Our initial review of Rochester, Minnesota nonprofit or church social media found less than 1 in 10 had reminders about the August 9 Special Election for Congressional District 1. These preliminary findings of a survey conducted by For Progress highlight a problem for people opposed to Trump politics. 

Migrant Deaths Call Attention To Comprehensive Immigration Reform

People continue to die migrating to the United States. The main proposal for Comprehensive Immigration Reform before Congress is HR 1177. The people’s support for these policies was debated in the 2020 election and the mandate for this reform package was validated by the vote of 81 million. This proposal rejects the focus on the border and replaces it with something migrant organizers have long fought for; a focus on the economic and justice issues driving migration from Latin America. The question is how.

"In the late 1990s, I was a teen girl that had slipped through the cracks of the foster care system, struggling first to survive and to stay in school. There are many things that helped me find housing, work, earn a college degree and achieve success; not least of which was the free contraception provided to me by the state of Colorado. The statistics demonstrate the success of this program, and Colorado was able to cut teen pregnancies in half: but the true benefit of such programs is immeasurable." - Fellow testimony

I worked for thirty four years in the Navy as a software engineer. Like most federal employees, my pay, benefits, pension, and healthcare, were all affected by Congressional votes.  After twenty three years, I almost lost all I’d worked for when management tried to fire me for being active in my union.  I was lucky in that my union provided support and an attorney to help me save my job, my pension—and my healthcare.  But not everyone is as lucky as I am.  

Republican Glenn Youngkin and the Virginia 2021 election show that our nation will regress if progressives fail to organize in swing counties, districts, and states.