FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 10, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
Run for Something Endorses Over 60 Young Candidates Across 29 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 62 young, diverse, community-driven candidates across 29 states for races from school boards to judicial positions and state legislatures.
“These candidates are renters, teachers, veterans, and community members who are speaking out for change. They’re running because they’ve lived the struggles their communities are facing, and they know those experiences equip them to do something about it,” said Amanda Litman, Co-Founder and President of Run for Something. “We’re proud to endorse this new slate of next-generation leaders, and are excited to help send them to office.”
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 35 first-time candidates, 15 Gen-Z candidates, and over a third of the endorsed candidates are renters — underscoring how housing policy continues to be a major driver in civic engagement.
Learn more about Run for Something’s latest endorsements here or see the full slate of candidates below:
Arizona
Elaissia Sears, West Mesa Justice of the Peace, Maricopa County
Peter Boyle, EVIT Governing Board President, District 1
Arkansas
Hayley Hall, Fayetteville City Council, Ward 3 Position 1
Michael L. Ankton, Clark County Judge
California
Burcu Mousa, Monterey Auditor-Controller
Chelsea Byers, West Hollywood City Council
Christian Shaughnessy, San Bernardino City Council, Ward 2
Eddie Flores, South San Francisco City Council, District 5
Hector Bustos, Santa Ana Unified School Board, Area 5
Henry Mantel, Los Angeles City Council, District 5
Matthew Adams, State Assembly, District 9
Natalie Gee, San Francisco Supervisor, District 4
Priya Bhat-Patel, Carlsbad City Council, District 3
Rachel Farac, Novato City Council, District 2
Robert Sandoval, San Rafael City Council, District 3
Colorado
Jack Rosenthal, Boulder County RTD Director, District O
Florida
Caprice Edmond, Pinellas County School Board, District 7
Kara Rogers, Cape Coral Mayor
Samuel Vilchez Santiago, State Representative, District 43
Sarah Rockwell, Alachua County School Board, District 3
Georgia
Ben Ku, Gwinnett County Commissioner, District 2
Illinois
Austin May, McHenry County Board
Indiana
Hannah Guillaume, Center Township Board
Rafael Manzo Jr, Calumet Township Board
Iowa
Catelin Drey, State Senate, District 1
Kentucky
Chad Aull, State Representative, District 79
Massachusetts
John Bellaire, Winchester School Committee, At-Large
Maryland
Prabu Selvam, Montgomery County Council, At-Large
Michigan
Aaron Bailey, State Representative, District 92
Abbas Alawieh, State Senate, District 2
Aidan Sova, Ann Arbor City Council, Ward 4
Melissa Perron, State Representative, District 107
Minnesota
Leah Hanson, State Representative, District 18a
Montana
Brady Bremer, State Representative, District 64
Nevada
Alex Quagge, Clark County District Court Judge, Dept. 29
New Hampshire
Christal Lloyd, State Representative, District 8
New Jersey
David Guirgis, Hudson County Commissioner, District 4
New York
Chloe Pierce, State Assembly, District 107
Jeannette Garcia, State Assembly, District 90
Racquel Saddler, Albany County Legislature, District 6
North Carolina
Jane Harrison, Raleigh City Council, District D
Jen Wiles, State Representative, District 75
Winn Decker, State Representative, District 37
Ohio
Michaela Burriss, State Representative, District 7
Oklahoma
Galilea Martinez, OKCPS School Board, District 7
Oregon
Maria Hinojos Pressey, Marion County Commissioner, Position 2
Rachel Philip, Beaverton City Council, Position 1
Sara Duncan, Marion County Commissioner, Position 1
Pennsylvania
Chris Thomas, State Senate, District 24
Judy Trombetta, State Representative, District 166
South Dakota
Kadyn Wittman, State Representative, District 15
Vince Danh, Sioux Falls City Council, At-Large A
Tennessee
Cadence Collins, Knox County, School Board, District 6
Texas
AJ Bailey, Katy City Council, At-Large
Diana Loya, State Representative, District 87
Jacqueline “Jacky” Hernandez, State Representative, District 21
Utah
Lannie Chapman, Salt Lake County Clerk
West Virginia
Colby Lopez, State Delegate, District 51
Wisconsin
Bobby Gronert, Madison Common Council, District 8
Donald D. Dantzler Jr, Fitchburg City Council, District 3, Seat 6
Ellen Zhang, Madison Common Council, District 8
Jacob Toll, Brown County Supervisor, District 22
###
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.