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Spring 2019 Class of NewDEAL Leaders Announced

News Category: Statements and Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 16, 2019

Contact: Jonathon Dworkin, 202-660-1340 x5

Exceptional Midterm Election Winners Headline Latest Class of NewDEAL’s Rising Democrats

Nine leaders elected to new offices since 2017 join diverse new members of national pro-growth progressive group

Washington, D.C. - Twenty leaders from fifteen states in nearly every region of the country have been chosen to join the NewDEAL (Developing Exceptional American Leaders), a selective national network of state and local leaders working to enact pro-growth progressive solutions in a wide array of communities. Members of the network have been chosen from among more than 1500 nominations.

The new class of rising state and local officials features nine leaders elected to their office for the first time in the past two years. They are among those leading a wave of new people getting involved in the political process and reshaping government at all levels as Democrats begin to reverse losses of the prior eight years.

The diverse new class of leaders, listed below, were recognized for their unwavering commitment to expanding opportunity, as they work to move their communities forward in the new economy and reject the idea that policymakers can or should want to turn the clock back to a prior era. Moving forward, these leaders’ work will help build on policy agendas being developed for state and local officials, including: the recent release of recommendations to address the future of work by the NewDEAL Forum Future of Work Policy Group; as well as The Way Forward, an agenda that addresses the most pressing issues facing Americans in the digital age.

The new class of NewDEAL Leaders includes (leaders first elected to their office in 2017-18 are in bold):

Monte Hodges, State Representative, Blytheville, AR

Josh Fryday, City Councilmember, Novato, CA

Annette Taddeo, State Senator, Miami, FL

Jen Auer Jordan, State Senator, Atlanta, GA

Zach Wahls, State Senator, Coralville, IA

Stacey Walker, Linn County Supervisor, Linn County, IA

Ryan Fecteau, State Representative/Assistant Majority Leader, Biddeford, ME

Will Jawando, Council Member at Large, Montgomery County, MD

Will C. Smith, Jr, State Senator, Silver Spring, MD

Darrin Camilleri, State Representative, Brownstown, MI

Jocelyn Benson, Secretary of State, MI

Donna Lasinski, State Representative, Washtenaw County, MI

Anna Wishart, State Senator, Lincoln, NE

Jon Morgan, State Senator, Brentwood, NH

Erika Strassburger, City Councilmember, Pittsburgh, PA

Erin Healy, State Representative, Sioux Falls, SD

Devan Allen, County Commissioner, Tarrant County, TX

Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Vice Mayor, Alexandria, VA

Eric Pettigrew, State Representative, Seattle, WA

Kristine Reeves, State Representative, Federal Way, WA

“We have been inspired by the remarkable influx of talented Americans entering public service in the past couple of years. This new class draws from the most innovative of those individuals while recognizing a larger group of the most promising leaders across the country," said Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) and former Delaware Governor Jack Markell, Honorary Co-Chairs of NewDEAL. "These innovators have a vital role in enacting policies that meet the demands of a changing world and expand opportunity for all Americans. We look forward to promoting their work as this excellent new class joins a network with a proven track record of governing successfully in diverse communities.”

The NewDEAL brings together leaders focused on expanding opportunity, helping them develop and spread innovative ideas to spur economic growth that is broadly-earned 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.

One of the organization’s signature events, the annual Ideas Summit, will take place May 6-7 in Denver, CO, where about 40 NewDEAL Leaders will join other innovators from the public and private sectors to discuss a forward-looking agenda for state and local Democrats to address the future of work, education, and climate change, and to rebuild trust in government.

NewDEAL Leaders have found broad support for their work, with 100 percent winning in re-election races 2018, across red, blue, and purple states, and more than a dozen elected to higher office in the past few months. These leaders include new members of Congress, (Ben McAdams in Utah, Greg Stanton in Arizona, and Jennifer Wexton in Virginia), California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, who won in a run-off in March.

Today’s announcement brings the total number of NewDEAL members – statewide officials, legislators, mayors, councilmembers, and other local leaders – to 169 leaders from 45 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Learn more about the NewDEAL by visiting https://www . newdealleaders.org/leaders.

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