2021

First Mile Candidates

97 First Mile Circle members. $351,650 donated to 36 candidates of color across 11 unique counties. 22 powerful leaders elected, and 1 candidate later appointed to state office.

In 2021 there were so many down ballot races and inspiring progressive candidates of color — and our First Mile Circle rose to meet the moment, giving more than $351k to candidates of color across the state! Oftentimes our candidates were up against tremendous odds — be that moderate incumbents or significant conservative spending against their campaigns. We are so grateful to all of the First Mile members who made investments in these candidates, and so grateful to the candidates for the tremendous energy and effort they put into public service.

Wins included:

Monumental representation for Seattle Port Commission.

Electing Toshiko Hasegawa and Hamdi Mohamed — two incredibly qualified rising stars with both political and policy chops — to the Seattle Port Commission. Toshiko and Hamdi are notably the first women of color to ever serve on the commission, and Hamdi was also the first Somali woman elected to any public office in Washington state. These wins build on our prior support of Sam Cho who was elected in 2019 to the Port of Seattle Commission as the sole person of color on the commission at that time. As a result of these wins, we now have a majority people of color-led Seattle Port Commission for the first time in the city’s 110-year history.

Building a government that looks like our communities.

Flipping city councils in Renton, Tukwila, and SeaTac — all communities that are majority people of color, and in which First Mile candidates went up against far-right extremists, some with connections to the January 6th insurrection. These wins also built on previous successes — Mohamed Abdi joins 2019 First Mile candidate Cynthia Delostrinos Johnson on the Tukwila City Council, where Cynthia paved the way for better representation as the first woman of color ever elected to the council. Mohamed Egal and Iris Guzmán join 2019 First Mile candidates Senayet Negusse and Takele Gobena on the SeaTac City Council, which at the time of their election in 2019 had only one person of color out of seven council seats in a city that is 68% people of color and 40% immigrants.
Capturing school board seats with the election of Dr. Melissa Bedford in Spokane and Kathy Mulkerin in Walla Walla. Walla Walla’s school district is nearly half students of color (46%), yet Kathy was the first Black woman and only the second person of color to ever serve on this board.
Electing progressive BIPOC leaders to city councils in Bellingham, Bothell, Burien, Tacoma, Yakima, and Vancouver.
Winning historical judgeships with the election of Tracy Flood to Bremerton Municipal Court — the first Black woman to hold court in all of Kitsap County, and Gloria Ochoa-Bruck to Spokane Municipal Court — the first Latina judge to be elected in Spokane County.

Strong campaigns paving the way for new opportunities.

While Brandy Donaghy did not win her campaign for Snohomish County Council, she was appointed just six weeks later to the Washington State Legislature as a Representative of the 44th Legislative District. The relationships she built and her positive, values-driven campaign for county council helped to showcase her excellent leadership skills and secure her appointment. This is a clear example of how local elections — whether won or lost — build up a pipeline of community leadership for future opportunities. Congratulations Representative Donaghy!

First Mile is making a difference.

First Mile donations made up between 4% to 43% of candidate’s budgets in the 2021 election season (averaging 20% of budgets). We heard from candidates that First Mile’s support allowed them to prioritize face-to-face time with their constituents whom they represent, invest in campaign materials and not have to make tough decisions about cutting necessary items from their budget, and provided the boost of confidence and energy they needed to stay focused in the face of challenging opposition.

“This campaign has been the most difficult endeavor I’ve ever taken on. The support of First Mile makes running for elected office attainable for community members like myself. I grew up only seeing one type of politician, not those that reflected my identities. With First Mile and Sage Leaders, we’re able to be the change we’ve wanted to see. Thank you.”

— Carmen Rivera, Renton City Councilmember

Alicia Crank

Edmonds City Council, Pos. 1 candidate

Anne Artman

Tacoma City Council, Pos. 5 candidate

Bárbara del Mar Robles

Ellensburg City Council, Pos. 3 candidate

Brandy Donaghy

Snohomish County Council, Dist. 5 candidate

Carmen Rivera

Renton City Councilmember, Pos. 2

Cliff Cawthon

Kent City Council, Pos. 4 candidate

Danny Herrera

Yakima City Councilmember, Dist. 2

Davida Haygood

Puyallup City Council, Dist. 2 Pos. 2 candidate

Dawn Bennett

Mayor of Kent candidate

Dexter Borbe

Bellevue City Council, Pos. 2 candidate

Diana Perez

Vancouver City Councilmember, Pos. 3

Gloria Ochoa-Bruck

City of Spokane, Municipal Court Judge No. 3

Graciela Villanueva

Yakima School District Board Member, Pos. 1

Hamdi Mohamed

Port of Seattle Commissioner, Pos. 3

Han Tran

Bothell City Councilmember, Pos. 1

Hugo Garcia

Burien City Councilmember, Pos. 1

Iris Guzmán

SeaTac City Councilmember, Pos. 6

Joe Todd

Renton City Council, Pos. 1 candidate

Josh Binda

Lynnwood City Councilmember, Pos. 3

Juanita Beard

Peninsula School District Board, Pos. 5 candidate

Kathy Mulkerin

Walla Walla Public Schools Board Member,Pos. 1

Kiara Daniels

Tacoma City Councilmember, Pos. 6

Kristina Michele Martens

Bellingham City Councilmember, At-Large

Lacrecia “Lu” Hill

Spokane City Council, Dist. 3 Pos. 2 candidate

Dr. Melissa Bedford

Spokane Public Schools Board Member, Pos. 3

Michelle Sarju

Seattle Public Schools Board Member, Dist. 5

Mohamed Abdi

Tukwila City Councilmember, Pos. 5

Mohamed Egal

SeaTac City Councilmember, Pos. 4

Naghmana Sherazi

Spokane City Council, Dist. 1 Pos. 2 candidate

Rami Al-Kabra

Bothell City Councilmember, Pos. 7

Renae Seam

Federal Way City Council, Pos. 6 candidate

Sandra Zavala-Ortega

Vancouver Public Schools Board Member

Dr. Shukri Olow

King County Council, Dist. 5 candidate

Toshiko Hasegawa

Port of Seattle Commissioner, Pos. 4

Tracy Flood

City of Bremerton, Municipal Court Judge

Vivian Song Maritz

Seattle Public Schools Board Member, Pos. 4

"Receiving donations through First Mile has been a tremendous help to my campaign and allowed me to focus my efforts on voter engagement during the last six weeks before Election Day. As a result of First Mile's support, I have been able to spend more time preparing for candidate forums, spreading awareness of my campaign, and doing whatever it takes to cross the finish line with confidence. I have also been able to contact more voters and reach out specifically to infrequent voters because of the additional donations that I've received, which will ultimately help both myself and other progressive candidates of color recruit the votes they need to win."

— Kiara Daniels, Tacoma City Councilmember

Disclaimer

First Mile's community partners develop a slate of recommended candidates for support annually by First Mile Circle members based on the information provided by candidates or otherwise made publicly available during the course of their campaigns. First Mile partners do their best due diligence to ensure candidates hold progressive values. First Mile is not responsible for and does not endorse, guarantee, or warrant any views, opinions, or actions of candidates or elected officials who have received First Mile support. First Mile may remove candidates from the site if, in our sole discretion, we find that pertinent information was withheld during the vetting process.