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HEADLINES: VP Walz and the Swing States | Dem Convention Kickoff | Superdelegates Gone for Good? | Bernie, Omar & Jayapal Victories | Clean Sweep for Vermont Slate | CA Rent Cap on the Ballot! | & MORE! ★ ★ ★
The Democratic National Convention kicks off this week in Chicago, where the party platform and strategy to defeat Trump will come into sharper focus. With Kamala Harris choosing a progressive running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, many are hopeful it’s a sign that the Party is listening to the base and embracing a working class agenda. Walz has a strong record on labor, school meals, housing, paid leave, child poverty, taxing corporations, fighting wage theft, and more — and our polling shows these are winning policies in swing states. “Walz is an excellent pick for VP. He’s the anti-elite candidate and comes across as the Everyman,” Joseph Geevarghese, Our Revolution executive director, told The Atlantic. “This is a sign Democrats understand they cannot win against Trumpism without pushing policies that resonate with working-class voters in the Midwest and beyond.” Our mission in 2024 is clear: Defeat Trump. The Harris/Walz ticket is coming into the DNC with a lot of energy, but we need to keep building on this momentum all the way to November. ★ ★ ★
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It’s our birthday! Next week marks 8 years since Bernie founded Our Revolution and sparked a movement that has advanced the progressive agenda at every level of government and elected 1,000+ progressives across the country! We are celebrating big wins with Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar, and many other great Our Revolution candidates this week — but we have a lot more work to do between now and November. AIPAC and rightwing mega-donors are still targeting some of our top progressive allies in Congress. Chip in a donation to help us defend and expand progressive power up and down the ballot in 2024. ★ ★ ★
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar won a resounding victory over her AIPAC-backed challenger in Minnesota — against an onslaught of rightwing money and racist attack ads. With the grassroots behind her, Ilhan’s win is a “powerful rebuke of the influence of corporate money in our democracy and a testament to her dedication to progressive values,” OR Director Joseph Geevarghese told Common Dreams. But the fight isn’t over yet! Ilhan and our progressive allies in Congress have targets on their backs because they boldly call for a ceasefire in Gaza and stand firm against corporate power and the far right. Chip in to make sure we have the resources to have Ilhan’s back all the way through November. ★ ★ ★
CLEAN SWEEP IN VERMONT! Our Revolution’s entire slate won in Tuesday’s primary in Vermont — including, of course, our founder Bernie Sanders! Thanks to grassroots mobilization, VT Rep. Tanya Vyhovsky is heading to the State Senate to continue her work for climate, housing, wages, universal healthcare, and fair taxation. We’re excited to see that longtime Bernie ally and farmer, Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman is on his way to re-election on a fusion ticket between the Democrat and the Vermont Progressive parties. And, congrats to VT Reps. Emilie Krasnow, Brian Cina, and Emilie Kornheiser — who recently passed an historic law in Vermont, forcing fossil fuel corporations to pay for the climate damage they cause. ★ ★ ★
In Washington State, U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-7) won her primary despite an outpouring of rightwing money seeking to unseat one of our top progressive leaders. As the Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Pramila has led on the Medicare for All Act, defending abortion rights, passing the largest-ever climate bill, and challenging MAGA extremists. She has been a close partner with Our Revolution, and we will work to make sure she’s re-elected in November! Donate here. ★ ★ ★
And, while the race hasn’t been called yet, Dave Upthegrove — one of our most exciting environmental candidates — looks like he may make the runoff for Washington State Public Lands Commissioner! Our Revolution made over 300,000 voter contacts in the lead up to this election — and it may be just enough to give Dave the edge with these tight margins! He is a prime example of why our work in down-ballot races is so critical. The State Public Lands Commissioner has the power to save the state’s mature forests — crucial for climate resilience and home to precious endangered species — and Dave is the only candidate not funded by the timber industry. With his background in biology and conservation, Dave will protect the forests while working to prevent forest fires and grow local economies. As King County Councilman, he championed affordable housing and clean energy, and he would be the first openly gay statewide executive in WA State history! ★ ★ ★
Our entire movement is saddened by big money’s defeat of US Rep. Cori Bush last week, but we are proud of the progressive power she helped us build in Missouri as an activist and during her time in Congress. Progressives now have a governing majority in St. Louis — from city council to mayor — led by Our Revolution Board Member Megan Green as President of the Board of Aldermen. Now, we are set to add a progressive governor to that roster! Crystal Quade grew up on a dirt road in rural Missouri, and now she may be the next governor! Crystal has led in the State House to restore our abortion rights, stand up to corporate special interests, and stop China and Russia from buying up farmland and squeezing out local farmers. Marty Murray is one step closer to the State House, where he is determined to make a difference on gun reform, environment, worker rights, LGBTQ+ and racial justice, and much more — including fixing the broken Missouri Legislature with direct democracy initiatives. Alfred Montgomery won his primary for St. Louis Sheriff. If he wins in November, Alfred will bring his focus on youth and anti-poverty initiatives to the sheriff’s office, and he has plans for restorative justice and jobs programs for exited offenders. Our progressive leaders and organizers in St. Louis have delivered — from a universal basic income program to taking on big developers and growing housing and unions. Become a monthly member of Our Revolution to help us sustain this work and win life-changing policy. ★ ★ ★
