the blue-collar neighborhoods he serves in District 17 — and we are proud to have his back!

Our Revolution endorsed Sheila Jackson Lee for Houston Mayor, and on November 8th she got enough votes to make it to the runoff against John Whitmire — a Democratic defector who sides with radical Republicans on voter suppression and racist policing policies. 

U.S. Rep. Jackson Lee is a long-time member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and she’s a fighter for Medicare for All, the Raise the Wage Act, and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

As the next Mayor, she’s committed to promoting policies to expand healthcare, create good jobs, increase affordable housing, promote safe and reliable public transportation, and protect the city from climate disasters.  

She’s also been endorsed by SEIU Texas, the Communications Workers of America, and other key Our Revolution allies. 

The above wins from last Tuesday come on top of major victories earlier this year as Our Revolution has been blazing a path for progressive cities.

In April, we helped elect progressive Mayor Brandon Johnson to take the helm in Chicago – where he already delivered on a promise to raising wages for tipped workers in the city.

Our Revolution teamed up with One Fair Wage this year to make sure everyone gets a living wage and tipped workers aren’t left behind.

And, our organizers were key to winning a progressive majority in St. Louis with new Board President Megan Green joining progressive mayor Tishaura Jones in Cori Bush’s congressional district.

They’re taking on developers in a fight for affordable housing, and they’ve already passed a universal basic income pilot program!