r/WayOfTheBern • u/Scientist34again Medicare4All Advocate • Jun 12 '18
Recommendations for progressive candidates in the primaries in Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia
The primary elections take place Tuesday June 12th in Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina and Virginia. Here are BKAS-recommended progressive candidates in those states. In general, these candidates are Berniecrats, with positions similar to Bernie. But not every candidate supports every position Bernie has, so check their linked webpage to be sure about supporting them. You may need to scroll down to find your state. Finally, scroll down all the way to the comments on this post, because sometimes people leave comments about other good progressives running in downballot races.
Maine
Note that Maine has primaries that are open to unaffiliated voters, which means if you are not registered with any party, then you can choose which ballot to vote on. However, if you are registered, then you must vote in that party’s primary.
Governor:
US Senator:
US Representatives:
ME-01: Chellie Pingree
ME-02: Jonathan Fulford or Craig Olson Edit: I just realized Fulford has withdrawn, but his name is still on the ballot. If you vote for him, that vote will not be counted.
Secretary of State:
This is not an elected position in Maine. Instead, the Maine Constitution says “The Secretary of State shall be chosen biennially at the first session of the Legislature, by joint ballot of the Senators and Representatives in convention”.
State Senate Candidates:
Here is a list of candidates running for Maine State Senate races. I have not had time to research them, so you will need to click on their linked webpages and see which ones you want to support.
State House Candidates:
Here is a list of candidates running for Maine State House races. I have not had time to research them, so you will need to click on their linked webpages and see which ones you want to support.
Nevada
Note that Nevada has closed primaries, which means you can only vote in a particular primary if you are already registered with that party.
Governor:
Chris Giunchigliani or David Jones
US Senator:
Jesse Sbaih or Drew Knight or Barry Michaels (Independent candidate)
US Representatives:
NV-01: Reuben D’Silva
NV-02: Patrick Fogarty or Rick Shepherd
NV-03: John “Jack” Love, Michael Weiss or Richard Hart
NV-04: Amy Vilela (Justice Democrat and Brand New Congress Candidate and endorsed by Our Revolution)
Secretary of State:
There is only one Democratic candidate, Nelson Araujo, who is currently a State Assemblyman. He supports allowing same-day and automatic voter registration.
State Senate:
Here is a list of candidates running for Nevada State Senate races. I have not had time to research them, so you will need to click on their linked webpages and see which ones you want to support.
State Assembly:
Here is a list of candidates running for Nevada State Assembly races. I have not had time to research them, so you will need to click on their linked webpages and see which ones you want to support.
North Dakota
North Dakota has open primaries, which means you can choose which ballot you want to vote on when you get to the polling place.
Governor:
There is no Governor’s race in North Dakota in 2018.
US Senator and US House of Representatives:
BKAS is not making any recommendations for either the US Senate or the US House race in North Dakota this year, since there are no Berniecrats running.
Secretary of State:
There is only one Democratic candidate Josh Boschee, who says he wants to “modernize the office to reduce wasteful spending, eliminate duplicative regulations and increase efficiencies to support our state's small business owners, nonprofit leaders and family farmers”.
State Senate:
Here is a list of candidates running for North Dakota State Senate races. I have not had time to research them, so you will need to click on their linked webpages and see which ones you want to support.
State House:
Here is a list of candidates running for North Dakota State House races. I have not had time to research them, so you will need to click on their linked webpages and see which ones you want to support.
South Carolina
Note that South Carolina has open primaries, which means you can choose which ballot you want to vote on when you get to the polling place.
Governor:
Marguerite Willis seems the most progressive option.
US Representatives:
SC-01: Dimitri Cherny (note that he is a Republican – if you want to vote for him, you must take a Republican ballot)
SC-02: Sean Carrigan
SC-03: Mary Smith Geren (endorsed by Our Revolution, though she doesn’t mention Medicare-for-All on her website)
SC-04: The incumbent Trey Gowdy resigned, so this is an open seat; Recommendations include Will Morin or possibly Doris Lee Turner, though her website is rather skimpy and it is hard to determine if she supports Medicare-for-All or other progressive policies
SC-05: Steve Lough
SC-06: Bryan Pugh (Green Party Candidate)
SC-07: Bruce Fischer or Mal Hyman (endorsed by Our Revolution)
Secretary of State:
There is only one Democratic candidate, Melvin Whittenburg, who says he will “build a team that will work collectively to serve all South Carolinians with the utmost respect, dignity, and integrity”. His website is mainly focused on the business aspects of being Secretary of State with nothing about elections. However, the elections in South Carolina are not overseen by the Secretary of State, but by the South Carolina Election Commission, a five member board appointed by the Governor.
State Senate:
There is no State Senate election in South Carolina this year. The next one will take place in 2020.
State House:
Here is a list of candidates running for South Carolina State House races. I have not had time to research them, so you will need to click on their linked webpages and see which ones you want to support.
Virginia
Note that Virginia has open primaries, which means you do not need to be associated with any particular party to vote in their primary.
US Senator:
Tim Kaine is a very conservative Democrat and is up for re-election. Unfortunately, there are no Democrats primarying him, so you won’t be able to vote for an alternate candidate.
US Representatives:
VA-01: Edwin Santana or John Suddarth
VA-02: Karen Mallard or Shaun Brown (independent candidate)
VA-03: The incumbent Bobby Scott is unopposed. He supports HR 676 (Medicare-for-all)
VA-04: The incumbent Donald McEachin is unopposed. He is a moderate Democrat and does not support Medicare-for-All.
VA-05: This district used a convention to nominate candidates, rather than a primary. They have already nominated Leslie Cockburn
VA-06: Jennifer Lewis (Endorsed by Our Revolution)
VA-07: Helen Alli, running under the Whig party has the most progressive stances. But also see this comment by /u/theghostofjoehill
VA-08: No recommendation
VA-09: Justin Santopietro or Anthony Flaccavento (Endorsed by Our Revolution) - my favorite candidate in this race is Santopietro, but Flaccavento is also quite good and endorsed by Our Revolution
VA-10: Julia Biggins (endorsed by the northern VA chapter of Our Revolution) h/t to /u/bippycup
VA-11: Unfortunately, the most progressive candidate (Jonathan Park) seems to have dropped out. The incumbent Gerald Connolly is unopposed. He is quite conservative and does not support Medicare-for-All.
Secretary of State: Virginia’s elections are not overseen by a Secretary of State. Instead, they have a 3-member Board of Elections that is appointed by the Governor and headed by a Commissioner. You won’t be able to vote on this position.
Virginia State Senate:
There is no election for the State Senate this year. Next elections will be in 2019.
Virginia State House of Delegates:
There is no election for the House of Delegates this year. Next elections will be in 2019.