Sick of the political candidates? It’s because you aren’t in the race.
In a never-ending quest for common ground, we recently found agreement with Mitch McConnell’s lament about the Republicans’ poor ‘candidate quality’. No doubt there Dems who are just as pathetic but that’s not the point. The point is that each of us knows what really, truly needs to be done, but none of the candidates seem to ‘get it’. Know why? Because THEY are running and WE are not! Our obligation as citizens doesn’t end with voting, not even with casting an informed vote. Our obligation includes participation, up to and including running for office, if we’re disgusted by the candidates we’re offered. With the midterms just days away it’s too late to get involved with this election cycle, but there’s always next time. If you’ve ever toyed with the idea of politics you may be interested in this group fielding candidates for offices around the country. One of them may be waiting for the perfect candidate… YOU!
“Run For Something” was established in 2017 to “…recruit and support young, diverse progressives to run for down-ballot races in order to build sustainable power for Democrats in all 50 states.” They’re nurturing new Progressive talent to grow into political powerhouses, much like venture capitalists or business incubators, they’re willing to risk on the unknown and unproven to build innovation and effectiveness. “Our candidates come from all walks of life – teachers, doctors, activists, environmentalists, stay-at-home dads, librarians, college students – and they represent communities that have been historically excluded or discouraged from running for office.” The strategy has been successful so far, with “…637 candidates to offices ranging from state legislator to county clerk, and everything in between” in just 4 years.
Does this sound tempting? If not tempting, does it sound like something you feel a calling to do in spite of the costs? Either way, it’s easy to get started. You can check out the website at https://runforsomething.net/, or to see open offices near you go to https://wherecanirun.org/… We found 123 openings in our area!
If you aren’t quite ready to run but still care about the state of our democracy, let us recommend another group you may want to get involved with. The Working Families Party isn’t really a political party because it doesn’t so much run or support candidates as endorse them, but it endorses some good ones. You’ll find WFP endorsements in elections throughout the country here, and a link to get connected with them here.
Good luck… you may be the voice our country needs to hear!
