More than One Hundred Twenty-Five Newly Elected Volunteers Join Growing Ranks of Moms Demand Action Volunteers Elected to Office Since Its Founding in 2012, Part of 275+ Volunteers who Ran for Office This Cycle
Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers Made Over Six Million Voter Contacts to Support Gun Sense Candidates Across the Country
SPRINGFIELD – So far, sixteen Illinois Moms Demand Action volunteers running for office up and down the ballot won in this week’s elections, highlighting the political power of Moms Demand Action volunteers as candidates for office themselves. These include Nabeela Syed, a Muslim, Indian American woman who flipped a GOP-held district and will be the youngest member of the Illinois General Assembly, and the re-election of State Representative Maura Hirschauer, who has been a champion for gun safety in the Illinois General Assembly since she was first elected.
“Illinois Moms Demand Action volunteers helped secure major victories for gun sense this election, including the election of sixteen of our own volunteers,” said Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action. “This success will be critical in building on the gun safety progress we’ve made in Illinois and we’re eager to get to work supporting life saving policies.”
“After helping countless gun sense candidates win their races, these Illinois volunteers took matters into their own hands and made the leap to elected office,” said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. “These gun sense champions can count on Everytown’s full support as they push for lifesaving laws in Springfield, just as we’ve counted on their support to build a nationwide movement that is only growing stronger.”
“The election of sixteen Moms Demand Action volunteers in Illinois sends a clear message: gun safety is a winning issue in Illinois, and our Moms Demand Action army still gets things done,” said Rhiannon Jimenez, a volunteer with the Illinois chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We are ecstatic to stand alongside fellow volunteers as they take their advocacy to elected office. We look forward to working hand in hand with them in their roles in elected office to end gun violence in our state.”
Everytown-endorsed Moms Demand Action volunteers who won their races Tuesday include:
- Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz – State Representative, IL-HD-017
- Maura Hirschauer – State Representative, IL-HD-049
- Nabeela Syed – State Representative, IL-HD-051
- Mary Beth Canty – State Representative, IL-HD-054
- Jonathan Carroll – State Representative, IL-HD-057
- Bob Morgan – State Representative, IL-HD-058
- Joyce Mason – State Representative, IL-HD-061
- Laura Dias – State Representative, IL-HD-062
- Anne Stava-Murray – State Representative, IL-HD-081
- Suzy Glowiak – State Senator, IL-SD-023
- Yeena Yoo – County Council, DuPage County Board Member, District 2
- Sara Knizhnik – County Board, Lake County Board – District 18
- Jessica Vealitzek – County Board, Lake County Board District 10
- Jenny Lokshin – County Board, Champaign County Board District 4
- Elly Hanauer-Friedman – County Board, Champaign County Board District 4
- John Idleburg – Sheriff, Lake County Sheriff
These victories pave the way for the passage of common sense gun safety policies that will help keep Illinois communities safe from gun violence. With votes still being counted in many places, more than 100 Moms Demand Action volunteers from across the country won election for office up and down the ballot in this week’s midterm elections.
Last year, Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund launched “Demand a Seat,” a program to train grassroots volunteers and gun violence survivors to take the next step in their advocacy efforts by running for office and working on campaigns to elect gun sense candidates. The program invested $3 million in educational training and mentorship opportunities for grassroots volunteers considering campaigns at the local, state, and federal levels. More information on Demand a Seat can be found here.
Since 2017, hundreds of Moms Demand Action volunteer leaders have run for elected office and dozens have won seats – from town council and school board to U.S. Congress.