.png)
“Last night’s debate was hard to watch, but it fired me up even more to fight for a healthy and representative Democracy at local levels nationwide” said Lauren Gepford, Executive Director of Contest Every Race.
“There are 63,764 local, down ballot races this year and the high stakes go beyond the presidential rematch. In each of these races, having a Democrat run encourages people to actually show up and vote - and boost Democratic turnout at every level of the ticket by up to 2.3%. The momentum at a grassroots level is powerful and worth fighting for, especially considering the significant impact local officials have on people’s lives.
This is true today more than ever. The Supreme Court delivered a ruling that would limit federal agencies ability to pass rules and regulations that impact public health. The importance of local officials who will stand up for the health and well being of working families is bigger than ever as the levers of environmental and other regulations go more local.
While I’m scared about what a possible Trump presidency could mean, I remain hopeful. Since we started Contest Every Race in 2018, we’ve continued to see more and more interest from everyday people in running for local office. Just this year we’ve recruited 93 Democrats to run against local election deniers, many of them running bold campaigns holding MAGA extremists to account.
The long-term goal, of course, is to energize local leaders to take the step to run for public office, and build a pipeline of diverse folks of all backgrounds who will help energize our party for decades to come- at local, state, and federal levels. Who knows, maybe a Contest Every Race candidate will be standing behind the presidential debate podium one day.”
