80 First Mile Circle members. $279,460 donated to 17 candidates of color across 10 unique counties. 10 powerful leaders elected.

In 2020, the need for an inclusive, representative democracy had never been more stark. From COVID-19 to police brutality, every crisis we faced was exacerbated because Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities lack inclusive, equitable representation in our democracy. To address these problems, we must build a strong pathway for BIPOC leaders to represent their communities in elected office.

2020’s slate of remarkable candidates was selected by consensus with our expanded group of organizational partners: Equal Rights Washington, OneAmerica Votes, Sage Leaders, and Washington Community Alliance Action Fund.

We are thrilled with the amazing candidates of color elected to public office, including many who faced extremely competitive races. While tens of millions of people across the country cast their ballots for U.S. President, most First Mile candidates ran for positions that see less than 100,000 total voters, with margins that often come down to less than 1,000 votes.

Wins included:

Increasing representation in the state legislature.

• In 2020, First Mile helped to elect the most diverse, progressive state legislature in Washington state history — including more Black legislators than our state has ever seen.

• T’wina Nobles was the first Black person elected to the Washington State Senate in over a decade. Currently, she is the only Black state senator.

• In 2019, five legislators came together to form the first Black Caucus in the WA State House of Representatives. In 2020, the Black Caucus membership nearly doubled.

New legislators showing us what’s possible when our elected officials represent the interests of our communities.

• First Mile supported the 2020 campaign of Representative-elect Jesse Johnson — who shared with us how his community asked him to prioritize police accountability in the 2021 session, and he stepped up to focus tirelessly on the issue. Thanks in large part to Rep. Johnson’s leadership, our legislature passed a comprehensive slate of bills from establishing an independent Office of Investigations to creating standards for use of force for police officers.

• First Mile supported the 2020 campaign of Senator-elect T’wina Nobles who increased the progressive majority in our state senate, where we saw incredible policy pass in 2021. A historic victory was the passage of a critical tax on capital gains that passed the senate by just one single vote after more than a decade of community organizing in favor of it.

Candidates of color winning gains at the county level. 

• Despite facing a barrage of racist, birtherist attacks during the campaign, Carolina Mejia was elected to the Thurston County Commission with 58% of the vote. She is one of three BIPOC county council members in the state, joining King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay and Whatcom County Executive and 2019 First Mile supported candidate Satpal Sidhu.

• Although Ana Ruiz Peralta did not win a seat on the Franklin County Commission, she received significantly more votes than any Democratic candidate has earned for that position in the last four election cycles.

First Mile is making a difference.

• With competitive races across the state, we moved money early for maximum impact. In the primary, circle members donated over 75% of their total personalized budgets — these donations collectively made up 18-40% of candidate’s budgets at this time, providing critical early resources and a boost for those in competitive primaries.

Eduardo Castañeda-Diaz

13th LD State Representative, Pos. 1 (Moses Lake) candidate

Tanisha Harris

17th LD State Representative, Pos. 2 (Vancouver) candidate

Glenda Breiler

22nd LD State Representative, Pos. 2 (Olympia) candidate

Joy Stanford

26th LD State Representative, Pos. 2 (Gig Harbor) candidate

T’wina Nobles

28th LD State Senator (Pierce County)

Sharlett Mena

29th LD State Representative, Pos. 2 (Tacoma) candidate

Jamila Taylor

30th LD State Representative, Pos. 1 (Federal Way)

Jesse Johnson

30th LD State Representative, Pos. 2 (Federal Way)

Kirsten Harris-Talley

37th LD State Representative, Pos. 2 (South Seattle, Skyway, Renton)

April Berg

44th LD State Representative, Pos. 2 (Snohomish County)

Carolina Mejia

Thurston County Commissioner, District 1

Ana Ruiz Peralta

Franklin County Commission, District 2 candidate

Marcus Young

Pierce County Council, District 3 candidate

Sharonda Amamilo

Thurston County Superior Court Judge, Pos. 8

Cassandra Lopez Shaw

Snohomish County Superior Court Judge