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 2024 - Yasmin Trudeau, Washington State Senate, District 27

Yasmin Trudeau (she/her) is a millennial attorney who currently serves as a Washington State Senator. A Bengali-American, Yas is the first Muslim to serve in the Washington state legislature. After spending much of her childhood in poverty, including being homeless during her teens, she was motivated to make a difference for people whose experiences were like hers. After a stint working as a Legislative Assistant to Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, the current chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives, Yas entered politics in her home state of Washington, where she focuses on issues like housing justice and equitable housing development, corporate responsibility and accountability, and continuing to provide the kind of resources for young people that she benefitted from in her youth to put her on the path to success.

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.