Candidates you should vote for this June!

[Valley Oak]

Dear Indivisibles, When we put out the Indivisible Guide a lifetime 475 days ago, our movement immediately changed how Washington (and state houses) worked. The secret sauce was you: Indivisibles on the ground, in-turf, working to defeat the worst parts of the Trump Administration. As we turned to planning our work in 2018, we wanted to move beyond changing how politics works and change who works in politics. And, again, Indivisible groups led the charge on this work. Over the last few months, groups in red, blue, and purple states read our endorsement guide, held forums with local candidates, and held a vote with their membership. In March, groups had the opportunity to nominate those candidates for a national endorsement. We then vetted those candidates and put them up to an online vote for all Indivisible supporters in those states or districts. Each of the five individuals we're introducing you to today are powerful voices for Indivisible, for this movement, for a more progressive future (we can't wait to get to work to elect them!). Each affirmed their support for permanent protections for Dreamers, universal healthcare, and raising the minimum wage. All of the Congressional candidates denounced Trump's Muslim ban and pledged to repeal Trump's open-ended war authority once they're in Washington. Now, you should meet them. (And, if you can, chip in a few bucks to help elect them.) → Hiral Tipirneni (AZ-08) is a first-generation Indian immigrant, and first-time candidate running in a special election on April 24 to replace disgraced Rep. Trent Franks in Congress. Arizona's 8th District is a deep red district, and Democrats haven't fielded a candidate since 2012. But Hiral is making the seat competitive by engaging the volunteer and activist communities like Our Revolution AZ Valley of the Sun (ORAZVOS), an Indivisible group in the district. → Shawna Roberts (OH-06) became involved with her local Indivisible group, Marchers Ohio Valley Empowered (MOVE), after the 2016 election and participated in die-ins at Sen. Rob Portman's office during the Trumpcare fight. Shawna and her husband have lived in rural Ohio for nearly two decades and she wants to tackle the ways government in DC fails rural communities: she will combat rural hospital closures, and fight for investment in rural broadband access and ending the opioid epidemic. If she wins her primary on May 8, she'll take on Rep. Bill Johnson in November. → Locally endorsed by five Indivisible groups, Dana Balter (NY-24) has a clear commitment to affordable healthcare for all, a clean environment through sustainability and green jobs, inclusive and fair immigration, and reforming law enforcement policies. If she wins her June 26 primary, she'll take on Rep. John Katko in November. This race is flippable: Hillary Clinton won this district by 3 points in 2016. → Andrew Learned (FL-15) is a veteran US Navy Officer, owner of a neighborhood learning center, and district native. He's already outraised all his Democratic competitors so far for their August 28 primary, and is picking up endorsements across the political spectrum. Should he win his primary, he'll take on Rep. Dennis Ross, a Tea Party Caucus incumbent who whipped Republicans into line during the Trumpcare vote. → Paulette Jordan (ID-Gov) is an enrolled member of the Coeur d'Alene tribe, the only native member of the Idaho state legislature, and she's running for governor (she'd be the first Native American woman to win a statewide office in US history!). Paulette knows how rural communities can be denied access to quality health care and education. She supports expanding Medicaid and investing in education -- not just as a Democrat, but as someone who knows first-hand the crucial impact these programs have on Idahoans. Now to the brass tacks: the likelihood of a blue wave is promising, though not guaranteed. And we're going to need your help. Endorsing candidates that represent our movement's values is just the first step to winning big in November. We must put in the hard work and long hours to register voters, get out the vote, and win in the primaries... and then do it all again for the midterm elections! Indivisible Project will support groups working independently of campaigns by offering voter contact tools, recruiting volunteers, providing strategic organizing guidance, helping garner press attention, and building out a national volunteer program. Putting these resources in the hands of Indivisible groups across the country won't be cheap. Can you chip in $35 now so we can get these voter contact tools (canvassing, texting, and phone banking) into the hands of more groups to elect Indivisible candidates 2018? Every single dollar helps us do more to ensure a blue wave this November. It's going to be a lot of work (a loooooot of work!), but here's why it's so important: We're making the politically impossible possible: By pushing the Democratic party and fostering Indivisible groups in every district, we'll make the national political climate more progressive. Each one of these candidates is challenging in deep red territory. Indivisible groups resisted -- now they're running: In rural areas and red states, Indivisible groups have become the progressive network and political infrastructure. The very same activists who built these movements are taking the reins and running for office themselves. We're lifting up diverse voices in our movement: Old boy's club politics alienates a whole swath of the country -- and women and people of color are excluded far too often. In our movement, women are leading, and that's why we're proud to endorse candidates who'll truly reflect our electorate if elected. These are just the first five of dozens of candidates our movement will endorse in the coming months. Later this month, we'll launch a voter registration campaign with tools and resources to register at least 50,000 voters by Election Day. We'll also roll out voter contact tools to support groups' efforts to get out the vote in the primaries and the general election. We're ready to put in hours and the elbow grease to build the blue wave and we know you are too. So if you want to know more, head over to Indivisible435.org to read up on these candidates. And if you're ready to help out, make a donation to support our work to register voters and build the crucial voter contact tools we'll need to help these candidates win in the primaries, and all the way through to election day. In solidarity, Indivisible Team