FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 23, 2025
Contact: press@runforsomething.net

Run for Something  Surpasses 50,000 Prospective Candidates Since Trump’s Election

Today, Run for Something (RFS) announced yet another major milestone: more than 50,000 people have signed up to run for office since Election Day, a surge that outpaces the organization’s first three years of recruitment combined. The spike brings RFS’s candidate pipeline to over 210,000 since its launch in 2017, with the vast majority of sign-ups following pivotal national moments including Trump’s 2025 inauguration day, Elon Musk’s announcement of mass layoffs of federal workers, and after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that he would support the GOP’s disastrous spending bill.

“This new generation of leaders isn’t waiting for its turn. It’s stepping up now,” said Amanda Litman, founder and President of Run for Something. “We are seeing more young people than ever before raise their hands to run, not in spite of the chaos, but because of it. They are bringing urgency, boldness, energy, and their lived experience to the table. They are ready to change what leadership looks like in this country.” 

This wave of prospective new candidates includes fired federal workers, parents impacted by attempts to cut Medicaid, renters affected by the lack of affordable housing, and others looking to bring their lived experiences to leadership. The majority are under 40, and many are women, people of color, and people who identify as LGBTQIA+ — communities historically underrepresented in local and state government.

Founded in the aftermath of the 2016 election, Run for Something was created to provide Democrats the infrastructure they need to build a long-term progressive bench. Eight years later, it has become a political force, fueling a movement of down-ballot candidates running for everything from school board to state legislature — and winning. RFS candidates have won over 1,500 races across 49 states, reshaping the political landscape from the ground up. Today, five RFS alumni are serving in Congress, and even more have jumped into statewide and federal races across the country.

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Run for Something (RFS) recruits and supports young progressive candidates for down-ballot offices. Since its founding, RFS has helped elect nearly 1,500 candidates across the country, including 18 candidates in red-to-blue seats in the 2024 election cycle. Today, RFS has the largest database of any other Democratic organization, with close to 50,000 people reaching out since November with interest in running for office.