Defeating Trump may be priority number one, but it isn’t the only election that matters for our climate in 2020. 

What if we told you that this November 3rd, we have an opportunity to win elections that will help us:

• Secure progressive majorities in 3+ state legislatures that can pass major climate and Green New Deal policy 
• Elect champions in dozens of municipalities that can stop new fossil fuel development
• Elect public utility commissioners that aren’t backrolled by incumbent utilities that are blocking moves towards 100% clean energy

Well it’s all true. And this fall Lead Locally is kicking off organizing to support dozens of local organizations and candidates that are building local power to win local elections.

We’ll be organizing distributed voter contact events to phonebank, textbank and post card, in dozens of races to help register, educate and turn out the voters needed to win these races.

And we’re going to try to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in small grassroots donations to back up these candidates with people power and movement resources. And that’s where you and the slate below comes in.

We’ve found 13 races with our friends at Data for Progress, where there are true progressive champions who are running in these key races for fossil fuels, the climate and Green New Deal policy — while candidates who are climate deniers have access to endless resources from the fossil fuel billionaires, our slate of climate champions are counting on small-dollar donors like you. These races will likely be decided by razor-thin margins—think hundreds of votes, not thousands—so our organizing and our financial contributions will go a long way.

Progressive champions are running for key state and local offices. They are diverse. They are the next generation of leadership. And they are inspiring.

Check them out below, and you can split a donation to the entire slate on ActBlue.

ARIZONA

• Yassamin Ansari is running to lead the Phoenix City Council to pass significant climate policy. Yassamin worked for the UN Secretary General on climate policy and is running to help enact climate policy for Phoenix, the fifth-fastest growing city in the country. She’s backed by Sunrise Movement Phoenix, Run for Something, Arizona National Organization for Women, and many more.
• Coral Evans is running for District 6 in the Arizona House of Representatives, a highly flippable seat. Climate change is one of her top issues, and as mayor of Flagstaff, she’s shown that she will lead on the issues. Coral is supported by the Sierra Club, the Collective PAC, Emily’s List, and more.

CALIFORNIA

• Claudia Jimenez is running for Richmond City Council in District 6, where she wants to hold Chevron accountable, and Jovanka Beckles is running for the AC Transit District Board in Ward 1 to create robust and equitable public transportation. They are both proven progressive leaders and supported by Richmond Progressive Alliance, Our Revolution Contra Costa, Bay Rising Action, and more. 

MINNESOTA

• Aleta Borrud and Lindsey Port are running for Minnesota State Senate. In 2019, a major bill for 100 percent clean energy was defeated by three votes in Minnesota’s state Senate. And Line 3—a proposed tar sands pipeline expansion, threatens the land, water, food source and treaty rights of Anishinaabe and other Indigenous peoples across Minnesota. Aleta, a doctor and public-health specialist, is passionate about sustainable agriculture and will fight for a clean-energy economy. Lindsey has been a nonprofit leader and activist, and is running for a swing district in the suburbs of the Twin Cities. They are both supported by MN350 Action, Take Action MN, and many more.

MONTANA

• Monica Tranel and Tom Woods are running for Montana’s Public Service Commission, which, for decades, has been bought off and controlled by NorthWestern Energy, a local utility company. Both Monica and Tom are running to hold the company accountable and to end giveaways to the utility that keeps coal plants open and utility rates high. They are both supported by Forward Montana Voter Fund, Montana Conservation Voters, and the AFL-CIO.

NEW MEXICO

• Neomi Martinez-Parra and Harold Pope Jr. are running for the New Mexico State Senate in Districts 35 and 23, respectively. They want help secure a progressive majority in the chamber, stand up to the oil industry, and fight for economic policy that favors students over oil profits. They are both endorsed by New Mexico Working Families Party, Sierra Club, and many more.
• Leah Ahkee Baczkiewicz is running to be Sandoval County Commissioner in District 2, where, if she wins, she’ll be able to ban fracking in one of the most significant counties in the state. Leah is Navajo and has lived in New Mexico her entire life. She has a strong connection to the land and the water, and is running to protect it.

NORTH CAROLINA

• DeAndrea Salvador is running for North Carolina State Senate in District 39. DeAndrea is a climate and environmental-justice champion, and will be instrumental in flipping the state legislature. DeAndrea has led two organizations dedicated to energy efficiency and sustainability, and is supported by Sunrise North Carolina, Run for Something, the Sierra Club, and many more.

WASHINGTON, DC

• Ed Lazere is running for an at-large Seat on the DC Council, which has been battling with Pepco, their dirty utility. Ed was the longtime leader of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, and a prominent advocate for progressive budget priorities. If elected, he would secure a progressive majority that could hold Pepco accountable. He’s endorsed by Sunrise Movement DC, the DC Working Families Party, the Sierra Club, and many more.

There is no time to waste: The climate crisis is here and we need elected officials at every level of government willing to fight for our collective future. Electing this slate of Green New Deal champions will build critical political power for the climate movement. We hope you’ll join us in supporting them.