It’s hard to believe that we are just 12 days away from Election Day. The Patriotic Millionaires have never minced words, and we’re not going to start now: the stakes are extraordinarily high. This election cycle has transcended mere policy disagreements and become a struggle over the future of our democracy.
As in any presidential election cycle, most of the media attention has focused on the race between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. This is, of course, understandable. As we said, the stakes are high.
But most policy change comes from Congress, and that’s where we want to focus today. As we’ve said many times now, 2025 will be a critical year in the tax world as many provisions of the 2017 GOP tax bill expire. Whoever is elected president will undoubtedly have a great deal of influence over the battle that will unfold, but they will not have nearly as much influence as the newly elected 119th Congress. Therefore, it is of the utmost importance that the new Congress be comprised of economic justice champions who prioritize the interests of working people – not corporations or wealthy people like us – in that fight.
The Patriotic Millionaires have found the right candidates for the job. On Monday, we rolled out six additional candidate endorsements for the 2024 election cycle. They join seven of our previously endorsed candidates who won their respective primaries over the spring and summer. All of our thirteen endorsees are non-incumbent challengers running in competitive House districts across the country. They come from a variety of personal and professional backgrounds, but what they all have in common is a shared commitment to unrig the tax code, raise the wage floor, and defend democracy from moneyed interests. We are thrilled to offer these exceptional individuals our full support heading into their general elections.
For this week’s Closer Look, we would like to introduce our six new endorsed candidates to you and also give you a refresher on our previously endorsed candidates.
Our Newly Endorsed Candidates
Janelle Bynum is the Democratic nominee running in Oregon’s 5th Congressional district, which stretches from the Southeast suburbs of Portland through the eastern half of the Willamette Valley and then across the Cascades to include Sisters and Bend. Janelle is a former engineer and small business owner who owns several McDonald’s franchises in the Portland area. She has also served in the Oregon House of Representatives since 2016. She will face off against incumbent freshman Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer in the general election.
Kirsten Engel is the Democratic nominee running in Arizona’s 6th Congressional district, which includes many of the suburbs of Tucson and encompasses all of Greenlee County, most of Cochise County, and parts of several other counties. Before serving in the Arizona House of Representatives and the Arizona Senate, Kirsten worked at the Environmental Protection Agency and currently serves as a professor at the University of Arizona. She will face off again against incumbent freshman Rep. Juan Ciscomani in the general election. It will be a rematch of 2022, when Kirsten ran for the seat and lost to Rep. Ciscomani.
Sarah McBride is the Democratic nominee running in Delaware’s At-Large Congressional district, which covers the entirety of the state. Sarah previously served as the National Press Secretary for the Human Rights Campaign. She has also served in the Delaware State Senate since 2020. In the general election, she will face off against GOP nominee John Whalen III to replace Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who is currently running for Delaware’s open Senate seat.
Kristen McDonald-Rivet (MI-08)
Kristen McDonald-Rivet is the Democratic nominee running in Michigan’s 8th Congressional district, which is based in Central Michigan and is centered on the city of Flint and the “Tri-Cities” metropolitan area that includes Saginaw, Midland, and Bay City. Kristen was raised in a small, working-class town in Michigan and has been a member of the Michigan Senate since 2023. In the general election, she will face off against GOP nominee Paul Junge to replace Rep. Dan Kildee, who is retiring at the end of his term.
Monica Tranel is the Democratic nominee running in Montana’s 1st Congressional district, which covers the western part of the state and includes the cities of Missoula, Butte, and Bozeman. Monica is a two-time Olympic and World Championship rower. She is also a lawyer who has spent her career fighting out-of-state billionaires and corporate monopolies to prevent them from ripping off Montanans. She will face off again against incumbent freshman Rep. Ryan Zinke in the general election. It will be a rematch of 2022, when Monica ran for the seat and lost to Rep. Zinke.
Thomas Witkop is the Democratic nominee running in Florida’s 21st Congressional district, which is located on the Treasure Coast and contains all of St. Lucie and Martin counties and part of Palm Beach County. Thomas is the youngest congressional nominee this cycle, and before deciding to run, he worked at a Neighborhood Resource Center in Jupiter, FL. In the general election, he will face off against incumbent Rep. Brian Mast, who has proven himself to be one of the worst members in the House on tax and wage issues.
Our Previously Endorsed Candidates
Sue Altman is the Democratic nominee in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional district, which covers all of Hunterdon and Warren Counties and parts of Morris, Somerset, Sussex, and Union Counties. 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. She will face off against incumbent Rep. Tom Kean Jr. in the general election.
Rebecca Cooke is the Democratic nominee in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional district, which covers most of the “Driftless Area” in southwestern and western Wisconsin, including the cities of Eau Claire, La Crosse, and Stevens Point. Rebecca was born and raised on an Eau Claire dairy farm and was a small business owner and nonprofit leader before Gov. Evers appointed her to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. She will face off against incumbent Rep. Derrick Van Orden in the general election.
Ashley Ehasz is the Democratic nominee in Pennsylvania’s 1st Congressional district, which covers all of Bucks County and a part of Montgomery County. 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. She will face off against incumbent Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in the general election.
Mondaire Jones is the Democratic nominee in New York’s 17th Congressional district, which includes all of Rockland and Putnam Counties and parts of Westchester and Dutchess Counties. 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 will face off against incumbent Rep. Mike Lawler in the general election.
Josh Riley is the Democratic nominee 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. 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 will face off against incumbent Rep. Marc Molinaro in the general election.
Will Rollins is the Democratic nominee running in California’s 41st Congressional district, which is located in Riverside County. Will is a former federal prosecutor who focused on counterterrorism and counterintelligence cases, including the January 6th insurrection. He will face off against incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert in the general election.
Missy Cotter Smasal is the Democratic nominee running in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional district, which covers all of Accomack, Northampton, and Isle of Wight counties and includes the independent cities of Virginia Beach, Suffolk, and Franklin. A veteran of the US Navy, Missy is a former small business owner and is currently the Executive Director of a nonprofit that honors America’s service women. She will face off against incumbent Rep. Jen Kiggans in the general election.
Conclusion
Economic inequality has become so extreme in America that it poses a threat not just to the stability of our economy but to our democracy as well. Our economy doesn’t stand a chance if a small handful of wealthy people like us wield enormous fortunes while nearly two-thirds of the country lives paycheck to paycheck. Inequality also provides jet fuel for authoritarian figures like Donald Trump, who exploit the economic frustrations of the masses for their own personal and political gain.
Our endorsed candidates understand the magnitude of the moment we are in and have what it takes to make a difference on Capitol Hill. We are confident that they will represent the interests of their working constituents in the 2025 tax battle, push to raise wages, and be staunch defenders of our democracy. We are proud to support their campaigns and will continue to cheer them on in the final days until the election.
