Photos: YouTube Screenshots
New York, NY — Tuesday, Run for Something (RFS) launched its new training and mentorship program, designed to help prospective candidates with training and mentoring at every stage of their political journey. The kickoff event was RFS’ largest call ever and featured special guest Senator Bernie Sanders, who spoke directly to over 1,300 young potential candidates exploring a run for local and state office.
More than 1,300 joined the call. Watch the full chat here.
In his remarks, Senator Sanders called on attendees to fight back against oligarchy and complacency in American politics. “Earlier this year, we issued a call for progressives all across this country to run for office. From school board, to city council, to state legislature, and US Congress, we need strong progressive candidates,” said Senator Sanders. “We need voices out there that are prepared to stand up for working-class people and take on the billionaires and the special interests who today have so much economic and political power.”
“You don’t have to have years and years of experience… All you have to have is a willingness to learn,” Sanders added.
“Senator Sanders talked about how important it is to run–even if you end up losing–as a way to lay the groundwork to run again and eventually win. That’s how you make meaningful change in your community, and that’s exactly what I hope you take away from this call,” said Amanda Litman, President and founder of Run for Something.
During the call, participants were walked through RFS’s new training platform, which will help them figure out if, when, and how to run. They were also introduced to a national network of mentors, including former candidates and campaign professionals, and a dedicated online community space where they can connect with others, ask questions, and get real-time support along the way.
The event deepened the existing partnership between Run for Something and Senator Sanders, which has already inspired over 7,000 young people to consider a run for office and funneled countless potential candidates to the RFS pipeline.
Run for Something (RFS) recruits and supports young progressive candidates running for state and local offices. Since its founding, RFS has helped elect nearly 1,500 candidates across the country, including 18 candidates in red-to-blue seats in the 2024 election cycle. Today, RFS has the largest database of any other Democratic organization, with over 55,000 people reaching out since November with interest in running for office.
To Support our independent investigative journalism contributions are welcome via Cashapp to: $BlackStarNews
Also support Black Star News by buying merch from our brand new Black Star Store!
