Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Elinor Levin, Iowa House of Representatives District 89

This year, Iowa is a swing state! Democrats have the probability of picking up three of the state’s four US Congressional seats, as well as the US Senate seat where there is an election. The Republican party has a supermajority in the Iowa House of Representatives by a single seat: if Democrats win at least 34 seats (they currently hold 33), they will break the Republican supermajority!

One of these Democrats is Elinor Levin (she/her), a queer millennial former teacher who is running for her third term in the Iowa House. Motivated to run for office by legislative attacks on queer people, Elinor is a fighter for numerous causes in the House. An environmentalist since the second grade, and a vegetarian since age 12, Elinor serves on the Environmental Protection committee and is the ranking member on the Natural Resources committee. Elinor supports healthcare for everyone, water/air/soil rights, sustainable energy, and the body autonomy rights of women.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Tiffany Koyama Lane, Portland, OR City Council, District 3

Tiffany Koyama Lane (she/her) got her start as a teacher at Sunnyside Environmental School in Portland, which is where she earned the moniker Teacher Tiffany which she uses to this day. Teacher Tiffany is running for re-election to Portland’s city council. This millennial democratic socialist is the first city council Vice President in Portland’s history, as well as the first Asian-American woman member on council. Tiffany is passionate about environmental justice as social justice, strong labor contacts, safe streets, and healthy communities.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Phara Souffrant Forrest, New York State Assembly District 57

In June of this year, Claire Valdez, a Democratic Socialist, won the nomination for US Representative from Brooklyn. The neighborhood of Fort Greene helped her triumph in her primary. This progressive neighborhood also falls in the State Assembly district of Phara Souffrant Forrest (she/her), another democratic socialist in the New York State House. This millennial won her seat in the fall of 2020, after she joined the Crown Heights Tenants Union because her landlord was going to convert her rent-stabilized apartment into luxury condos. A maternal health nurse, Phara is currently 9 months pregnant with her second child, and she is running on a campaign of single-payer healthcare, with her highest priority being black maternal health. Phara sums up her campaign, “I fight for tenants, immigrants, workers, and everyone who is left out of our capitalist system.”

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Sonya Halpern, Georgia State Senate District 39

The strength of the Democratic Party in Georgia is mostly thanks to the large population of politically-engaged African American citizens, mostly concentrated in the Atlanta metro area. Specifically, Black women, like Stacy Abrams, Nikki Merritt, and Kim Jackson are the strength of the Georgia Democratic Party. Merritt’s and Jackson’s Senate colleague Sonya Halpern (she/her) is running for re-election. After graduating from college, Sonya moved to New York to start her business career, steadily climbing the ladder. In 2011, President Obama named her to the the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington DC, making her the chair of the committee three years later. Sonya works to strengthen her community and constituency by advocating for affordable healthcare, consumer protection, and providing pathways to employment for underserved youth.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Jaelynn Scott, Washington House of Representatives, District 37

Jaelynn Scott (she/her) a trans rights activist and transplant from Mississippi, is a democratic socialist and if elected would be one of two serving in the Washington legislature. Jaelynn won over 88% of the vote in her Democratic primary last month and if she wins in the general election in November will be the first trans state representative in Washington’s history and the first Black openly trans state lawmaker elected in the country. Ironically, this fall she will be on the ballot with a conservative-backed initiative to bar transgender girls from competing in girls’ school sports. This ordained Buddhist minister is most passionate about investing in Black and Brown communities, LGBTQ+ rights, taxing the rich, universal housing, universal healthcare, protecting the environment, and fighting for the working class.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Jessie Lopez, California State Assembly District 68

In the city of Santa Ana, Councilwoman Jessie Lopez (she/her) is running as a Democrat for State Assembly against her fellow councilmember David Penaloza, also a Democrat. A Latina millennial, Jessie got her start in public service as a volunteer with the Public Law Center and as a campaigner against sexual assaults occurring on and around her college campus, before being elected to the Santa Ana City Council in 2020. Jessie is most passionate about and is centering her campaign around affordable housing, Medicare for All, protecting and fully funding public schools, investing in young people, abolishing ICE, advancing environmental justice, expanding economic opportunity, and creating meaningful police accountability.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 59Andrew FSeptember 15, 2026latina, latinx, millenial, city, assemble, election 2026, universal healthcareComment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Ashanti Martinez, Maryland House of Delegates District 22

