Several key races — from governorships to state legislatures — are in play in the August 14th primary. As voters head to the polls in Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin and Connecticut, meet the candidates who have crowdfunded their campaigns on Crowdpac:
Dan Freilich
Candidate for U.S. House, VT-At Large
Dr. Dan Freilich wants to put his experience as a Naval officer and doctor to use by running for Congress in Vermont. He believes in representing all people, rather than only the wealthy and corporations, by advocating for access to affordable healthcare, fixing the tax system and combating climate change.
Dan wants to make sure that Congress is held accountable to their constituents: “In Congress, we need leaders with moral clarity, outside the influence of money, to give us a fighting chance for good decision-making on behalf of all people.”
James Ehlers
Candidate for Governor of Vermont
James is running a grassroots campaign to give all the people of Vermont a voice. He wants to grow the economy alongside the environment by utilizing his experiences as an environmental and veterans affairs advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders, as well as his decades worth of leadership skills with the US Navy and Lake Champlain International.
Maggie Turnbull
Candidate for Governor of Wisconsin
Maggie is running as an Independent who wants to offer Wisconsin voters an alternative to the “two-party system.” As a former Antigo Common Council member and an astrobiologist with NASA, she believes in environmental restoration, a strong public school system and creating a new “Wisconsin Idea.”
Jeff Smith
Candidate for Wisconsin State Senate, 31st District
Jeff wants to bring progressive values back to Madison. The western Wisconsin native previously served two terms in the state legislature. He now wants to strengthen the next generation of Wisconsin’s youth by fighting for affordable access to healthcare, protections of the environment and a strong public education system.
Gina Walkington
Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly, 61st District
Gina is running for the state assembly after working alongside local officials in her community to create educational opportunities on matters such as addiction, healthcare and civic engagement. After sharing her story of a preventative screening from Planned Parenthood catching the early signs of cervical cancer, she has gone on to advocate both locally and in front of the U.S. Senate for access to affordable healthcare.
Gina wants to represent the 61st District and continue to fight for those in her district: “I am running because we do need to fight, but not with each other — for each other.”
Wendy Sue Johnson
Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly, 68th District
As a plaintiff in Wisconsin’s gerrymandering case, Gil v. Whitford, Wendy Sue took her fight for fair districts all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. After seeing the impact partisan gerrymandering had on local politics in her community, she’s taking a stand and running for the Wisconsin State Assembly in the 68th District. After years of experience in law, as well on the Eau Claire Area School Board and teacher at Altoona High School, Wendy Sue hopes to take back a gerrymandered seat.
Angie Craig
Candidate for U.S. House, Minnesota’s 2nd District
Growing up with a single mom in a mobile home meant Angie had to watch her family deal with hardships, such as not having access to health insurance. After working in health care for over 20 years, she wants to use her background to improve our nation’s healthcare, while lowering costs and expanding coverage to every family. Angie’s fight for her right to adopt with her same-sex partner shaped her decision to run for Congress and turn Minnesota’s 2nd District blue.
Ilhan Omar
Candidate for U.S. House, Minnesota’s 5th District
Ilhan fell in love with politics and democracy at age 14 when she would act as her grandfather’s interpreter at local DFL caucuses. After a historic campaign led her to the Minnesota House of Representatives, Ilhan became the first Somali-American legislator in the United States.
“As both an organizer and a legislator, I have been pushing back against the profusion of bigotry and hate sweeping our nation, and I am ready to bring that fight to Capitol Hill.”
Michelle Lee
Candidate for U.S. House, Minnesota’s 8th District
Throughout her 30 years as a broadcast journalist, Michelle told the stories of the people in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. Now, she is seeking their vote as the progressive Democratic candidate for Congress. In a district Trump won by a 15-point margin, Michelle hopes to expand broadband in rural areas, push for Medicare for All and relieve student debt while making education more affordable.
Matt Pelikan
Candidate for State Attorney General
Matt has committed his life to making a difference in his local, state and national communities through progressive activism. After graduating from law school at the the University of Minnesota, he went on to clerk for the Minnesota Supreme Court and worked as an attorney focusing on consumer issues and civil cases for businesses. He spent the last presidential election fighting voter suppression. Matt has made keeping communities safe from gun violence and the opioid epidemic, as well as the restoration of competition and a free market, his top priorities.
Mitra Jalali Nelson
Candidate for Saint Paul City Council Special Election, Ward 4
A lifelong Minnesotan, Mitra started her career advocating for students as a high school social studies teacher in New Orleans. With a strong commitment to helping others, she has devoted her life to public service, working as an organizer for the Saint Paul Federation of Teachers and now with Representative Keith Ellison in his district office as his Public Safety and Immigration Outreach Director. Mitra is running for City Council to bring leadership to a rapidly developing and diverse city. She would focus on police accountability, the city’s decline in affordable housing, promotion of transportation and sustainability, and building of community wealth.
Mitra is running in a special election today for the vacant City Council seat in Ward 4:
