2026 Endorsements
If you are a pro-choice, progressive, non-incumbent Democrat running for—or considering running for—your state legislature in Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, or New Jersey and would like to receive the endorsement of The First Ask please contact info@thefirstask.org.
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Michelle Schreiner is an East Cobb mom, Ph.D. psychologist, and research leader running for Georgia House District 45. She believes thoughtful leadership starts with listening, and she is running to help strengthen schools, support working families, and protect the community she calls home.
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Michelle Kang is a first-generation Korean American immigrant, mother of three daughters, and longtime Gwinnett resident who has called Georgia home for over thirty years. She has launched and managed small businesses across Georgia—including retail stores and a restaurant in Gwinnett—and built a career serving the community as a civic leader and advocate. She is currently running for Georgia House District 99, bringing experience from serving on local boards and committees, supporting immigrant families through the Asian American Resource Center, and organizing across Gwinnett to expand opportunity, safety, and belonging for everyone.
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Dr. Beth Fuller is a lifelong Georgian, public health professional, and candidate for Georgia’s House of Representatives in District 53. After abruptly losing her contract with the CDC, Beth realized she could no longer stand on the sidelines. She is running for state house to bring a strong voice for science and evidence-based policy to the Capitol.
Georgia
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Danielle is a licensed clinical social worker, and and has seen the struggles and victories of those in her community. As a passionate community advocate, Danielle wants to help people come together. She wants to do more, to be part of the solution.
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Lindsay DeFranco grew up in North Fulton, attended Centennial, and spent almost twenty years away building a career in independent media. She and her husband Phil created a worldwide independent news organization, and she also co-founded a media literacy nonprofit. They were excited to move back home when the post-COVID world made remote work possible. Returning with her children quickly changed her perspective. She began paying attention to what was happening at the Gold Dome and realized nobody was really talking to the community about what was happening—and nobody in the seat was even trying. With Jan Jones retiring after 24 years and plans to hand the seat to an inexperienced 24-year-old, Lindsay believes the district deserves someone who understands how things actually work.
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Laura Murvartian, a first generation Mexican-American immigrant, served as a corporate executive in IT and data at multiple Georgia-based companies, started a small business that contributed over $7M to Georgia’s economy, and has launched two nonprofits.
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Timoria Saba is a maternal health advocate, speaker, and policy strategist who has channeled deeply personal experience into systemic change. After a life-threatening postpartum hemorrhage in 2010, a public miscarriage in 2011, and a PTSD diagnosis, she confronted a profound lack of resources and support. This experience propelled her from a career as a professional makeup artist into a powerful force for health equity.
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Sherry Giebler is a lifelong Kansan, educator, and counselor who spent more than three decades working alongside students, families, and teachers to build stronger communities. After graduating from Fort Hays State University, she dedicated her career to public education, where she learned that trust, listening, and showing up make all the difference. She is running to bring that same commitment to the Kansas Legislature, fighting for strong public schools, accessible mental health support, and policies that put Kansas families first.
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Candace Landers is a wife, mom of two, former teacher, and proud Kansan who believes strong communities start with people who care enough to get involved. After moving to Kansas in 2000, she spent nearly 15 years teaching young children, work that shaped her belief in the importance of listening, bringing people together, and giving every family a chance to succeed. Today, she serves as Labor Liaison with United Way of the Plains, building partnerships that support working families, and has served her community as a township director and poll worker. Candace is running for the Kansas House in District 88 because she wants to put her experience to work for the people she calls neighbors, fighting for strong public schools, more affordable living, and a better future for Kansas families.
Kansas
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Amelia was born and raised in the Kansas City metro area and grew up in fairways Kansas. She had worked in politics for 16 years
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Emily Blanks is a current City Councilwoman and an Executive Director of a Chamber of Commerce, passionate about serving the community, supporting small businesses and equally working for all Kansans. Being better together creates lasting impact and meaningful change.
Michigan
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Rebecca Amidon is an adjunct professor, a mom of two young children, and was raised on a 100-acre farm. She and her husband currently live in the Manistee National Forest with their two children, where they stay closely connected to the land, rural life, and the challenges facing northern Michigan families. Her background in education and community life shapes her commitment to practical problem-solving and public service rooted in real-world experience.
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Jonna Whaley is an LGBTQ rights activist turned politician. She has a master's degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary, where she studied Liberation Theology. She is fighting to advocate for her community, which has been ignored in Lansing for too long.
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Kimberly Fisher is a lifelong Detroiter, entrepreneur, and community advocate who believes deeply in service, economic opportunity, and investing in people. She was raised in a strong union household by parents who worked hard to provide for their family, and those values shaped her commitment to fighting for working families and underserved communities. Over the years, she has dedicated her work to community engagement, small business development, environmental justice, and creating opportunities in neighborhoods that are often overlooked and underfunded. She has worked alongside residents, community organizations, local leaders, and grassroots advocates to address issues impacting everyday people, from economic inequities and public health concerns to neighborhood investment and civic engagement. Her experiences as both a business owner and community leader have given her firsthand insight into the challenges families face and the importance of accessible, responsive leadership that is grounded in the community. She is running for State Representative because she believes the people of the 11th House District deserve leadership that understands their struggles firsthand and is ready to fight for real opportunities, stronger neighborhoods, and a better quality of life for families across Detroit and Warren.
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Kate Gallup started teaching to help the next generation, and went to school for engineering to be a problem solver. Kate is also an artist, small business owner and a community organizer. Kate worked on the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics ballot initiative because she knows that the needs of everyday people should speak louder than corporations. She enjoys learning and will pitch in to help, whenever and wherever.
North Carolina
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Evonne Hopkins is a mother, business owner, and proud North Carolinian. Watching her parents achieve the American dream taught her early that perseverance and integrity matter. She believes that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible. Today, Evonne is a Board Certified Family Law Specialist with a JD/MBA and the owner and operator of the Raleigh Law Center. She and her husband, Joe, live in North Raleigh with their two children.
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Patricia Smith is a resident of Williamston, NC. She is a mother, minister, accountant, and small business owner. She is running to give the people loyal, accountable, and transparent representation.
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Amy Taylor North is the daughter of a union welder and veteran, the mom of two young men, a small business owner, and a longtime advocate for public education and equity. She serves on the PTA and Chamber of Commerce and spent more than a decade as senior managing editor of a national healthcare magazine. After years working to elect women candidates, she ran for the NC House in 2024 and built one of the most competitive races the district has seen in decades, earning nearly half the vote in a historically Republican seat. In 2025, she founded The Pink Directory, a resource connecting and supporting local women-owned microbusinesses. She also loves historic homes, scuba diving, and her rescue dog, Sunshine.
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Veleria M Levy is a healthcare advocate, nonprofit leader, and health equity consultant with over 20 years of experience advancing access to care, Medicaid, and HIV care and prevention across North and South Carolina. She is the founder of HerHealth Consulting LLC, focused on health equity and closing healthcare gaps for Black and Brown women. She is running for NC House District 99 to bring people-centered, accountable leadership that prioritizes affordability, dignity, and community well-being over corporate interests.
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Lynne Russo is a Western North Carolina small-business owner and community advocate focused on Hurricane Helene recovery, resilience, and affordability. She’s running for the NC House in District 117 to ensure mountain and rural communities have a strong, practical voice in Raleigh.
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Jessica Bichler is a small business owner and mom. She has an undergrad degree in communications and a master’s in anthropology. New Hanover County has been Jessica’s home for the last 15 years.
Pennsylvania
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Hadley Beck Haas is a parent and community advocate with 20+ years of marketing and communications experience. Her young adult sons were both born deaf, and her advocacy began by working for other families of children with hearing loss. Her time as a leader with Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America led her to politics and the realization that across many issues, her district deserves better leadership in Harrisburg.
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Jen Mazzocco has been an English teacher at Allderdice High School in the city of Pittsburgh for 15 years, a leader in her union, the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers, and has been elected to three terms as a council member in the Borough of Dormont. She is also a board member of the Dormont Community Development Corporation, where she served as a key organizer for Dormont Pride in the Park and Co-Chair of the Dormont Free Pantry.
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Eileen Hartnett Albillar volunteered for Planned Parenthood Arizona in the 2000s, where she became involved in public policy, political, and advocacy work. Through that organization, she became familiar with Emerge Arizona and completed its election training program in 2007. She managed a school board campaign in Arizona and volunteered with the local Democratic Committee in Tempe. In Pennsylvania, she has volunteered for numerous Democratic elected officials, and in 2015 joined the newly formed Board of Directors for Emerge Pennsylvania. As a social worker in Arizona and Pennsylvania, she was proud to work in Community Action, addressing the local causes of poverty. At the Bucks County Opportunity Council, she worked directly with families, volunteers, and donors, helping families struggling with poverty build better lives for themselves.
