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People For the American Way Relaunches Next Up Victory Fund to Help Elect Young Progressive Candidates

People For the American Way announced its Next Up Victory Fund endorsees in Virginia on Tuesday, August 29, 2017.
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Washington D.C. — People For the American Way announced the relaunch of its Next Up Victory Fund (Next Up) today, as part of a 100-day sprint to help young progressive candidates, 40 and under, win key local and state races around the country, flip state legislatures, and build a pipeline of progressive leaders over the next four years as part of an overall effort to resist authoritarianism and counter ultra-conservative and harmful policies under the Trump administration.

Through financial support, media events, endorsements, and connections to People For activists, Next Up will nurture, inspire, and help elect young progressive candidates running for public offices ranging from school boards to state representatives and governors.  

Building on the great Next Up successes since its initial launch in 2017, candidates endorsed by the Next Up Victory Fund will be those who are dedicated to making positive change in their communities and committed to overturning Trump’s intolerant and bigoted agenda.  

Between 2017 and 2021, the Next Up Victory Fund endorsed more than 300 candidates and helped generate victories for young progressives. Past endorsees include Stacey Abrams; Wisconsin’s Former Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes; State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta (PA), the first openly LGBTQ person of color elected to the state legislature; Representative Sarah McBride (DE), the first openly transgender member of Congress; and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott. With its return, Next Up promises an even deeper well of progressive officeholders for the long term. 

“The Next Up Victory Fund is a vital tool for investing in the progressive pipeline,” said People For The American Way President Svante Myrick. “We’ve set a goal to maintain and boost progressive momentum we saw in 2024 at the state and local levels, and Next Up is how we make it happen. We have the opportunity to nurture a diverse, talented group of young progressives, and we’re excited to see how far they’ll go.” 

“The Next Up Victory Fund is our long-term investment in supporting leaders,” said People For National Political Director Markus Batchelor. “As Donald Trump continues to drag our country backward, we’re putting our weight behind incredible candidates to push back and score progressive victories at all levels of government.” 

Components of the Next Up Victory Fund program include: 

  • Endorsements of progressive candidates and building support for their campaigns 
  • Connecting candidates with direct financial support at grassroots and higher levels 
  • Providing press outreach to amplify the candidates’ media presence 
  • Engaging our networks to help get out the vote, recruit volunteers, and attract donors 

 

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About the Next Up Victory Fund 

PFAW’s Next Up Victory Fund helps young progressive candidates age 40 and under win races for state and local offices across the country. Next Up is building a deep bench of progressive candidates well-positioned to control state legislatures, win statewide, and run for federal offices in the years and decades to come. 

 

About People For the American Way 

People For the American Way is a national progressive advocacy organization that inspires and mobilizes Americans to defend freedom, justice, and democracy from those who threaten to take them away. For more than four decades, we have been dedicated to making the promise of America real for everyone and have worked toward a vision of a vibrant America where basic rights and freedoms are upheld for all, not just the wealthy and the powerful. Learn more: http://www.peoplefor.org