FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: April 7, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
Run for Something Endorses Over 75 Young Candidates Across 25 States
NEW YORK — Today, Run for Something (RFS), a national organization that recruits and supports the next generation of progressive leaders for state and local office, announced its newest slate of endorsements for the 2026 election cycle. This endorsement class includes 76 young, diverse, community-driven candidates across 25 states for races from school boards to judicial positions and state legislatures.
“These candidates all share a bold new vision for their communities, inspired by their diverse lived experiences and hope for a better tomorrow. From teachers to cybersecurity experts, these young people are disrupting the status quo and paving a new path forward,” said Amanda Litman, Co-Founder and President of Run for Something. “We’re proud to endorse this new slate of leaders for office to make change on a local level where decisions are being made for our children, our schools, our housing, and so much more.”
Run for Something’s endorsed candidates reflect its mission to recruit and support everyday leaders age 40 and under who bring real, lived experience and bold ideas to office. This slate includes 54 first-time candidates, 13 Gen Z candidates, and nearly a third of the endorsed candidates are renters — underscoring how housing policy continues to be a major driver in civic engagement. Additionally, this slate includes teachers and education advocates, cybersecurity experts, veterans, and union members.
Learn more about Run for Something’s latest endorsements here and see the full slate of candidates below:
Arizona
Aiden “Addie” Swallow, State Representative, District 19
Emilia Cortez-Sharkey, State Representative, District 23
Isaac Young, Phoenix Union Governing Board, Ward 1
Kyle Clayton, State Senate, District 27
Jackie McGuire, Marana Town Council
Lorena Austin, State Representative, District 9
California
Elen Asatryan, Glendale City Council, At-Large
Taryn Palumbo, Huntington Beach City Council
Scott Lau, Sacramento City Council, District 7
John Casselberry, Stanislaus Union School District Trustee, Area 5
Krystle Johnson, Lemon Grove City Council
Colorado
Sophia Gibb, Chaffee County Clerk & Recorder
Chela Garcia Irlando, Colorado State Senate, District 34
Karen DeAguero, Adams County Commissioner, District 4
Tyler Quick, Adams County Commissioner, District 4
Florida
Dylana Galery, Palm Coast City Council, District 4
Joshua Florence, Putnam County Commissioner, District 4
Kell Cameron, State Representative, District 65
Jayden D’Onofrio, State Representative, District 102
Quinnie Perez, Orange County Soil and Water Conservation, District Seat 1
Emily Gregory, State Representative, District 87
Georgia
Corey Foreman, State Senate, District 1
Shelly Abraham, State Representative, District 99
Jay Morris, State Representative, District 165
Indiana
Katie Robins, State Representative, District 31
Lemuel (Lee) Castillo, Allen County Council, District 4
Racheal Bleicher, State Representative, District 24
Brandon Blumenherst, Wayne Township Advisory Board
Iowa
Adam Peters, State Representative, District 97
Kentucky
Iva Markicevic Daley, State Representative, District 99
Cassie Lyles, State Representative, District 30
Max Morley, State Representative, District 30
Cassandra Vogl, Lexington City Council, District 11
Maryland
Kevin Ford, Jr., State Senate, District 24
Kevin Chin, Howard County Council, District 1
Stanford Fraser, State Delegate, District 24
Anderson Jean, State Delegate, District 40
Dominique Lamb, Prince George’s County Council, District 6
Massachusetts
Michael Lachenmeyer, State Representative, District 12
Michigan
Jaime Churches, State Representative, District 27
Tom Turner, State Representative, District 57
Ashley Hall, Ann Arbor City Council, Ward 3
Eboni Taylor, State Senate, District 3
Minnesota
Steven Schroer, State Senate, District 57
Justice Spriggs, State Representative, District 39B
Missouri
Cat Clayton, State Representative, District 105
Dustin Lloyd, State Representative, District 39
Stacy Lake, Jackson County Executive
Nevada
Jasmin Lilly-Spells, District Court Judge, Dept. 23
New Jersey
Ali Aljarrah, Passaic County Commissioner
New York
Kurt VanWuyckhuyse, State Assembly, District 134
Samantha Kattan, State Assembly, District 37
Bobby Bonett, Massapequa Board of Education Trustee
Ohio
Katie Koehler Wagner, State Representative, District 80
Megan Coy, State Representative, District 17
Oklahoma
Braxton Banks, State Representative, District 85
Pennsylvania
Davon Magwood, State Representative, District 55
Tim Hayes, State Representative, District 143
Brittany Bloam, State Representative, District 45
Sierra McNeil, State Representative, District 195
Sydney Speicher, State Representative, District 15
South Carolina
Ashley Painter, State Representative, District 117
Tennessee
Jennifer Konyn, Williamson County School Board, District 10
Charles Uffelman, Clarksville City Council, Ward 6
Torrey Harris, State Representative, District 91
Texas
Kris Cox, Denton City Council, District 1
Brett Robinson, State Representative, District 130
Brittany Black, State Representative, District 61
Dexter McCoy, Fort Bend County Judge
Jesus Nieto, Katy ISD School Board Trustee, Position 5
Virginia
Santiera Brown-Yearling, Chesapeake City Council
Washington
Chandler Torbett, State Representative, District 45
Wisconsin
Jonathan Zamaites, Brown County Board of Supervisors, District 23
Lawanda Chambers, State Representative
Jake Williams, La Crosse School Board
Tory Elliott, South Milwaukee School Board
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Run for Something (RFS) recruits and supports young progressive candidates running for state and local offices. Since its founding, RFS has helped elect over 1,600 candidates across the country, including 43 candidates in red-to-blue seats in the 2025 election cycle. Today, RFS has the largest database of any other Democratic organization, with nearly 80,000 people reaching out since last November with interest in running for office.