Influencers With A Voice
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.
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.
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.
Myrna Munoz (she/her/ella/they), ran on a platform of opposition to data centers and ICE. This Mexican-American teacher and gamer has generated wide support in her race, including from the Democratic Socialists of America. Myrna identifies as a “justice seeker” and advocates for people and the environment over corporate profits, for gun control, for organized labor, and for Black & Brown communities.
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.
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.
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.
Lauren Gottshall is a “true Chicago girl at heart.” and knows the value of working hard to give back to the communities that made her the artist she is today. Her songs uniquely reflect her experiences and stories and she wants to find topics with every one she writes. She has dedicated her time and effort towards fights for literacy and cancer research and believes positivity is key to success.
Integra Pink is a Southern California-based band that specializes in delivering the unexpected. Whether that means playing with all different genres from punk to disco, or constantly raising the bar for immigration advocacy, they know exactly who they are as musicians and advocates. Their work with immigration rights organizations like CHIRLA is inspired and their music makes people believe in a more optimistic future.
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.
Oregon-based punk band, Triple Lutz, embraces a lack of labels in everything they pursue. Their music and their identities are constantly evolving and changing beyond what can be seen inside the box. They work closely with organizations that promote mentorship and community among musicians of all kinds to spread their sound and make connections.
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.
Before 2016, the last time Wisconsin had voted for a Republican was in 1984. If, like me, you are wondering what caused the transformation from a solidly Democratic state in presidential elections to one that supported a right-wing candidate, the answer has something to do with Wisconsin’s labor history. Once the only state that voted for the Progressive Party in 1924, and a state where Socialist Eugene V. Debs won over 11% of the vote in 1920, the reason for Wisconsin’s progressive politics had to do with the strength of organized labor in the state, and the support of workers for candidates who were solidly pro-worker. But in the 21st Century, with the systematic dismantling of unions’ power in the state, along with the rise of grievance politics that struck a nerve with disempowered workers, many in the working class in Wisconsin ironically decided to politically support the same party that took away their power.
We are hoping that change starts now, with the re-empowerment of the working class by progressive politicians. Francesca Hong (she/her), is one such candidate. Fran is a millennial State Assemblywoman and is running for Governor as a Democratic Socialist. Fran is solidly working class - in addition to her job as a lawmaker, she is a line cook and bartender in a restaurant. Fran’s platform is all about providing more for the working class: universal childcare, paid leave for all, fairer cheaper healthcare, and fully funded public education. In addition, she advocates for the abolition of ICE, and introduced legislation aimed to “protect Wisconsin residents from the terroristic overreaches of DHS’s occupation of our communities.”
Amanda Gonzalez (she/her), is running for Colorado Secretary of State this year. A bisexual millennial attorney, she is currently the Clerk and Recorder for Jefferson County, Colorado. Amanda is a member of the Colorado Hispanic Bar Association, Colorado Women's Bar Association, and Colorado LGBTQ+ Bar Association. She is running to protect every Coloradan’s vote from interference, expand voting rights, and keep Colorado’s election system secure.
Maren Davidsen is a Norwegian singer and songwriter who blends Nordic Americana with country influences to tell stories of growth and change both in her relationship with others and her relationship with herself. She discusses her latest single releases, how she balances existing in so many places at once and what her debut album means to her. She is passionate about encouraging empathy and aid for the homeless in her country and beyond.
The group Justice Democrats is a progressive campaign finance reform organization that endorses candidates who refuse to accept donations from corporate PACs and lobbyists. This year, they are primarily running in states like New York, California, and Illinois, but one endorsed candidate is running in Colorado: Melat Kiros (she/her), a Gen Z former attorney. Melat was born in Ethiopia and immigrated with her family to the United States at the start of the Ethiopian-Eritrean War. In the middle of this campaign for US Congress, she is also working on a PhD in Public Affairs. A one-time barista who worried about making rent, Melat has first-hand experience as a working-class woman and brings that experience to her campaign, which is centered on Medicare for All, abolishing ICE, getting big money out of politics, housing as a human right, and holding AI companies accountable before they eliminate entire workforces without a safety net.
Stanford Fraser (he/him), a Black millennial public defender. A graduate of Howard University in Washington, DC and Harvard Law School, Stanford is a die-hard Game of Thrones fan and Pokemon card collector. He has testified to the state government regarding legislation to ban no-knock warrants, require body cameras for police, and decriminalize drug possession. A former Amnesty International volunteer, he organized area college students and led protests to abolish Maryland’s death penalty, which Maryland did that same year. Today, Stanford’s platform rests on the pillars of criminal justice reform, overhauling healthcare, and lowering utility bills for Prince George’s residents.
David Orkin (he/him), a gay millennial immigrant workers’ rights attorney and union organizer, is running as a Democratic Socialist to unseat Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, a close political ally of former NYC mayor Eric Adams. David has dedicated his life to the immigrant rights, and labor solidarity movements, working in migrant shelters in Mexico, in the desert and detention centers of Arizona, with people fighting deportations, and with workers organizing in Queens. He is centering his campaign around affordable rent, healthcare and childcare, and abolishing ICE.
