CHICAGO – Candidates endorsed by People’s Action and our member organizations in Idaho and Pennsylvania swept up victories in primary elections on Tuesday.
The victories underscore the powerful voter demand for bold, people’s candidates who will challenge the status quo by fighting for racial and gender justice and an economy owned by people – not corporations and the 1%.
Paulette Jordan, Democratic candidate for governor in Idaho, will go on to challenge the Republican candidate in November elections. Jordan would be the first Native American governor in the U.S. and the first woman governor of Idaho. She has served two terms in the Idaho House of Representatives.
In Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Fiedler, running for State Representative (District 184) challenged a 25-year conservative Democratic incumbent (who eventually stepped out of the race) and bested three other Democrats to win her primary.
Fiedler’s campaign was managed by an organizer on leave from Reclaim Philadelphia, a People’s Action organization in Pennsylvania. Fiedler took bold stands fighting for Medicare for All, ending mass incarceration, and raising taxes to fund the public good. These stands are commensurate with the multiple crises facing people in her South Philadelphia District.
People’s Action and member organization Keystone Progress, endorsed Scott Wallace (U.S. House District 1) and Jess King (uncontested in U.S. House District 11) also came out on top in the Pennsylvania primary.
People’s Action is a progressive, multiracial, working-class coalition of more than a million people and 48 member organizations across 30 states. Endorsed candidates pledge to implement the People’s Action Protest to Power Platform and advocate for a racial and economic justice agenda.
“Today’s elections prove movement politics candidates, who rely on people power, can win, and win powerfully,” said Ryan Greenwood, director of Movement Politics for People’s Action. “Candidates for public office who commit to a racial and gender justice agenda that puts people and our planet before profits are winning.
“Candidates who come from grassroots justice movements and are accountable to people’s organizations like United Action of Idaho, Keystone Progress, Reclaim Philadelphia, the 215 People’s Alliance and People’s Action won because voters want candidates who put people before the wealth accumulation of corporate elites and the 1%,” said Greenwood.
Adrienne Evans, executive director of United Action of Idaho, is confident Idaho will become the first state in the country to elect a Native American to be governor, and a governor who will put the interests of people ahead of the profits of wealthy corporations.
“Today is a great day for Idaho and a signal to the rest of the country that people everywhere are rising up to make sure their issues and values are upheld,” said Evans “The Idaho corporate elite have kept us divided, marginalized and suffering for too long, and that time is over now. Voters took a giant step today toward restoring our democracy.”
United Action for Idaho organizes for power, democracy and change. We are committed to advancing social, economic and environmental justice in Idaho by advocating for policies and people who champion real, systemic change in the state.
Keystone Progress is Pennsylvania’s largest and most effective progressive organization, focused on communicating a progressive vision for Pennsylvania.
Reclaim Philadelphia builds power for people across the city. In a political world flooded with corporate money, it is dedicated to amplifying the voices of Philadelphians.