We hate to kick things off with a cliché, but it’s an important one: elections have consequences. While cynics will dismiss elections as a rubber stamp on the status quo, the reality is that two starkly different realities are possible in January of 2025. In one of those realities, a newly inaugurated President Trump kicks off his second term with a series of vengeful abuses of executive power, distracting the public while Congress pliantly extends his 2017 tax cuts for the ultra-rich.
The second reality is a newly minted Congress under a reelected President Biden, empowered to both unravel the Trump tax scheme and fundamentally rewrite the tax code in favor of working Americans.
The Patriotic Millionaires are diligently laying the groundwork for that second reality. And while the presidential primaries are sucking up the oxygen in the media (don’t worry, you’ll be hearing from us about the presidential contest over the next year), we are kicking off our 2024 election work by focusing on the battle for the United States House of Representatives.
As we’ve previously discussed, in 2025, many of the provisions of the 2017 Trump tax cuts that gave a windfall to the wealthy and corporations are set to expire. The new Congress elected this fall will be tasked with deciding the fate of those cuts and the underlying structure of the federal tax code. At this critical juncture, it is imperative that the 119th Congress be comprised of leaders who will fiercely advocate for working people while holding the ultra-rich and their corporate allies accountable.
This week, our organization rolled out our first slate of candidate endorsements for the 2024 election cycle. Our endorsees include nine non-incumbent challengers running in competitive districts for the House of Representatives. While they are exceptional in a variety of ways, all nine candidates share our vision of building a better, more equitable economy, unrigging the tax code, raising wages, and defending democracy. The Patriotic Millionaires offer their enthusiastic support for their primary and general election campaigns.
For this week’s Closer Look, we want to introduce these nine fantastic candidates to you and give you some background information about their respective races.
The Candidates
Sue Altman is running in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional district, which covers all of Hunterdon and Warren Counties and parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties. The district is currently represented by Rep. Tom Kean Jr. Sue is a former teacher and basketball coach and currently serves as the Executive Director of the New Jersey Working Families Alliance, a nonprofit focused on fighting corruption in New Jersey politics. As the only candidate running in her district’s Democratic primary, she is the presumptive Democratic nominee. Her primary election will take place on June 4, 2024.
Ashley Ehasz is running in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional district, which covers all of Bucks County and a part of Montgomery County. The district is currently represented by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick. Ashley is a US Army veteran and former Apache helicopter pilot. If elected, she would be the first woman in Congress to have graduated from West Point. She currently works as a government and public service sector consultant. As the only candidate running in her district’s Democratic primary, she is the presumptive Democratic nominee. Her primary will take place on April 23, 2024.
Cheyenne Hunt is running in California’s 45th Congressional district, which covers parts of Orange and Los Angeles Counties. The district is currently represented by Rep. Michelle Steel. Cheyenne worked for international and domestic violence legal clinics, served as a law clerk for Senator Amy Klobuchar and the Senate Judiciary Committee, and served as a big-tech accountability advocate at Public Citizen. She also has a significant following on social media. Aged 26, she would be one of the few Gen Z members of Congress. Cheyenne is currently in a highly competitive primary, and it will be crucial that she gets to the top-two in the California Jungle Primary system on March 5, 2024.
Mondaire Jones is running in New York’s 17th Congressional district, which includes all of Rockland and Putnam Counties and parts of Westchester and Dutchess Counties. The district is currently represented by Rep. Mike Lawler. Mondaire is a former member of Congress: he represented the 17th District from 2021 to 2023 before it was redrawn in 2022. He previously worked for the Justice Department under the Obama Administration and served as a litigator in the Westchester County Attorney’s Office. He is currently the front runner in his district’s Democratic primary, which will take place on June 25, 2024.
Sarah Klee Hood is running in New York’s 22nd Congressional district, which includes Madison, Oneida, and Onondaga Counties and part of Oswego County. The district is currently represented by Rep. Brandon Williams. Sarah is an Air Force veteran and an elected Town Councilor in DeWitt, NY. Most recently, she worked in the environmental policy sector for state and federal agencies. She is well-positioned in a competitive primary, which will take place on June 25, 2024.
Jamie McLeod-Skinner is running in Oregon’s 5th Congressional district, which includes Linn County and parts of Clackamas, Deschutes, Multnomah, and Marion Counties. The district is currently represented by Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer. Jamie is an engineer, public servant, attorney, and small business owner. She currently serves on the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and the Jefferson County Education Service District Board. She also served eight years on the Santa Clara City Council and was the Interim City Manager of Talent, Oregon in 2020. She faces three opponents in her district’s Democratic primary, but is far and away the biggest champion for our issues in the race, and we are proud to support her in that primary on May 21, 2024.
Josh Riley is running in New York’s 19th Congressional district, which includes Broome, Chenango, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Greene, Sullivan, Tioga, and Tompkins Counties and parts of Otsego and Ulster Counties. The district is currently represented by Rep. Marc Molinaro. Josh is an attorney who previously served as General Counsel to Sen. Al Franken and as a Policy Analyst for the Department of Labor. He is well-positioned to win his primary against two opponents on June 25, 2024.
Will Rollins is running in California’s 41st Congressional district, which is located in Riverside County. The district is currently represented by Rep. Ken Calvert. Will is a former federal prosecutor who focused on counterterrorism and counterintelligence cases, including the January 6th insurrection. He is well-positioned to beat his primary opponent during California’s open primary election on March 5, 2024.
Diane Young is running in Michigan’s 10th Congressional district, which includes parts of Macomb and Oakland Counties. The district is currently represented by Rep. John James. Diane has owned and operated her own financial planning firm in her district for over thirty years. If elected, she would be the first financial planner in Congress. Diane sits in a crowded primary, but is well-positioned to be the front runner. Her primary election will take place on August 6, 2024.
The Stakes
We are facing serious problems in America today. Economic inequality has reached heights not seen since the Gilded Age, which has spurred millions of economically frustrated voters to turn to authoritarian figures like Donald Trump. The most effective bulwark against rising extremism is a functional economy. That starts with a tax code that works for everyone.
Our nine endorsed candidates have what it takes to turn the tide in America, create a more equitable economy that doesn’t only cater to the ultra-wealthy, and safeguard our democracy. We are proud to offer them our support and are eager to see them champion our issues on Capitol Hill.
