Hi all -
Just a couple rounds of primaries left! Here are updates from last week’s elections:
Congrats to Dylana Galery (Palm Coast City Council), Victor Sims (Polk County School Board), Caprice Edmond (Pinellas County School Board), Linsey Grove (St. Petersburg City Council), Richie Floyd (St. Petersburg City Council), Neil Manimala (Hillsborough County Commission), Joshua Florence (Putnam County Commissioner,) Sarah Rockwell (Alachua County School Board), Stephanie Vazquez (Pasco County Commissioner), Richard Lamondin (FL State Senate 38), Rob Long (FL House 90), Emily Gregory (FL House 87), May Thach (FL House 61), Kyandra Darling (FL House 62), Samuel Vilchez Santiago (FL House 43), and Aaron Lewis (Orange County Commissioner) for advancing out of the primaries and either to run-offs or the general election.
We were also keeping track of some of our alum running for new offices, including:
FL House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell won the Democratic primary for Senate District 16
FL Rep. Ashley Gantt took the nomination in Senate District 34.
FL HD 106 nominee Lucia Báez-Geller, a former Miami-Dade school board member, won her primary and will challenge Fabián Basabe.
Sarasota School Board Member Liz Barker gets a working majority after two Democrat-endorsed candidates ousted the conservative bloc.
It’s been a great primary season so far. Our people are running, winning, and moving the ball forward in hard races across the country. Stay tuned for more!
In other RFS community updates:
CA Assemblymember Alex Lee is a co-author of AB 1633, which would tax companies that operate immigration detention centers.
NY Council Member Pierina Sánchez, chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings, sponsored the tenant harassment bill the City Council passed and made permanent. She also introduced a bill enabling tax breaks for co-op and condo building upgrades.
Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson joined Big City Mayors backing a statewide affordable housing ballot measure, and has proposed restoring 70 library positions marked for elimination.
St. Paul Council President Saura Jost is sponsoring a resolution to end the city’s Flock camera contracts.
Kalamazoo Vice Mayor Drew Duncan moved to require prior commission approval for any future Flock contracts after protests.
Jersey City Council Member Jake Ephros on the city’s unanimous vote to ban data centers: working families shouldn’t be stuck with higher utility bills so private equity can profit from server farms.
Washoe County Commissioner Alexis Hill has called for ending data center tax subsidies in Nevada.
PA Rep. Jessica Benham introduced bipartisan legislation for an annual inflation-based increase to Medicaid rates for providers serving people with intellectual disabilities.
Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams unveiled recommendations to curb gun violence after a three-day summit and expects the funding ask to be the city’s largest next year.
In related reading and watching:
I joined Slate’s What’s Next podcast for a wide-ranging convo about the state of the party, the midterms, and how the rules around electability are changing.
I also talked with C-SPAN about RFS’s work electing young progressives in the 2026 midterms and beyond. I also took callers’ questions — this one in particular really tested my patience, but I think I hung in there.
Finally, I was on MSNOW on Friday night to talk about why it matters to run, even if we lose. After all, you don’t get Senator Jon Ossoff in 2026 without losing House candidate Jon Ossoff in 2017.
Last week we announced an new partnership with YallVote, a great new initiative from organizers & creators Amanda Nelson, Kate Barr, and Anna Ruderman to organize and win in the south. We’ll be doing a call on Tuesday, 9/15, to talk about running and winning in the south (especially looking to Louisiana and Mississippi in 2027, when critical state leg races are on the ballot.) RSVP now.
Thanks for making all this possible. None of this work happens without you. <3
- Amanda
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