Texas
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Montserrat Garibay is a former bilingual pre-K teacher, labor leader, DREAMer, and fighter with a 25-year history of standing up for Austin’s values. She came from Mexico as a little girl with her mother and sister, undocumented but full of hope. Her mother worked three jobs and taught her that education was the one thing no one could ever take away. She graduated from Anderson High School, completed her basics at Austin Community College, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from the University of Texas at Austin. As a pre-K teacher in Austin ISD, she saw firsthand how policy shapes children’s lives. She organized through her union when the Legislature cut funding for full-day pre-K, helping secure replacement funding from the Austin ISD School Board. She later became Vice President of Education Austin, organizing for smaller class sizes, better pay, and respect for educators, and went on to become the first Latina elected as Secretary-Treasurer of the Texas AFL-CIO. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, she served at the U.S. Department of Education, working to expand opportunities for millions of students and secure student loan forgiveness for one million public servants. She has spent her life fighting as a teacher, union leader, and public servant and is ready to take that fight to the Texas Capitol.
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Staci Childs is a Houston-based attorney, former Teacher of the Year, and an elected member of the Texas State Board of Education. She leads with policy precision and cultural fluency and has a proven record of delivering results, including securing millions in targeted funding for students and protecting inclusive, honest history in Texas classrooms. Grounded in community and guided by faith, she brings a rare blend of legislative impact, legal expertise, and creative leadership to the work of governing. She loves her husband, Isaiah, and her fur-son Boseman, very much as they give her the best hugs and the best advice!
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Pooja Sethi is a mom, immigration attorney, and longtime public servant who has served as chief of staff for this district and as a past Texas Democratic Party chair. She has seen firsthand how policy decisions affect families, and she is running to deliver practical, people-first solutions starting day one.
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Stefanie Bord is a regular person who wants to see Texas change for the better in the future. She was a high school science teacher and attended public schools, but has been homeschooling her two children since 2020. She has been a Type 1 diabetic since childhood and has witnessed the cost of chronic, pre-existing conditions. She has worked in environmental consulting and has a scientific background. She has volunteered as a precinct chair and talked to local voters about what they think is important. She has been a member of Moms Demand Action since the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde and has worked to make Texas safer from gun violence since then. She has also volunteered as editor for her local neighborhood magazine and has deep experience being part of her community.
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Brittany Black is a senior software engineer with nearly 20 years of experience building large-scale systems for every industry, including state and federal government for the Department of Defense, NASA, and the State Department. She holds a Master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction with an AI specialization and owns two small businesses. A McKinney homeowner, she is running for Texas House District 61 because the people of Collin County deserve a representative who brings real accountability, practical solutions, and zero conflicts of interest to Austin.
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Amy Martinez Salas is a mother, leader, and fighter. She is running to bring her frontline healthcare grit to Austin, ensuring the government finally prioritizes the water, schools, and dignity of working families over special interests.
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Katie O'Brien Duzan is a tenacious business leader, mom, and community advocate. She grew up in Arlington, attended public schools there from K-12, and is now raising her children in public schools.
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Kristian Kelly Renee Carranza is a 35-year-old native of San Antonio’s Southside. She began a career in community organizing almost 15 years ago as a way to uplift the voices of working people after leaving Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to help support her mom through healthcare challenges. Since then, she has registered 10,000 voters in Texas, helped neighbors sign up for discounted insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, managed staff and multi-million dollar budgets, and made it from McCollum High School to Washington, DC and the White House. She is completing her bachelor’s degree this summer through a program designed for older, returning students because she believes it’s never too late to go back to school. She is running for the State House in the community that raised her because she wants to create opportunities to get ahead and financial relief for working and middle-class families. If elected, she will be the first woman to represent State House District 118.
Special Elections
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Sonia Vasquez Luna envisions a Manassas where every resident regardless of neighborhood can be represented and heard in Richmond. She believes in shared decisions and collective progress.
2026 Primary Endorsements
While these candidates are not on the general election ballot, we are incredibly proud of the work that these women did!
Teresa Lin GA HD-49
Eboni Taylor MI SD-03
Cassie Lyles KY HD-30
Amanda Treppa MI SD-10
Joi McAtee KY HD-43
Gigs Hodges TX HD-49