DFA Celebrates Historic Wins in Mayoral Primaries in Cincinnati, Jackson

Democracy for America (DFA) celebrated victories by progressive mayoral candidates over incumbents in Cincinnati, Ohio and Jackson, Mississippi tonight. In Cincinnati Councilwoman Yvette Simpson took first place, and will face  off against the incumbent mayor in November. In Jackson, Chokwe Antar Lumumba bested eight opponents, including the incumbent mayor, a state senator, and county supervisor, and will advance to the general on June 6th.

“Yvette Simpson’s historic, upset victory tonight proves that voters are hungry for progressive city leaders who will fight with courage and conviction for all of their residents, not just the wealthy and privileged. We look forward to working with her to win in November, and to work alongside the future Simpson administration to build a more equitable, thriving Cincinnati.

"Chokwe Antar Lumumba’s transformative campaign in Jackson shows that candidates win when they organize tirelessly for racial and economic justice and build real people-powered campaigns. We congratulate him on his victory and look forward to supporting him through June and beyond."

"Yvette Simpson and Chokwe Antar Lumumba, and the voters who showed up in droves for them are sending a message. City governments can’t be the playground for Wall Street developers, for violent and unaccountable police departments, or for Democratic good old boy’s networks. In 2017, voters are ready to make cities everywhere into bastions of resistance to the Trump regime, by electing bold progressive leaders who run on, and are committed to fighting for racial and economic justice.” - Annie Weinberg, Electoral Director of Democracy for America

Yvette Simpson is the Vice President Pro Tempore of the Cincinnati, and has built a track record of leadership in working for quality public education, for voting rights, and for government transparency and accountability throughout her career. Her victory in the Democratic Primary puts her on the path to become the first Black woman to serve as Cincinnati’s mayor. After DFA endorsed Simpson on March 31, over 1,000 of its members contributed to her campaign, which used the DFA Dialer tool to make over 28,000 calls to Cincinnati voters.

Chokwe Antar Lumumba, a founding member of the Mississippi Human Rights Collective, has been active in the campaign to remove the confederate insignia from the state flag. He ran his campaign on a platform of keeping the cities’ resources, such as the airport and water management, under local control. After DFA endorsed Lumumba on March 3, more than 1,800 members contributed to efforts to support his campaign.

DFA’s support for Simpson and Lumumba is part of an initiative from the organization to invest $500,000 in municipal races across the country over the coming cycle. Democracy for America is a people-powered political action committee with 1 million members nationwide. In the past it has helped elect progressive leaders to municipal leadership across the country, including Mayor Michael Tubbs of Stockton (CA), Vice Mayor Regina Romero of Tucson, Illinois’ Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, and City Councillor Helen Gym of Philadelphia.

Since its 2004 founding, DFA members have raised and contributed more than $40 million and made more than 11.1 million volunteer calls to help successfully elect 916 progressive candidates nationwide.