Friends,
I'm proud to share Off the Sidelines' next round of endorsements: A group of game-changing women who are leaders in their communities, in their states, and in the halls of Congress.
I hope you’ll take the time to get to know Kirsten’s colleagues and the candidates who are getting off the sidelines and running for office. Then, consider supporting their work and spreading the word about their campaigns. Women win when we come together to lift each other up.
Thank you,
Stefanie
There are 470 seats up for election in Congress: That’s 435 House members and another 35 Senators that YOU get to help choose.
Off the Sidelines has endorsed over 40 incredible women candidates (you can check out our full list of endorsements here), including our newest slate of endorsements:
Our endorsed candidates make up a diverse and winning coalition of women who will fight for women’s reproductive freedoms, for our fundamental right to clean air and clean water, and for the LGBTQ community. Get to know more about each of them below:
Reps. Elaine Luria, Mikie Sherrill and Elissa Slotkin are rockstar freshman congresswomen whose national security backgrounds have positioned them as leaders on the House Armed Services Committee.
- Rep. Elaine Luria served in the Navy for 20 years as a Surface Warfare Officer and nuclear engineer before retiring in 2017. Elaine's swing district boasts the largest naval base in the world, and has one of the highest populations of veterans in the country.
- A Naval Academy graduate, Rep. Mikie Sherrill spent almost ten years on active duty in the U.S. Navy, where she flew missions as a helicopter pilot. After leaving the Navy in 2003, Mikie attended law school and eventually went on to serve as a federal prosecutor. In 2018, Mikie flipped a House seat that had been in GOP control for 34 years.
- After 9/11, Rep. Elissa Slotkin became a CIA analyst, and served three tours in Iraq alongside our military. Elissa went on to serve as a national security leader in both the Bush and Obama administrations. In 2018, Elissa flipped a seat that had been in Republican control for nearly two decades by just 3%.
Margaret Good serves as Deputy Minority Leader of the Florida State House, and represents Florida's 72nd House District. Soon after she was sworn in, 17 Floridians lost their lives in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting. Margaret immediately got to work fighting for commonsense gun safety reforms, including expanded background checks.
Rep. Sharice Davids is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation, a Native American tribe in Wisconsin, and is an expert in Native American community and economic development. The first LGBTQ Kansan elected to Congress, Sharice is a model for other LGBTQ leaders running in red districts across the country.
Two of our newly endorsed candidates are life-long Iowans: Rep. Abby Finkenauer and Rita Hart.
- Rep. Abby Finkenauer is no stranger to breaking barriers: She's a first-generation college graduate, and is the first Democratic woman to represent Iowa in the U.S. House. When she ran for her seat at 29, Abby shared that she's still paying off her student loans: She understands firsthand what so many Americans struggle with today.
- Rita Hart lives on a 200-acre soybean farm in Wheatland, Iowa, which she owns and operates alongside her husband. Rita is running to hold this open blue seat, which Republicans see as a key pick-up opportunity in their bid to take back the House.
Jill Schupp is an experienced public servant who has fought for working families in Missouri's state senate since 2014. As a state legislator, she's worked to improve daycare safety, eliminate surprise billing for ER visits, and help prevent suicide through required training for mental health providers.
President Obama named Rep. Jahana Hayes National Teacher of the Year in 2016. A former social studies teacher and lifelong Connecticut resident, Jahana's early life was marked by poverty—her family relied on public assistance to get by and at one point lost their apartment. Jahana worked her way through college and earned a Masters degree, all while supporting her young family.
The first openly LGBTQ person elected to the U.S. House from Minnesota, Rep. Angie Craig has been a champion of marriage equality in her home state. Angie grew up in a mobile home park, the daughter of a single mother who struggled to make ends meet. Angie worked her way through state college, eventually building a successful career in journalism and business.
Each cycle, the DCCC highlights red-to-blue races: Highly competitive seats that, with organizational and fundraising support, Democrats can flip. Of our newly endorsed candidates, both Rita Hart and Jill Schupp made the still-expanding list.
Rep. Cheri Bustos is the only elected member of House Democratic leadership from the Midwest. A former investigative journalist, Cherie spent much of her career uncovering stories of corruption and greed in government—and she remains committed to serving as a watchdog in Congress.
There are dozens more amazing candidates out there that Off the Sidelines would love to support. First-time candidates, women of color, LGBTQ candiates, mothers and veterans...all of whom could really use a leg up.
Running campaigns is expensive work. The financial support that Off the Sidelines provides really does offer a crucial boost, particularly to campaigns that aren’t getting the kind of national attention they need.
The best way for you to ensure we can support as many candidates as possible is to make a contribution to Off the Sidelines today. Your support will help us expand our footprint and back even more incredible women candidates.