FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                             

November 9, 2021                          

Contact: Jonathon Dworkin, 202-660-1340 x5

New Class of Nation’s Top State and Local Leaders are Recognized

Diverse set of pro-growth progressive officials join organization of innovative, rising Democrats on frontlines dealing with America’s biggest challenges

Washington, D.C. – With the importance of state and local leadership made clearer than ever during the pandemic recovery, NewDEAL (Developing Exceptional American Leaders) has chosen a class of 20 forward-thinking elected officials for its selective national network. These state and local leaders join the group at a time when members are continuing to rise to simultaneous challenges of an ever-present COVID-19 pandemic, inequities in access to education and economic opportunity, increasingly frequent climate disasters,  and persistent racial injustice. NewDEALers are innovating and convening with colleagues, as well as policy experts, to develop policy agendas around these issues and to share good ideas about how to build back better. (See a full list of members of the new class below.)

Leaders in the 198-person network cover 48 states and are working to enact pro-growth progressive solutions in a diverse array of communities. They have been chosen from among more than 1,750 nominations over NewDEAL’s ten years, and have included Pete Buttigieg, Stacey Abrams, and Jason Kander, along with U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and other members of Congress. The organization’s honorary co-chairs are U.S. Senator Chris Coons (DE), U.S. Representative Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), who is a former NewDEAL Leader, and Mayor Steve Benjamin (Columbia, SC).

“State and local leaders are on the frontlines of the response to and recovery from the pandemic as they tackle major challenges around public health and economic opportunity, from housing and child care to education and racial injustice,” said NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan. “Amid this difficult time, NewDEAL Leaders are seeing opportunities to create lasting change. In this unique moment, I am thrilled to welcome our largest class of NewDEALers and recognize their commitment to building back better. They join our efforts to share best practices for expanding economic opportunity equitably across the country and leveraging critical federal funding. We look forward to highlighting their innovative and thoughtful approach to governing as they build on the work of long-time NewDEALers like Pete Buttigieg, Stacey Abrams, and Jason Kander.”

Members of the diverse new class of leaders hail from 18 states and were chosen for their unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity. Their work aims to adapt their communities to the new economy and rejects the idea that policymakers can or should want to turn the clock back to a prior era. These elected officials are fighting for solutions to some of the biggest challenges facing their communities and our nation, from improving broadband access in Maryland to launching the first telemedicine pilot in Indiana to strengthening infrastructure in California.

Their efforts will help build on policy recommendations that NewDEAL Leaders have helped develop, including aiding in the implementation of recommendations made by its sister organization, the NewDEAL Forum, through the Renewing America Task Force, Education Policy Group, Broadband Policy Group, and Climate Solutions Working Group.

The new class of NewDEAL Leaders includes:

Alaska: Senator Scott Kawasaki, Fairbanks

Arizona: State Representative Lorenzo Sierra, Avondale

California: Councilmember Raul Campillo, San Diego

California: Councilmember Matt Mahan, San Jose

Delaware: State Representative Krista Griffith, North Wilmington

Florida: State Representative Fentrice Driskell, Hillsborough County

Hawaii: State Representative Patrick Branco, Kailua

Indiana: State Representative Robin Shackleford, Marion County

Kansas: Councilmember Logan Heley, Overland Park

Louisiana: Mayor Adrian Perkins, Shreveport

Maryland: Senator Sarah Elfreth, Annapolis

Massachusetts: State Representative Andy Vargas, Haverhill

Maine: State Representative Kristen Cloutier, Lewiston

Michigan: Senator Mallory McMorrow, Oakland County

Minnesota: Mayor Ben Schierer, Fergus Falls

North Carolina: Senator Sydney Batch, Raleigh

New Hampshire: Mayor Joyce Craig, Manchester

Nevada: Assemblymember Sandra Jauregui, Las Vegas Valley

Nevada: Commissioner Michael Naft, Clark County

New York: Assemblymember Nily Rozic, Queens

About NewDEAL

The NewDEAL brings together leaders focused on expanding opportunity, helping them develop and spread innovative ideas to spur economic growth that is equitable and sustainable. Most importantly, the organization facilitates the exchange of ideas among its members and connects them with other pro-growth progressive political, policy, and private sector leaders.