Two more victories in Michigan — U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Alyshia Dyer for Washtenaw County Sheriff both move on to the general election in November! Rashida Tlaib has been a fearless champion for a ceasefire in Gaza, racial justice, and working people, and we need to keep her voice in Congress! Alyshia Dyer will create a sheriff’s office that respects and protects the whole community. Experiencing homelessness as a juvenile informed her focus on community support and social justice. She has experience in social work and served with Detroit's Civil Rights, Inclusion & Opportunity Department. ★ ★ ★
With early voting starting next week, we are excited to announce our Massachusetts slate, led by U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Jim McGovern, who have both called for a ceasefire and to freeze US military assistance to Israel. We’re also proud to support Evan MacKay - a union leader and pro-democracy organizer running for State House in Middlesex 25th District - as well as Mara Dolan and Stacey Borden for the Governor’s Council in Districts 3 and 4, respectively, and Allison Cartwright for Supreme Judicial Clerk in Suffolk County. ★ ★ ★
Election Day is Tuesday in Florida, and Jacqueline "Jack" Porter is the clear choice for Tallahassee City Commission — where we are just two seats away from achieving a progressive majority! Porter is focused on the affordable housing crisis, economic insecurity, gun violence, and environmental justice — and her strongest opponent is a real estate developer backed by the police union. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
★ ★ ★ Since Bernie founded Our Revolution eight years ago, we’ve been working to transform the Democratic Party nationally and within the state parties — now this work is coming to fruition!
This week at the Democratic National Convention, we are thrilled to see critical party reforms up for final approval by delegates in Chicago! After 8 years of organizing, we are on track to permanently reduce the power of superdelegates, and require that all 57 state parties adopt same-day primary voter registration and vote by mail. The Unity Reform Commission was originally launched by 1,300 Bernie delegates at the 2016 convention and co-chaired by Our Revolution Chair Larry Cohen. In 2020, with the backing of over 1,000 Bernie convention delegates, we successfully extended these reforms for the 2024 cycle. Now, our changes could become permanent — this is HUGE! ★ ★ ★
Chicago DNC Kickoff: Celebrate Rev. Jesse Jackson This Sunday, Our Revolution, The Nation and the Rainbow PUSH Coalition are gathering in-person for an evening of reflection to honor the legacy of the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and discuss how to advance his legacy into the future. Our Revolution Chair Larry Cohen will speak at this special event with Revs. Jesse Jackson Sr. and Al Sharpton, along with U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee, Ro Khanna, Jamie Raskin, Jonathan Jackson, and many others! Campaigning as an unapologetic progressive, Rev. Jackson remade US politics with a pair of hard-fought campaigns for the Democratic presidential nominations of 1984 and 1988. These campaigns broke new ground, showing that it was possible to form a multiracial working class coalition for political change, and inspired Sen. Bernie Sanders when he ran in 2016 and 2020. Join us for what promises to be a special evening ahead of the Democratic National Convention. ★ ★ ★
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The AVERAGE rent is now $2,895 in California, and more than 171,000 people are now homeless in the state. The rent is still too damn high! And, that’s why Our Revolution is throwing our full support behind Proposition 33, the statewide ballot measure for rent control in California. Renters and advocates delivered more than 730,000 letters to Gov. Gavin Newsom, urging him to support Yes on 33 — and now, voters will get to decide in November. Not only will Prop 33 remove the California ban on Rent Control, it will allow cities and counties to expand Rent Control. AND — this is huge — it will allow local communities to stop predatory corporate landlords from charging unfair and unaffordable rents. We are proud to be part of this massive coalition of renters, families, veterans, seniors, and young people fighting alongside social justice organizations and labor unions for Justice for Renters. ★ ★ ★
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The primaries are winding down, and now our focus turns to the General Election in November. Right-wing billionaires, corporate cronies, AIPAC, and MAGA donors are still pouring millions into the 2024 election trying to unseat some of our top progressive champions in Congress — but we refuse to let powerful voices like Bernie Sanders, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal, and others be silenced by the donor class. Our Revolution and the progressive movement are mobilizing to out-organize Big Money. This means speaking directly to voters through phone banks, online outreach, and knocking on doors — all the way through November! DONATE TO HELP US DEFEND AND EXPAND PROGRESSIVE POWER IN 2024 ★ ★ ★
When you purchase our new Reject AIPAC shirt, your contribution goes directly toward our work to re-elect Peace champions like Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib. Our activists and organizers will be using innovative online and in-person campaign strategies to overcome the loud, racist attack ads pouring into these races. And, of course, we will employ our proven voter turnout strategy each day until Election day. Every purchase from our merch store helps fund our movement. Grab your REJECT AIPAC T-shirt here! ★ ★ ★
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