125 First Mile Circle members. $421,780 donated to 22 candidates of color across 13 unique counties. 11 powerful leaders elected.

2022 was First Mile’s biggest year to date since our launch in 2019. We recruited 124 members who contributed a combined nearly $422k to 22 candidates of color across the state. Our partners table – led by OneAmerica Votes, Sage Leaders, and Washington Community Alliance Action Fund – collaborated to build a powerful slate of candidates that included some of the most contested state legislative campaigns and battleground congressional races, all the way down the ballot to county council and commissioner seats, county prosecutors and clerks, and municipal court judges. This program is not only giving candidates of color access to resources they have historically been unable to reach, but also helps to facilitate game-changing relationships – putting community-based organizations who advocate and organize with their communities across the state in collaborative relationships with the elected officials who represent those communities. We are so grateful to our community partners, all of the First Mile members who made investments in these candidates, and to every candidate who ran with integrity and an eye towards public service.

Wins included:

Flipping a U.S. Congressional seat.

• U.S. Representative-Elect Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) won by just 2,600 votes out of nearly 320,000 ballots cast in her district, illustrating the impact of grassroots, people-powered campaigning to represent working families in Southwest Washington. While First Mile has not historically participated in federal campaigns, Gluesenkamp Perez came out of the primary against a far right opponent who did not represent the best interests of the district. The Circle felt compelled to pivot to move resources directly to her campaign, and we weren’t alone - this was one of the most closely watched races in Washington and nationally. We were proud to see the community elect a working class Latina to this seat, putting Washington’s 3rd congressional district under democratic control for this first time in a decade.

Building a pipeline of leadership with continued support.

• In Pierce and Snohomish Counties, First Mile demonstrated how uplifting the natural leaders in our communities creates a pipeline for future wins with a second round of funding for candidates Sharlett Mena and Brandy Donaghy. Mena, who ran for State Representative in Tacoma’s 29th Legislative District (LD) with First Mile’s support in 2020, leveraged relationships and experience from that campaign to win her election to the seat this year. In 2021, First Mile supported Donaghy in her campaign for Snohomish County Council and while she didn’t win that race, her values-driven campaign built excitement about her leadership and she secured an appointment as State Representative in the 44th LD. This year, First Mile supported her to retain this seat.

First Mile is making a difference.

• Central to this cycle’s victories was the coalescing of resources to build competitive campaigns for progressive candidates of color that have historically been excluded from democratic processes. For city and county level candidates, First Mile Circle donations represented an average of 29% of campaign fundraising. For state level candidates, First Mile made up an average of 13% of funds.