August 7 Primaries: DFA watching Gubernatorial, House, local races in MI, MO, KS
Today, during the first round of August 2018 primaries, Democracy for America (DFA) is paying particularly close attention to Abdul El-Sayed's trailblazing race for Governor of Michigan, four U.S. House races spread across three Midwest states, and a county prosecutor contest critical to the fight for criminal justice reform in St. Louis County, Missouri.
DFA-endorsed federal and local candidates running in competitive primary elections today include:
- Abdul El-Sayed (Governor - Michigan)
- Fayrouz Saad (U.S. House - MI 11th)
- Rashida Tlaib (U.S. House - MI 13th)
- Cori Bush (U.S. House - MO 1st)
- James Thompson (U.S. House - KS 4th)
- Wesley Bell (St. Louis County (MO) Prosecutor)
While the grassroots campaign he's built has caught much of the national media's attention after garnering the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders and fellow DFA-endorsed progressive champion Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democracy for America has been closely involved in El-Sayed's primary following its endorsement in April 2018.
In the races for U.S. House, DFA members are excited to make history tomorrow with the primary victories for Rashida Tlaib (MI-13) in a key Democratic stronghold in Michigan and Fayrouz Saad (MI-11) in a district critical to flipping Congress in the fall. If elected, Tlaib and Saad will both be inclusive populist fighters and the first Muslim women in Congress. DFA members are also excited about Cori Bush's (MO-01) progressive challenge of a Democratic member of Congress in Missouri and ensuring that James Thompson (KS-4), who DFA supported during his race in a 2017 special election, gets a second shot against his now incumbent Republican rival.
Finally, DFA will also be paying close attention to criminal justice reform champion Wesley Bell's race for county prosecutor in St. Louis County, MO. The race allows St. Louis County voters to replace a 20+ year incumbent notorious for his role in denying justice to Michael Brown and others killed by police in St. Louis County with a leader in the fight for criminal justice reform who was elected to Ferguson, MO's city council following the uprisings that took place in the wake of Brown's murder.
As a part of its work in the 2018 election cycle, Democracy for America intends to raise and spend more than $12 million in support of progressive candidates, make more than 2 million voter contacts, and support more than 250 candidates nationwide -- like those it's backed in today's primaries -- in running inclusive populist campaigns committed to turning out the New American Majority of people of color and progressive white voters in November.
Democracy for America is a member-driven, people-powered progressive PAC with more than one million members nationwide committed to taking on income inequality, money in politics, and structural racism. Since 2004, DFA members have raised and spent more than $54 million and made more than 21.9 million volunteer calls to help successfully elect 917 progressive candidates nationwide.