June 26 Primaries: DFA watching MD Gubernatorial, U.S. House races in CO, MD, NY
Today, during 2018's last set of June primaries, Democracy for America (DFA) is paying particularly close attention to Ben Jealous' race for Governor in Maryland and three U.S. House races in Colorado and New York (including one key for Democrats hopes of retaking the chamber).
DFA-endorsed federal and local candidates running in competitive primary elections today include:
- Ben Jealous (Governor - Maryland)
- Joe Neguse (U.S. House - CO 2nd)
- Emily Sirota (CO House - District 9)
- Donna Edwards (Prince George's County (MD) Executive)
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (U.S. House - NY 14th)
- Dana Balter (U.S. House - NY 24th)
DFA began supporting Ben Jealous' campaign for Governor of Maryland even before the former NAACP President joined the race. In early May 2017, the grassroots progressive organization publicly urged Jealous to run for Governor and began mobilizing DFA members to pledge their support for him if he jumped in -- making today's primary, more than a year later, particularly exciting for DFA's over 25,000 members in Maryland and more than one million members across the country.
In the races for U.S. House, DFA members are fired up for Dana Balter (NY-24) who, with the help of local grassroots Democratic group, is taking on a DCCC-backed opponent who previously publicly opposed abortion rights. Late last week, DFA backed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) who has waged a strong challenge against an incumbent Democratic insider thanks to the support of grassroots progressives in her Queens and Bronx-based district and across the country. DFA members are also looking forward to seeing Joe Neguse (CO-2), who the organization endorsed last September, win his primary in and around the critical progressive stronghold of Boulder, CO.
Finally, DFA can't wait to see Donna Edwards' succeed in her primary for Prince George's County Executive and Emily Sirota's race for State House in Colorado. DFA has a long history as a fierce ally of Edwards throughout her time in Congress and her 2016 campaign for U.S. Senate in Maryland. Meanwhile, Sirota's race in CO will hopefully result in a victory for a local champion of inclusive populism.
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.