FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | February 5, 2020
ONE People’s Campaign’s Endorsements for the 2020 Democratic Primaries
Senator Sanders secures this first-ever presidential endorsement for his policy platform and commitment to co-governing.
ONE People’s Campaign (OPC) is pleased to endorse Bernie Sanders for President, Kim Walz for State Representative of Illinois’ 12th House District, and Ald. Andre Vasquez for Committeeman of Chicago’s 40th Ward in the 2020 Democratic Primaries. These candidates will be champions for the issues of affordable housing, police accountability, universal access to healthcare and mental health services, addressing the climate crisis, and fully and equitably funded public schools.
ONE People’s Campaign builds electoral power statewide around a progressive agenda. OPC organizes people who live on the front lines of the crises plaguing our society in Chicago and Central Illinois. Our members are united around a vision of a state and country in which all voices are heard and government serves the interests of the people and the planet, so that communities thrive and every person lives with joy and dignity.
“Bernie Sanders earned our first-ever presidential endorsement because of his bold policy platform and his decades of experience working with people’s organizations like ours to build a movement to make government serve the interests of everyday people and not big corporations and billionaires. He has the strongest plans to create a national Homes Guarantee, advance a Green New Deal and build a national universal health care system through Medicare for All. We are confident Sen. Sanders will co-govern with our movement and we will use that relationship to ensure a racial-, gender-, and LGBTQ-justice analysis are included in the policies his administration advances,” said Bryce Fields, Board President of ONE People’s Campaign.
Sonny Garcia, an OPC organizer in Bloomington added, “Sen. Sanders’ message and vision of a country that works for the people and the planet and not big corporations and polluters resonates deeply with people in Central Illinois. As a people powered organization ONE People’s Campaign will be hitting the doors and phones to encourage people across Illinois to vote for Sen. Sanders. Bernie won McLean County in 2016 and we are ready to work to make sure he wins McLean County again in 2020!”
“From fighting to expand health care for all people, to championing the interests of the working class, ONE People’s Campaign is driving progressive change across the state. We are proud to work together with this incredible organization as we build a diverse, working class movement to achieve economic, racial, social, and environmental justice for every American,” said Sen. Sanders in response to ONE People’s Campaign’s endorsement announcement.
ONE People’s Campaign engaged in a 3-month process with our members to identify which presidential candidates most closely aligned with our national 2020 People’s Platform that we helped compile through People’s Action and to identify who was most committed to co-governing with our national network and movement. OPC sent a delegation of 78 people from multiple cities in Illinois to participate in the 2020 People’s Presidential Forum in Iowa, where 5 of our members were on stage with the candidates providing testimony and asking them questions about their positions on our national platform. Political Committees in Bloomington and Chicago then engaged their broader membership to determine who should earn OPC’s first-ever presidential endorsement.
ONE People’s Campaign’s Chicago Political Committee also conducted endorsement processes in local races. “In the open primary in the 12th state house district, Kim Walz earned our endorsement because of her commitment to the issues that matter to our membership — creating a dedicated funding stream for homelessness prevention, winning the Fair Tax, closing corporate tax loopholes, tackling the affordable housing crisis and increasing state funding for mental health services. She has a wealth of experience in government and the non-profit sectors and she shows a commitment to fighting for the most vulnerable members of society based on her own family’s experience,” said Allen Wesolowski, 12th district resident and member of OPC’s Chicago Political Committee.
“We are supporting Ald. Andre Vasquez for Democratic Committeeman of the 40th Ward because of his vision to engage traditionally underrepresented communities in the Democratic Party. His commitment to develop a community-driven, democratic process that allows Democratic voters in the ward have a say in important decisions like who should fill open seats and who the Party should support for judges makes us confident in his leadership in this role,” said Erin Ryan, Board member of ONE People’s Campaign and 40th Ward Resident.
“I am honored to be endorsed by ONE People’s Campaign, as I have been inspired by their vision for a truly democratic organization that includes and uplifts the voices and perspectives of those that are most marginalized. Through our campaign for Committeeperson, we want to bring the accountability, transparency, and accountability that we have begun to bring to government to the Democratic Party. Having partners like OPC with us in this endeavor warms my heart and feet when I’m out there knocking!
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ONE People’s Campaign is committed to winning racial, gender and economic justice by dismantling systems of oppression. As people directly affected by the issues, we accomplish this through year-round community engagement, advancing progressive policies, and building governing power across Illinois. Currently we have active organizing programs in Bloomington and Chicago.
For media inquiries: Hannah Gelder, hg*****@on****************.org, 847-219-5062