Learn more about the NewDEAL and its members by visiting http://www.newdealleaders.org/leaders.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                             

October 8, 2021                          

Contact: Jonathon Dworkin, 202-660-1340 x5

NewDEAL Statement: We Must Build Back Better

Washington, D.C. — The NewDEAL has released the following statement in support of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Build Back Better Agenda:

NewDEAL joins our members across the country in emphasizing the importance of Congress approving the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better agenda.

The bipartisan infrastructure legislation passed by the Senate would jumpstart unprecedented work on projects that state and local leaders have supported to create broadly shared economic growth. Among its most important provisions are an unprecedented commitment to the public transit system, expanded broadband access, and key investments in clean infrastructure and resiliency to help communities respond to global warming. In addition, we urge Congress to act on items from the President’s American Families Plan, especially to take additional steps to combat climate change and address shortcomings in our education and health care systems.

Building on the success we are already seeing with the American Rescue Plan, this agenda is targeted to deal with the biggest obstacles to prosperity for communities throughout the nation and we look forward to the incredible opportunity for our members and their colleagues to help implement it.

About NewDEAL

The NewDEAL brings together leaders focused on expanding opportunity, helping them develop and spread innovative ideas to spur economic growth that is equitable and sustainable. Most importantly, the organization facilitates the exchange of ideas among its members and connects them with other pro-growth progressive political, policy, and private sector leaders.

Learn more about the NewDEAL and its members by visiting http://www.newdealleaders.org/leaders.   

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 17 , 2021

Contact: Karlton Laster, 202-660-1340 x6

NewDEAL Honors Juneteenth

Washington — The NewDEAL celebrates Juneteenth as both a recognition of when the last enslaved Black Americans in Texas gained word of emancipation on June 19, 1865, and as a reminder of the continued pursuit for racial equity and justice for the Black community. This important day provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress our country has made, as well as to recognize the critical work that lies ahead to root out the systemic racism that still permeates so many aspects of our society.

We are proud that NewDEALers have demonstrated the leadership required to champion equal rights and actionable policies that support Black Americans. Across the country, NewDEALers are fostering a more inclusive and equitable community where they live. Their work includes Richmond, Virginia Mayor Levar Stoney’s efforts to draft an equity agenda and an anti-hate ordinance that would remove Confederate statues; St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones’s launch of police reform and racial equity measures, and her announcement of Juneteenth as a city holiday after her recent election as the first Black woman to lead her city.

Additionally, we recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted Black communities and that our ongoing response to the pandemic is crucial in achieving justice for Black Americans. There are models for actions, including the “Making Real Change” campaign launched by Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist to increase vaccination rates in communities of color and combat vaccine hesitancy in Michigan. In New Jersey, a proposal from Senator Troy Singleton bill would establish a program to provide grant funding and technical assistance to support the development of minority-owned businesses, and in Cincinnati, Mayor John Cranley has proposed to invest $40 million in Black-owned businesses over five years, starting with an initial $5 million allocation from the city’s American Rescue Plan funding.

We stand today with NewDEAL Leaders, and with the Black community, in recognizing that Black Lives Matter, and we recommit to supporting the fight for justice and equity for all Americans. We look forward to continuing to elevate the state and local policy ideas that will ensure access to equal opportunity.
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For more perspective, check out past conversations that the NewDEAL has hosted on Juneteenth and racial equity, including events featuring Bakari Sellers and Michael Smith, as well as Jamal Simmons in conversation with Mayor Jones and other NewDEALers at our 2021 Ideas Summit. Recent episodes of our podcast, An Honorable Profession, have featured guests such as Pennsylvania Representative Jordan Harris, Montgomery County Maryland Councilmember, Will Jawando, and U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. with NewDEALer Amanda Edwards.

About NewDEAL

The NewDEAL brings together leaders focused on expanding opportunity, helping them develop and spread innovative ideas to spur economic growth that is equitable and sustainable. Most importantly, the organization facilitates the exchange of ideas among its members and connects them with other pro-growth progressive political, policy, and private sector leaders.

Learn more about the NewDEAL and its members by visiting http://www.newdealleaders.org/leaders.   

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