Kelli Blanchett will seduce you with her soft sad melodies as she shares her life through her music. As a survivor of chronic illness she is a passionate advocate of disability rights and representation. We are excited about her new album Casual Dining, and had the opportunity to discuss it and her humanitarian work with her here.
Raaheela Ahmed (she/her) is a millennial South Asian woman who is the former president of the Prince George’s County Board of Education. Raaheela formerly served as the Student Regent on the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, representing more than 150,000 students across 12 public universities. Raaheela is a badass: she got her motorcycle license while in high school and played rugby for three years during college. Yet she also loves being near bodies of water and aims to visit every US National Park in her lifetime. A democratic socialist, this lover of cheesecake is basing her campaign around strengthening public schools, expanding access to affordable healthcare and housing, and protecting working families.
After the election of mayor Zohran Mamdani in 2025, the Democratic Socialists of America are flexing their muscle in races all over New York City, putting forward 10 candidates at the federal and state levels. One of these candidates is Christian Celeste Tate (he/him), a biracial millennial consultant who works with nonprofits to fight poverty, reduce inequality, and bring about social change. Christian’s platform calls for abolishing ICE, fighting predatory real estate investors, taxing the rich, and using grassroots organizing and electoral campaigning to build a socialist movement across the city.
Azadeh Afsahi fled Iran as a child, but her country never left her heart. She just realizes that it and the people there, especially the women, need help. Ergo, she started Iran House, and more recently Afghanistan House. These houses are build to help survivors from Iran and Afghanistan navigate the traumas they have been through, start their long journeys to heal, and help support the people there as much as possible.
New York’s progressives are not all concentrated in the city. They exist all over the state, particularly in upstate New York cities like Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, Ithaca, and Binghamton. Dan Livingston (he/him), a millennial former city councilmember, dropped out of college during the Iraq War in the early 2000s and hitchhiked across America and Canada for two years. Dan’s despair over the war turned to resolve, and he returned to college and became politically active. He founded a Habitat for Humanity chapter, organized relief trips to hurricane-hit Louisiana and Mississippi, and worked for several organizations which provided meals to the hungry. In later years he protested at the Occupy Wall Street and Standing Rock protests.
On the Binghamton city council, Dan advocated for collective bargaining rights, creating apprenticeship programs in public schools to encourage young people to go into the trades, and he successfully fought back against a privatization scheme at a wastewater treatment plant, keeping the workers there unionized. Today, his platform is fourfold: taxing the rich, providing clean water for all, ensuring affordable housing, and protecting immigrants from ICE. Dan is running on the Working Families Party ticket, and he has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders.
Fitzroy Holt’s soulful music will leave you with hope and recognition. For someone who thinks everyone has been a bastard at some point he is very generous, giving back to organizations for kids with cancer and mental health. Read on to learn more about Fitzroy Holt.
Evan Smith (he/him) is a Gen Z democratic socialist candidate running from southern Maryland running for Delegate. He is the communications director of the Young Democrats of Southern Maryland. A former D2 track athlete, Evan is primarily focusing on public transit and the affordability crisis in his campaign. Should he be elected, he will be the youngest delegate and the only one born in the 21st Century.
From Madrid to Nashville Juana Everett has captured our hearts with her soft Americana vibe, with a little bit of Spanish flair. You wont regret letting her music wash over you and take you along on her journey as you read on to learn more about her, her music, and her volunteer work with World Central Kitchen.
Ericka Kopp (she/her), is a multi-racial (Black, Hispanic, and white) bisexual millennial attorney in suburban Richmond. Ericka has worked in the Richmond Public Defender’s Office and Wrongful Convictions Clinic, getting a wrongfully imprisoned man released. A 2026 Courage Candidate, this ice hockey player is centering her campaign on free universal healthcare (Medicare for All) and free public education from pre-K through post-secondary schooling.
Yuh-Line Niou (she/her), is a former New York Assemblywoman who is currently running for State Senate. This queer millennial was the first openly autistic representative in the New York State legislature. Born in Taiwan, she is an anti-poverty advocate and activist who has fought predatory lending and red-lining in New York’s neighborhoods. Yuh-Line has taken progressive stances on many issues, including Medicare for All, Taxing the Rich, the Green New Deal, and Abolishing ICE.
After learning her family history Hilary Giovale made an important decision to do better than her relatives. As a sensitive soul she understands the damage white settlers did to the natives and the blacks that were enslaved along the way. She wants to help others understand this history as well through her book, Becoming a Good Relative. Please read on to learn more about Hilary Giovale and her journey.
Amy Jo is a rising star in the UK’s, shockingly buzzing, country music scene, and she draws inspiration from her coastal hometown and passion for gender equality. Taylor Swift, Kacey Musgraves, Alicia Keys and more have all inspired her style of sound and storytelling over the years as she releases music with her own unique point of view. Her Master’s degree in gender studies informs her songwriting about topics like men’s mental health, and she has plans for new music in the coming weeks.