Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Crystal Sedillo, Texas House of Representatives, District 30

There has been recent talk of a Blue Wave coming for Texas. Texas has seemed tantalizingly close for Democrats for over a decade now, always on the cusp of becoming a “blue” state. Indeed, there are more Democrats in the US House of Representatives from Texas than any state except for California, New York, and Illinois. In the Texas House of Representatives, there are 62 (out of 150), or over 40%.

Texas’ 30th District, a sprawling district between Houston and San Antonio, is currently held by a Republican, but Democrats are betting that the district will flip in 2026, to Crystal Sedillo (her/she), a millennial Latina mother of six who is native to the district and has a background in education. Crystal is very active in local activism, advocating for her neighbors by working to stop the building of data centers, create free programs for schoolchildren, and prevent local African American history from being erased. In her campaign platform, Crystal is most passionate about preserving and expanding civil rights and workers’ rights and exposing corruption. Her priorities include strengthening public education, expanding access to affordable health care, protecting voting rights, and creating economic opportunities in underserved communities.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 58.2Andrew FJune 29, 2026latina, latinx, mother, Mother, education, working classComment

Our Favorite Progressive Candidates in 2026 - Kirsten Root, Indiana State Senate District 21

We are pleased that this cycle, there are so many young progressive women running for elected office in the Indiana legislature (we have profiled several so far)! This week we are adding Kirsten Root (she/her) to that number. A bisexual Gen-Z social worker, Kirsten wants to restore trust and humanity to government. The values that guide her are service, partnerships, integrity, dignity, competence, and social justice. Kirsten’s platform includes universal healthcare, legalization of marijuana, empowering and protecting marginalized communities, strengthening labor unions, and focusing on prevention and rehabilitation over punitive treatment.

SWAC: Influencer, zIssue 58, zIssue 58.1Andrew FApril 30, 2026gen-z, bisexual, queer, marijuana, working class, election 2026Comment

Our Favorite Candidates in 2026 - Gabrianna Gratzol, Indiana State Senate District 11

Gabrianna Gratzol (she/they) is a queer Gen-Z factory worker running for office in north-central Indiana. This area has a long history of organized labor, and Gabrianna has seen the state weaken the rights of the working class over her lifetime — while pregnant with her son, she was fired from her job after disclosing her pregnancy. This Dungeons and Dragons nerd is most passionate about quality, accessible, and equitable education, saying “I believe that one of the factors that leaves people vulnerable to the dehumanizing, callous ideologies of the right is the disenfranchisement that our current failing systems have trapped us in. I believe (and evidence supports) the idea that knowledge and community is the best inoculation against hate.”