Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Emily Kinkead, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 20

This week we are highlighting Emily Kinkead (she/her), a millennial lawyer who is a founding member the Leadership Team of the Pennsylvania Progressive Caucus. Collectively, this Caucus works to push progressive priorities like criminal justice reform, affordable housing, access to healthcare, affordable childcare, expanding access to public transit, and more. She is the House Chair of the Legislative Hunger Caucus and Secretary of the House Agriculture Committee, working to address hunger-related issues as well as advocate for more investment in programs that would address food insecurity. She serves on the Advisory Board for the Capitol All-Stars Softball Game, which is a softball game where legislators raise money for their charitable food network. As a member of the House Judiciary Committee and Chair of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime & Corrections, she has been working hard to address criminal justice reform.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 54Andrew FApril 24, 2024millenial, woman, woman rights, election day, election, #electionComment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Jason Morgan, Michigan House of Representatives, District 23

This week we are profiling Jason Morgan (he/him/his), a gay millennial who has had an active career in Michigan politics. Despite being diagnosed with Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy as an adolescent, Jason is an active member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Jason is passionate about issues such as eliminating economic inequality, investing in public transportation, and protecting LGBTQ+ and reproductive rights.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Mandi Remington, Board of Supervisors for Johnson County, Iowa

Mandi Remington (she/her) is a queer millennial political activist running for a position on the County Board of Supervisors in Johnson County, Iowa. A single mother of three, including a trans child, Mandi is a lower middle-income wage earner. She is most passionate about advancing platforms that prioritize equity for disadvantaged socioeconomic groups. Mandi recently lost an election in 2023 for a position on the Iowa City Council but is running again on a platform of abortion rights, as well as affordable housing, childcare, food, and transportation.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Christina Henderson, Council of the District of Columbia, At-large

Christina Henderson (she/her) is one of four At-large members of the Council of the District of Columbia. The Council comprises a representative from each of DC’s 8 wards, as well as a chairperson and four representatives who represent the whole city, including Christina. A political independent, Christina identifies herself as a “pragmatic progressive,” championing causes such as reproductive and maternal health (she chairs the Health Committee of the Council), early childhood education, transportation equity and safety, and higher education access and student loan forgiveness.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Sabrina Bousbar, Florida's 13th Congressional District

Today we have the fourth installment in our profiles of our favorite Progressive candidates who are running to represent their communities at the state and federal levels, and move the country forward to ensure that all Americans are equally represented in government. Sabrina Bousbar (she/her) is a Gen Z Colombian Moroccan with a background in political organizing, as well as in emergency management and natural disaster response, which is a particularly useful background in her Florida district, which was devastated in 2022 by Hurricane Ian. Sabrina has a Bachelor’s degree from Florida State University and a Master’s degree from Georgetown University, and is passionate about women’s rights, the climate crisis, social security, and the affordability crisis.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 54Andrew FMarch 27, 2024gen-z, woman, brown, politician, election, politics, Politics, political, emergency, HurricaneComment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Sam Bell, Rhode Island Senate District 5

This week we continue our profiles of progressive candidates running for office in 2024! Today we are featuring Sam Bell, who is a Democratic Socialist Rhode Island State Senator. Sam (he/him) is a geologist with a Masters and PhD both from Brown University in Providence, the city of Sam’s district. He is most passionate about healthcare, housing, and fighting poverty. Sam and his wife Samantha are both openly bisexual and are proud parents to their 2-year-old son Jacob.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 54Andrew FMarch 20, 2024election, #election, science, LGBTQ, LGBTQ+, lgbt, lgbtq, LGBTQ Support, LGBTQ rights, #lgbti, transgender rights, father, bisexual, JewishComment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - DeShanna Neal, Delaware House of Representatives District 13

This week we are profiling DeShanna Neal (she/they), a single mother of four who is an LGBTQ+ rights activist and Democratic Socialist Delaware State Representative. Elected in 2022, they ran on a platform focusing on mental health, the environment, and the legalization of marijuana; this year their focus is on Accessibility for all, Maternal Healthcare for Incarcerated Women, and LGBTQ+ rights. DeShanna is the author of the children’s book My Rainbow, about their transgender daughter, and they are the co-organizer and creator of New Castle County's first ever LGBTQ Youth Pride Festival, as well as, Delaware's first Drag Queen Story Hour. They have a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix (UoPX), and just recently graduated with a master’s degree from Wilmington University (WilmU).

