Now that the primary is over, it’s time to put our sights on November by building on what we learned from the primary election. This week on the Friday Power Lunch, we are going to strategize about how we win back the blue majority in November by building on what we learned from the primary election. We will be joined by many of the primary winners. Please be sure to take the time to meet the candidates this week.
The Virginia Grassroots will meet on July 9, 4:00pm to begin to adopt Power Packs of campaigns that overlap and have at least a few key races that we need to win in order to hold our majority in the Senate and win the House this November.
Speaking of Power Packs, I’d like to encourage your support for the upcoming 7th Annual Women’s Summit ALL IN to Win Virginia, taking place on July 22-23. Whether you’re able to attend or not, please consider making a donation or becoming a sponsor to contribute to this important event to win big in Virginia this year.
We’re All IN this together,
Stair
Friday Power Lunch
MOVING FORWARD AFTER THE PRIMARY
We’re All IN This Together
JUNE 30, NOON
Laura Stokes, campaign manager for Saddam Salim’s recent big primary win in SD37, will kick things off with how to put together a winning strategy for November that builds on grassroots power and community organizing. She’ll explain that in today’s political environment, money is no longer the sole defining factor in winning elections. Community involvement and enthusiasm are equally important.
This show is all about the primary. We are excited to welcome many of the primary winners to this week’s podcast:
Candidates for Senate: Sen. Creigh Deeds (SD 25), Sen. Dave Marsden (SD 35), Stella Pekarsky (SD 36), Russet Perry (SD 31), Saddam Salim (SD 37), and Trish White-Boyd (SD 4).
Candidate for Delegate: Bonita Anthony (HD 92), Del. Nadarius Clark (HD 84), Susanna Gibson (HD 57), Rozia Henson (HD 19), Karen Keys-Gamarra (HD 7), Amy Laufer (HD 55), Adele McClure (HD 2), and Kannan Srinivasan (HD 26).
Commonwealth’s Attorneys: Buta Biberaj (Loudoun County), Parisa Dehghani-Tafti (Arlington County and the City of Falls Church), and Steve Descano (Fairfax County).
The Mountain Valley Pipeline is facing greater scrutiny since Congress mandated permits be issued for them to resume work while exempting the MVP from judicial review. Many articles have been published questioning the economic need for the MVP and expressing concern about the integrity of the pipes. Court challenges have been filed to contest the constitutionality of the Dirty Deal. One article concluded that the MVP would be a phantom pipeline with only 35% predicted capacity. A powerful way to amplify that the MVP is in trouble is to call for a Senate Finance Committee hearing to investigate MVP’s partners: Equitrans Midstream, NextEra Energy, Con Edison, Alta Gas and RGC Resources. CTA – Contact Senators Warner and Kaine to ask them to call for a Senate Finance Committee hearing on the economic viability of the MVP project. Want to do more? Then use this MVP digital toolkit.Mark R. Warner – Phone: 202-224-2023 – Email form: https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactPageTim Kaine – Phone: 202-224-4024 – Email form: https://www.kaine.senate.gov/contact/share-your-opinion*Tell EPA we can’t wait any longer — strengthen the rule and enforce coal ash clean up!*
Virginia Candidates, Campaign Managers, Field and Finance Directors:
Rideshare2Vote will be working in Virginia primaries and general election. Read about their work here: https://rideshare2vote.com/why-we-started-and-why-we-must-continue-to-exist/. Contact: Sarah Kovich, Founder, Rideshare2Vote Organizations, Sarah@Rideshare2vote.com, www.rideshare2vote.com & www.rideshare2voteaware.org.
Ask all candidates running in your district to commit to Good Governance:
VA Good Governance Scorecard is now active and we’re had more than 35 candidates fill it in, including 2 Republicans. We encourage members to check it out by 1) clicking on the link; https://vagoodgovscorecard.org/, 2) check if their candidates have filled in the scorecard, if not 3) click on contact and ask them via twitter/email to fill it in (sample text in twitter/email). We also hope that grassroots groups share the Scorecard with their members. Questions: nancyruthmorgan@gmail.com
Local Majority, who has been helping Virginia since 2017, is continuing to write papers for VA state legislators. If you know of a candidate or a subject that you know needs to be researched and written about, please contact: JoAnn Loulan, joannloulan@gmail.com Local Majority has written about 50 papers for VA over the years- check it out: localmajority.org.
