If the 2018 midterms taught us anything, it was that #PeopleLikeUs can run for office and win. This year was no different: an unprecedented number of trailblazing New American candidates won their races Tuesday, and progressive ballot measures passed with solid majorities across the country.
Of the 264 candidates we tracked in 2019, 66.67% of first generation Americans who ran for office in the general election won, while 73.68% of second generation Americans who ran in the general election won. Among them were:
- Ghazala Hashmi: The first Muslim woman elected to the Virginia state Senate
- Turan Kayaoglu: A NAL alum and leader in his local Muslim community in Washington and at the university where he teaches
- Safiya Khalid: The first Somali American and hijab-wearing official on Lewiston City Council in Maine
- Chol Majok: The first refugee elected to public office in Syracuse, New York
- Julia Mejia: The first Afro Latina immigrant elected to the Boston City Council
- Nadia Mohamed: The first Muslim woman and Somali American elected to the St. Louis Park City Council in Minnesota
- Abrar Omeish: The first Libyan American ever elected in the United States and one of the first Muslim women to hold elected office in Virginia’s history
- Bhuwan Pyakurel: The first Bhutanese American elected to public office in the United States
- Zahra Roach: The first Muslim woman in Washington state to be elected
- Regina Romero: The first woman and Latina mayor in Tucson, Arizona
Say hello to the New American majority. We aren’t going anywhere!
Remember when Trump tried to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from El Salvador, Honduras, and Haiti? Well, it turns out senior State Department officials and diplomats repeatedly warned his administration that ending TPS would put the safety and well-being of nearly 400,000 TPS beneficiaries and their U.S. citizen children at risk. He just didn’t listen and did it anyway.
Trump continues to make white nationalism the basis for his policy agenda, putting the lives of #PeopleLikeUs in danger. We won’t stand for his corrupt and malicious actions.
John Oliver is hilarious, but his points last week on election security are no laughing matter. We must secure our elections now. Too many states and localities have systems that are vulnerable to hacking and external actors, which is exactly why we need more election security funding to protect their integrity.
That’s why on November 12th and 13th, #PeopleLikeUs are joining other activists at Senate offices to urge senators to pass $600 million in election security funding and include accountability language to ensure the money is well spent. Sign up to attend or host an event in your community!
The time we’ve been waiting for all year is almost here! We’re officially six days away from the can’t-miss events of the year: our New American Hero Awards party and Power and Policy summit!
As our last big events before the 2020s, we’ve pulled out all the stops. On Thursday, we’ll celebrate our 2019 Election Day victories and honor Rep. Veronica Escobar, Virginia Delegate Kathy Tran, and New York State Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz, with special guests including Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. We’ll then party the night away with a DJ and dance floor with your name on it!
On Friday, we’ll bring together dozens of progressive trailblazers, elected officials, and community leaders to discuss how we can keep our New American movement going strong in 2020 and pass policies that strengthen our democracy. To top it all off, we’ll close out these blockbuster days with a keynote address from the incredible Stacey Abrams!
Don’t miss out—get your tickets today for our two marquee events in Washington, DC:
Are you ready to flex your political power and ramp up your civic engagement? If so, come to our Boss Ladies training for young women of color with IGNITE in Columbus, Ohio on November 16.
Ohio State Representative Erica Crawley will be speaking, as well as Monica Ramirez, the President of Justice for Migrant Women and the Gender Justice Campaigns Director for National Domestic Workers Alliance.