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Rachel Ventura, Illinois Senate District 43

This week we kick off the 2024 election season with Rachel Ventura (she/her), who is a Democratic Socialist state senator from Illinois’ 43rd district, the part of the state in and around the city of Joliet. This single mother of twin daughters has degrees in Mathematics and Biology and has worked as an actuary and naturalist before joining a gaming company, Legendary Games. Rachel is passionate about taxing the rich, universal healthcare, campaign finance reform, and investing in the middle class.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2023 - Heidi Drauschak, Virginia State Senate District 35

Today we are continuing our off-year elections profiles of progressive candidates! This week’s candidate is Heidi Drauschak (she/her), a millennial entrepreneur and brand new mother. During the middle of the campaign only a few weeks ago, Heidi delivered her son Atlas Wolf, 8 lb. 12 oz. on April 26, 2023. As such, most of her campaigning has been done during the late stages of her pregnancy. An alumnus of the Obama White House, Heidi is passionate about campaign finance reform, workers’ rights, gun safety, environmental issues, criminal justice reform and women’s reproductive rights.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 49Andrew FJune 14, 2023pregnancy, pregnant, girl power, politics, election, #election, Politics, entrepreneur, women entrepreneurComment

How to Stay Politically Active in the New Year

The midterm elections have ended and elected officials are preparing to take their seats in office. So what happens next? A flight over who will be the next Speaker Of The House? That aside, we still have influence and an obligation to hold our elected officials accountable.

To stay engaged you will want to find a balance between education and action. Take the first step. Look up your candidates at the local, state, and national levels. Make good use of resources to understand the issues and make an impact. Continue reading to learn about what it looks like to stay politically active after the election, and why it is essential in the New Year.

Articles, Editor's Pick, zIssue 47Jessica MoraJanuary 10, 2023politics, get political, election, New Year, Volunteer, Give back, stay active, voteComment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2022 - Georgette Gomez, California State Assembly District 80

Today we are continuing our profiles of our favorite Progressive candidates who are running to represent their communities at the state and federal levels, and move the country forward, to continue to ensure that all Americans are equally represented in government.

This week we are profiling Georgette Gomez (she/her/hers). Georgette, a self-described “Queer brown woman from Barrio Logan”, is the former San Diego City Council president, currently running for California State Assembly. With a working-class background, Gomez graduated from San Diego State with a degree in environmental and natural resource geography. Gomez led the Toxic Free Neighborhoods Campaign to protect children from corporate polluters in residential communities. The environment, climate, affordable housing, and fighting corporate greed are all important issues for her.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 44Andrew FSeptember 1, 2022lesbian, brown, LGBTQ, LGBTQ+, environmental, environment, california, strong women, 2022, election, 2022 election, politicsComment

The 2021 New York Mayoral Race

The race for the office of Mayor of New York City, in the wake of the Trump presidency and the ongoing pandemic, is a litmus test for both the will for meaningful progress and the resiliency of old ideas. New York is a traditionally blue state, and its namesake city is the largest in the United States, with a population of over eight million people, of which three million of which are of foreign birth.

The primaries will be held on June 22nd, followed by an election on November 2nd. For the first time, the primaries will employ a ranked-choice system rather than the traditional plurality vote.

This article is intended to provide a thumbnail guide to the personalities and issues, with quick links to further information, along with some of our opinions.

Black LGBTQ+ Political Analyst Drexel Heard Gives Us A Sane Look On Politics On Election Day

Drexel Heard provides a unique voice as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and the youngest Black Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party. Drexel formerly worked on President Obama’s Presidential campaign, and throughout the 2020 Presidential Election, he has been sharing commentary as a Political Analyst for NPR, BBC and BBC Radio. His knowledge of the government system, keen sense of domestic and international policy, and love of Washington News naturally created his strong political voice, which he happily utilizes through social media and many other outlets to lead the generation through any political climate. We spoke with Drexel about the current state of United States politics — from Black Lives Matter, to COVID-19, to the 2020 election. Please read our interview with Drexel Heard below. And then, if you haven’t already, please go vote!

Why I Vote...

Jejune is super excited to announce that we are partnering up with Head Count to help get the word out for voter registration! Today, September 22nd, is National Voter Registration Day. This means we don’t have a lot of time to register to vote ((normally there would be about two weeks left to register in most states)). So, let’s all sign up today! If you are not signed up already, please follow the link here. If you are already signed up, get all your friends to do it!

Articles, Most Popular, Editor's Pick, zIssue 26, zIssue 26.2Kira BuccaSeptember 22, 2020vote, voting, #election, election, 2020, A future to believe in, our future, future, activist, #vote, head countComment