May 15 Primaries: DFA closely watching ID Gubernatorial, PA U.S.House & State Legislative races
While Democrats have a number of exciting races across the country tonight, Democracy for America (DFA) will be paying particularly close attention to the Democratic primaries for Governor of Idaho and numerous races for U.S. House and the State Legislature across Pennsylvania.
DFA-endorsed statewide, federal, and state-legislative candidates running in today’s primary elections include:
- Paulette Jordan (ID - Governor)
- Greg Edwards (US House - PA 7th)
- Jess King (US House - PA 11th)
- Sara Innamorato (PA House - District 21)
- Summer Lee (PA House - District 34)
- Malcolm Kenyatta (PA House - District 181)
- Elizabeth Fiedler (PA House - District 184)
- Joyce Judy (OR Senate - District 11)
If elected in November, Paulette Jordan (whom DFA endorsed in March) would make history as the first Native American governor in the country and Idaho’s first woman governor. Federally, Greg Edwards race in Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District, which in addition to securing DFA’s support has also been endorsed by Bernie Sanders, has garnered a great deal of local and national attention. Jess King is also a favorite of local and national Democracy for America members, although she’s running unopposed in today’s primary in Pennsylvania's 11th Congressional District to take on vulnerable Republican Lloyd Smucker.
DFA’s endorsed state-legislative candidates in Pennsylvania are a part of its long-running “Purple to Blue” project, a multi-year effort dedicated to winning state House and Senate chambers across the country. In 2017, DFA’s Purple to Blue project helped elect 27 inclusive populist leaders to state legislative chambers across the country; ran an independent expenditure campaign for a Washington State Senate candidate that was instrumental in helping flip the chamber; and fiercely backed Justin Fairfax in his effort to become Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor and State Senate President.
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 we’re following in today’s primary elections -- 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.