Representation Matters! Majority of candidates endorsed by Forward Together Action won their races.

June 17, 2020

Forward Together Action candidates won in 80% of the races we endorsed.

Forward Together Action contributed time and resources to this election and we helped these women leaders get elected. It took mail, phone calls, text, email and social media to reach our community during COVID and make these victories possible. Together, we can continue to win and make sure our elected leaders reflect the communities they serve.

We are proud to say that Khanh Pham won Oregon House District 46 with 87% of the vote! Forward Together Action phone bank calls accounted for nearly 20% of outreach dials made from Khanh’s campaign.

Khanh will make history as Oregon’s first Vietnamese-American legislator. She’s also the first Asian Pacific Islander in state office in a decade. She will bring her experience as a Mama, a leader in the environmental justice movement, and a champion for reproductive rights and justice to Salem.

In New Mexico, we elected leaders who have been serving their communities across the state for decades, including:

Forward Together Action staff member Adriann Barboa faced a crowded field of candidates vying for an open seat, with the added burden of navigating an opponent’s racist attacks against her. She persevered through it all, running a people-powered campaign centered on shared values.

We also had a chance to make history by electing a Forward Together Action leader, Noreen Kelly, to New Mexico State Senate District 4. Unfortunately, Noreen Kelly lost the Primary Election to a wealthy incumbent backed by big corporations. We pushed through these barriers and ran a campaign grounded in our values that lifted up her leadership and the leadership of her community. We made hundreds of calls and text messages, ran radio ads in English and Dinè, sent out mailers, and more. We’re so proud of Noreen and the work we put into her campaign.

While we lost in Senate District 4, other New Mexico communities won across the state. Five senators who voted to keep a harmful, old abortion ban in 2019 faced opposing candidates and lost! Three of the five senators unseated lost to women of color.

The wins in this election show us that rural, Indigenous, and people of color communities are watching and listening to elected officials. They spoke up and voted for the candidates who put their community above corporate interests. Who we elect matters for the decisions that will be made by state legislators. These decisions impact families now and impact future generations.

Our families and communities are looking for leadership that inspires us to see a bright future. A world where our elected officials work to ensure all of our families have the rights, recognition, and resources they need to thrive. We know that when we lead and lawmakers listen, we all win.

With you by our side, we are creating a powerhouse by and for women of color, trans and nonbinary people of color and Indigenous people.

Donate now to Forward Together Action to keep electing the leaders we need to thrive!