Ashanti Martinez (he/him) is a gay Afro-Latino millennial representative in Maryland’s House of Delegates. Active in politics from his early teenage years, Ashanti comes from a working-class family in Prince George’s County, a majority-Black county outside of Washington, DC. Ashanti attended Howard University, and is passionate about LGBTQ rights, universal healthcare, gun control, and the environment.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 59Andrew FSeptember 1, 2026millenial, latino, latinx, LGBTQ, LGBTQ Support, LGBTQ rights, lgbtq, politician, politics, Politics, #politics, election 2026Comment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Meghan Kallman, Rhode Island Senate District 15

Today we are profiling a Rhode Island Senator who has been championing progressive laws since her election in 2020. Meghan Kallman (she/her), is a triple-sociology major who after college went to work for Amnesty International. Five years before entering state government, she co-founded Conceivable Future, a nonprofit organization that advocates for climate and reproductive justice. This millennial community organizer is also a professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, and is an avid trumpeter (see photo below). She is most passionate about social, environmental, and economic justice.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Riley Rodriquez, Texas State Senate District 28

A hot issue in politics these days is the question of how Democrats will win elections again in rural areas. There are different answers: run on economic issues only, run blue-collar candidates, run someone deeply-embedded and well-known in the area. Today we are profiling a candidate who checks all three boxes. Riley Rodriquez (he/him), is a millennial who has held a number of jobs in his native West Texas: cowboy, oilfield hand, and small business owner. Riley’s platform focuses on healthcare and education as a human right, free school meals, and empowering the working class to take power back from the ruling elite.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 59Andrew FAugust 20, 2026latino, Native American, Native American Heritage, oil, election 2026Comment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Karen Alzate, Rhode Island House of Representatives District 60

Karen Alzate (she/her/ella), grew up in the United States under that shadow, so this issue is not new, it has just been dialed up. While in high school, Karen’s Colombian father was detained for eight months before being released. Then six years later, he was deported. Today, as a Rhode Island Representative, Karen stands up for the rights of immigrants to ensure they are treated humanely and with dignity. In the State House, she was a lead sponsor of the Millionaires Tax, and she has led legislation on women’s health, particularly menopause, going so far as to appear on The Real Housewives of Rhode Island to discuss menopause legislation.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 58.3Andrew FAugust 18, 2026women's health, latina, latine, latinx, Colombia, representatives, politics, politician, election 2026Comment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Jennifer O'Mara, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, District 165

The control of the Pennsylvania state legislature is split between a Republican majority in the Senate and a Democratic majority in the House of Representatives. But the majority in the House is extremely slim - currently 102 to 100, with one vacancy. In order to maintain their majority, strong Democratic candidates need to run across the state to capture more seats. One such strong candidate is Jennifer O’Mara (she/her), is a millennial representative who is the first Democrat to hold her seat. Jenn is passionate about protecting the environment, the LGBTQIA community, a woman’s right to choose, the right to vote, and the strength of unions and working people in Pennsylvania.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 58.3Andrew FAugust 13, 2026election 2026, election, politician, politics, Politics, #politics, #electionComment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Andie Ho, Texas House of Representatives, District 12

In rural Texas, Andie Ho (she/her) is running to unseat a first-term incumbent, in a district long held by the GOP. Andie, a Xennial French to English translator and a Director of the American Translators Association, is a second-generation American running to ensure that all Texans, regardless of national origin, have the same rights and freedoms under the law and rights like health care, which is a cornerstone of her campaign.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 58.3Andrew FAugust 6, 2026asian american, asian representation, Texas, election 2026, #electionComment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Jennifer Clancy, Maryland House of Delegates District 29A

Maryland House District 29A, has been represented by the same Republican legislator since the 2014 election. This year, candidate Jennifer Clancy (she/her) is trying to become the first Democrat to hold the seat in 12 years. A millennial therapist, she raises her five children on her homestead in rural St. Mary’s County. Jennifer’s campaign is centered on a triad of issues: more readily available education, a stronger health care system (including the Maryland Children’s Health Program) and greater community resources.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Katrina Manetta, Michigan House of Representatives District 58