Thursday, June 29, 7:00pm Dark Money Is Coming for Our Children: Exposing the Right-Wing Agenda To Destroy Public Education – An FCDC National Affairs Forum
The GOP is attacking public education as their spear tip against democrats. This Forum panel of nationally imminent experts will examine and expose the real right-wing, dark money-funded, Republican agenda to dismantle public education, divert public education funding to private education management, take over the multimillion-dollar education market for profit, evade school oversight and accountability, undermine and weaken teacher unions, and eliminate critical thinking and evidence-based curricula from America’s public schools.
Wednesday, July 5th at 11:00 AM ET Elections Experts Analyze the Impact of State Legislative Trends and Election Disinformation Tactics on the 2024 Election
Join experts from the National Task Force on Election Crises to highlight how state election interference legislation perpetuates election disinformation cycles and how decisions made in state legislatures this year will impact the 2024 election. Experts will also reflect on the recent Supreme Court decision in Moore v. Harper. In the aftermath of the 2020 election, state legislatures across the country are continuing to introduce and, in some cases, pass legislation that increases the risk of election subversion by politicizing, criminalizing, and interfering with impartial election administration. This type of legislation keeps baseless conspiracies about our elections alive. The sustained election disinformation movement erodes public confidence in elections and has contributed to an exodus of experienced, impartial election officials who have faced harassment and other challenges in their roles. In response to this crisis, state legislation that provides enhanced protections for election workers is being introduced and passed by members of both political parties. While this is a great start, our briefing will highlight what more states and the federal government can do to help safeguard against election interference in the upcoming presidential election. The following panelists will speak and answer your questions on the record:
- Megan Lewis, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Voting Rights Lab
- Trey Grayson, Republican Secretary of State of Kentucky (2004-11); Past President of the National Association of Secretaries of State; member of the States United Bipartisan Advisory Board
- Wendy Weiser, Vice President for Democracy, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law
Sunday, July 9th at 6:00pm Virginia Grassroots Coalition Meeting
Join the meeting and get excited about winning in November with our Power Packs.
Monday, July 10, 3:30 PM ET Eldering Series #4: A Cross-Generation Chat on Money, Culture, and Affection
In intergenerational movement building, it is important to understand that everyone has a role. And one of the best ways to understand the role of people over 60 in this feat to safeguard democracy and help stop climate change is to examine our approach to working with youth activists and how we show up as elders. Join our fourth intergenerational conversation.
Monday, July 10, 2023 7:30 PM – 8:30 PM ET Red Wine & Blue is officially in Virginia y’all
Together we will build a community of troublemakers across the state and defeat extremism in our communities. Ready to be part of it? Then join the official RWB kickoff (it’s virtual!) to meet the RWB team, connect with other suburban women and talk about plans for 2023 and beyond.
Monday, July 10th, 8:00pm Campaign Finance: The Basics and Opportunities for Reform
Do you want to learn more about campaign finance laws? Join this discussion on the evolution of campaign finance legislation, both federally and in individual states. Organized by BigMoneyOutVA, David Kolker, Senior Counsel for the Campaign Legal Center, will draw on his 20 years at the Federal Elections Commission and review the history of campaign finance laws and current challenges. Nancy Morgan, coordinator of BigMoneyOutVA, a non-partisan group advocacy group focused on campaign finance reform, will review the status of Virginia and identify opportunities for reform and entry points for action.
Tuesday July 11, 6:00 PM and every Tuesday Texting Tuesdays with Black Voters Matters
Whether you texted with Black Voters Matter before or are new to texting, this event is for you! Texting Tuesdays is an opportunity to learn about our latest text campaigns while taking action by texting residents across the US about the power that they have to make a change in their community.
Wednesday, July 12, 6:30 pm ET – Truth Brigade BIG TRUTHS: Fight disinformation with Special Guests
Disinformation poisons minds and prevents our society from moving forward to protect the people and the planet. Lies are spread to obtain unearned power — it’s as simple as that. Lies around voting and elections provide the path to that unearned power. Join us the second Wednesday of each month to learn where we are most vulnerable, and how we can and must disrupt disinformation. Leave the call inspired, clear-headed and focused on taking meaningful action.
