Anna Thomas for Pennsylvania State House
Our latest state legislative champion, Anna Thomas, is going to flip a critical state seat from red to blue with our help - and ensure we keep Pennsylvania blue! Born and raised in Bethlehem Township, Anna Thomas grew up in a family of immigrants from Malaysia and India. She told us:
“The Lehigh Valley, my hometown and the place I am running for office, is an incredibly diverse place with about 40% people of color, but our part of Pennsylvania has never sent a person of color to represent us at either the state or national level. Diversity matters to me because I want every child in my district to see themselves represented in government and to know that the sky's the limit for them and for the dreams they have for themselves.”
Anna will be the first South or Southeast Asian woman elected to the state legislature in Pennsylvania. Education has been the key to Anna’s success, and she knows that quality public education is essential for making Pennsylvania a great place for businesses. Anna sees stronger education policy as the key to creating greater economic opportunity in this community. She’s focused on getting a fair share of state funding for Lehigh Valley public schools, expanding access to vocational training, and keeping tuition affordable at community colleges and state universities.
Our friends may remember that in 2022, we helped another great state legislative champion, Izzy Smith-Wade-El, run in a newly drawn district and with his victory, helped flip the Pennsylvania state legislature from red to blue!
Pennsylvania is an example where a strong state legislative candidate with the right issues creates a draw to raise the local rural democratic vote for an up ballot effect on statewide Senate and the Presidential race- so getting out the vote for Anna also helps us re-elect Senator Bob Casey and get VP Kamala Harris elected President!
For Democrats to win back a federal legislative majority, we need to identify and support successful strong diverse candidates at the local level. Local offices are a fraction of the multimillion-dollar cost of running for Congress or Senate. This is a neighborhood-by-neighborhood strategy.
Winning at the local level means that local office holders can gain governing experience and build a community base to run for higher office. And, most importantly, it helps not just the candidates but the communities that support them, our communities, build political muscle.
Unlike federal House and Senate seats, state legislative races can come down to just a few more voters reached, a few more dollars raised, a few more doors knocked.
So join us in getting one more local champion, Anna Thomas, elected!
We have two immediate opportunities. Join us for a fun fundraising event in downtown Washington, DC on September 5, in partnership with the Women’s National Democratic Club and Sister District DC! And if you’re up for a great weekend with a great group of people, join our DC-to-PA road trip canvassing weekend on September 7 and 8!
This is how we build the bench of diverse, progressive candidates nationwide: one seat at a time. We look forward to getting Anna into her seat this November!