Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Victoria Martz, Indiana House of Representatives District 55

Indiana is known as one of the most solidly Republican states in the country. But it does not necessarily need to be. Indiana has a long and proud tradition of manufacturing, supported by labor unions who made the state a notable center of steel production, automotive production, pharmaceuticals, and other heavy manufacturing. Indiana is a state with a large working-class population, and in recent years the rights of working-class people have been rolled back by Republican governors and the legislature through weakening of labor unions’ strength (becoming a right-to-work state in 2012), cutting food aid, and cutting access to child care.

Victoria Martz (she/her) is a bisexual millennial criminal defense lawyer who grew up on a farm in rural southeastern Indiana. Her experiences on the farm taught her the value of hard work and the dignity of owning one’s own labor. Victoria’s campaign focuses on workers’ rights, the legalization of marijuana (building tax revenue for the state to expand social programs), and creating public service programs for mental health.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 58Andrew FApril 28, 2026millenial, farmer, bisexual, marijuana, unionComment

Audrey Denney - Feeding American Hunger

“Public service is for all of us.” These are the words of Audrey Denney (she/her), an agriculture teacher, consultant, international human rights volunteer and political activist. Raised from a young age with the belief in service to others, Audrey has spent her whole life advocating for those who need it — the hungry, the unhoused, immigrants, and farm laborers. And she has a thing or two to say about why the Democratic party keeps losing in rural America. Read on to learn more about Audrey Denney!

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2024 - Jessica Jackson, County Clerk of Berrien County, Michigan

This election season we have had the great opportunity to highlight so many candidates who are running at the local level! Today we are profiling one such candidate, Jessica Jackson (she/her/hers), a queer mental health therapist and mother of two who also raises chickens and ducks on her property. She has worked hard to prioritize education, going from a GED to a master’s degree in social work. Jessica writes all of her own stump speeches, and she is passionate about reproductive rights, gender affirming care for trans individuals, the environment, and rural communities.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 54, zissue 54.4Andrew FNovember 1, 2024queer, #queer, mothers, farm animals, farmer, election 2024Comment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2022 - Heather Mizeur, Maryland's 1st Congressional District

This week we are profiling Heather Mizeur (she/her/hers). Heather is a health policy expert, nonprofit leader, and former state legislator currently running for the US House of Representatives in Maryland's First District. She and her wife Deborah live on a 34-acre organic farm in Chestertown, Maryland. During her time in the Maryland House of Delegates, and as a candidate for governor in 2014, Mizeur focused on environmental protection, government transparency, healthcare, jobs creation, marriage equality, and the legalization of marijuana as signature issues.

Farmers Helping Farmers - By Ralph Bucca

When you office is a village in Uganda the world is a very different place. Learn more about how one man found a unique way to volunteer all over the world to help people live a healthier life.

Articles, Reviewed, zIssue 9Jejune ContributorMay 6, 2019Africa, volunteer, Give back, healthy, eat healthy, farmer, environment, #environmentComment