District 58 is one of the swingiest districts in Michigan. Currently running is Katrina Manetta (she/her), a working class organizer. Katrina has a history of activism, from going to Washington DC to lobby for anti-human trafficking bills, to co-founding her county’s Indivisible chapter, Macomb Defenders Rising, to attending Public Service Commission hearings to push back on corporate data center deals that benefit the corporation over residents. Katrina’s campaign focuses on three areas: affordability of utilities, affordability of health care, and keeping corporate money out of political campaigns.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 58.3Andrew FJuly 30, 2026Community, health care, healthcare, sustainability, election 2026Comment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Juliana Bennett, Wisconsin State Assembly, District 76

Juliana Bennett (she/her), is running for Wisconsin State assembly. A Black pansexual Gen-Z woman, Juliana is heavily keyed in to her hometown of Madison, the capital city, as a former member of the city council, with experience in expanding housing. She is passionate about defending protesters, getting ICE out of Wisconsin, and sustaining immigrant communities across the state.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Brendan Trachsel, Arizona House of Representatives District 6

In Arizona, Brendan Trachsel (he/him/his) is running on the Green Party ticket for one of two seats that makes up the Arizona House of Representatives’ 6th District. This young activist and Quaker is running to be the first Gen Z elected official at the state level in Arizona. Brendan is passionate about securing abortion access in the state, fighting against Flock cameras, and increasing Arizona’s access to higher education.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 58.2Andrew FJuly 23, 2026gen-z, Green, green party, go green, election 2026, politics, Politics, #politicsComment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Alexis Simmons, Kansas House of Representatives District 58

One of Topeka’s state representatives, Alexis Simmons (she/her), is an agnostic, bisexual Democrat. Born at the end of the millennial generation, she identifies as a “childless cat lady” and is a government professor at Washburn University. What drove Alexis to teach government was a belief that people should feel empowered to engage with government, and not be intimidated by the complexity of it. Alexis is passionate about defending the US Constitution from attacks on freedom of speech, freedom to worship freely (or to not worship not at all), and basic privacy.

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Sarah Stalker, Kentucky House of Representatives District 34

Kentucky is known as a very conservative state, but we discovered two years ago that even progressives represent constituencies in so-called “red” states! Most conservative states have cities that are heavily progressive, particularly the largest city in each state. In Kentucky, that city is Louisville. Sarah Stalker (she/her), is a representative from Louisville to the Kentucky House of Representatives. First elected in 2022, she won re-election in 2024 and is running again in 2026. Sarah believes in putting the environment and the working class over profits and capital gains, to the point that she encourages mutual aid, trading and bartering, and thrifting as much as possible for environmental reasons, cost effectiveness and to avoid participating in capitalism. She is also a huge proponent of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

zIssue 58.2, SWAC: InfluencerAndrew FJuly 14, 2026diversity, female empowerment, women, politics, politician, election 2026Comment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Diana Loya, Texas House of Representatives, District 87

Luckily, a crop of progressive women are challenging the status quo in Texas. One such candidate is Diana Loya (she/her), a Latina millennial educator and mother in the rural Texas Panhandle. As a public school teacher, education is one of the foundations of her campaign, along with a level economic playing field, where government supports the needs of the working class, and not the 1%, and where taxpayer dollars go towards building infrastructure that benefits the people, and not right back into billionaires’ pockets.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 58.2Andrew FJuly 8, 2026Texas, election, election 2026, #election, latina, latinx, Hispanic, mother, motherhood, teachers, educationComment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Janelle Anyanonu, New Mexico House of Representatives District 19

New Mexico is a state of wide open spaces, but most people in the state live in and around the largest city, Albuquerque. In the small section of city that encompasses La Mesa, Trumbull Village, and the International District, Janelle Anyanonu (she/her) has been the state representative for the past three and a half years. A former member of the New Mexico Black Central Organizing Committee, Janelle is descended from Nigerian immigrants and has spent her whole life in the state. During her first term in the House, this millennial Burqueña was one of five sponsors of legislation to protect abortion rights and gender-affirming care in New Mexico; the law passed and became the Reproductive and Gender-Affirming Health Care Freedom Act, ensuring access to healthcare denied to millions of others in many of the surrounding states. Janelle sings in the choir of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Albuquerque and is an avid embroiderer of blackwork and cross-stitch projects.