Color Of Change PAC Releases its Full Slate of Endorsements Ahead of the November Election

Through its Campaign to Elect Progressive Candidates Up and Down the Ballot, Color Of Change PAC has Endorsed 37 candidates and eight propositions in the 2020 General Election

New York, NY — Today, Color Of Change PAC announced its endorsement of six additional candidates ahead of the November elections. The candidates are Sen. Gary Peters for reelection in Michigan, Jon Ossoff for U.S. Senate representing Georgia, Alan Cohn for Florida’s 15th Congressional District, Rep. Debbie Muscarcel-Powell for reelection in Florida’s 26th Congressional District, Rep. Donna Shalala for reelection in Florida’s 27th Congressional District and Rep. Steven Horsford for reelection in Nevada’s Fourth Congressional District. Color Of Change PAC has also issued recommendations on proposed amendments in California and Florida.

This year, during the primaries, Color Of Change PAC endorsed candidates Kim Foxx, Kim Gardner, Monique Worrell, George Gascón, and Karen McDonald. Each won their primaries and will be up for election in November. To see a full list of Color Of Change PAC-endorsed candidates, see here.

Color Of Change PAC has endorsed strong progressive candidates up and down the ballot who have put forth proposals to address challenges facing Black communities. These candidates share the PAC’s values and have made clear they will pursue policies that will make real, demonstrable improvements for Black lives.

“This year, Black Americans have suffered the health and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately while seeing their government enable a culture of racism, violence and systemic oppression,” said Arisha Hatch, Executive Director of Color Of Change PAC. “Black people across the country need leaders who care about their well-being, and we are confident that, if elected, each of the 37 Color Of Change PAC-endorsed candidates will implement policies that protect and empower them.”

Color Of Change PAC is endorsing:

Sen. Gary Peters is running for reelection in Michigan. Peters is a strong advocate for civil rights – working to help restore a vital part of the Voting Rights Act the Supreme Court has struck down. After John Lewis’ passing, he and Sen. Stabenow reintroduced the Voting Rights Advancement Act to rename it after Lewis and strengthen voter protections.

Jon Ossoff is running to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate. Ossoff is running to enact major criminal justice reform by championing a New Civil Rights Act and work to reverse the militarization of local police forces, enhance due process and human rights protections for all citizens, ban private prisons, end cash bail, reform prisons and raise conditions of incarceration to humane standards, abolish the death penalty, legalize cannabis and end incarceration for nonviolent drug offenses.

Alan Cohn is running for Florida’s 15th Congressional District on a robust racial justice platform. The platform includes priorities on criminal justice, such as banning private prisons, education, such as dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline, and voting rights, including taking steps to close the racial wealth gap.

Rep. Debbie Muscarcel-Powell is running for reelection in Florida’s 26th Congressional District. Rep. Muscarcel-Powell is a fierce advocate for voting rights and voter education, recently releasing a toolkit to help her constituents navigate voting amid COVID-19.

Rep. Donna Shalala is running for reelection in Florida’s 27th Congressional District. Rep. Shalala fights for increased funding for education, co-sponsoring H.R. 58, which supports raising teacher pay, and H.R. 865, the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, which will invest $100 billion in public education.

Rep. Steven Horsford is running for reelection in Nevada’s Fourth Congressional District. Rep. Horsford advocates for economic equality, most recently through his push to drive emergency relief to foster youth, support funding for small business and call for a robust COVID-19 relief plan.

Color Of Change PAC is also issuing stances on ballot amendments in California and Florida:

California
Yes on Measure J (in L.A. County): Measure J will begin to address generations of racial inequity by investing in our community. Measure J will allocate 10% of L.A. County’s local, unrestricted revenues toward alternatives to incarceration & community investment— including affordable housing, youth development programs, community counseling, mental health services, small businesses and job creation.

Yes on Proposition 16: California is one of 9 states that ban affirmative action as a tool to fight discrimination. Prop 16 is our chance to expand opportunity for all. Prop. 16 will allow public universities and government agencies to consider race and gender when admitting students, recruiting faculty and hiring staff. Without affirmative action, small businesses in California owned by women and people of color lose out to bigger, wealthier companies for government contracts. Proposition 16 will give women and people of color a fair shot to succeed.

Yes on Proposition 17: Voting is a right that should not be taken away for political games. Proposition 17 allows people who are still on parole for felony convictions to vote. This amendment would affect roughly 55k people with felony convictions currently on parole and make California the 19th state to no longer disenfranchise anyone who is not incarcerated.

No on Proposition 24: This proposition would weaken the California Consumer Privacy Act recently passed. We need to make sure that companies cannot punish consumers choosing privacy with worse service. Black people in California deserve privacy protections without having to pay extra for them.

Florida

No on Amendment 1: Amendment 1 will open the door for future measures that could endanger every citizen’s right to vote. The group bankrolling the multi-million dollar campaign on this initiative hasn’t reported where it got its money.

Yes on Amendment 2: The cost of living has increased, but wages haven’t. Amendment 2 would increase Florida’s minimum wage to $10/hour in 2021 and increase the minimum wage annually by $1 until it reaches $15/hour by 2026, resulting in a 75 percent increase of minimum wage over the next six years.

No on Amendment 3: Amendment 3 would negatively affect Black voters by limiting the power of their vote and their representation in the House and Senate. This Amendment would establish a top-two primary system in Florida, where all candidates would be on the same primary ballot regardless of party. Only the top two candidates would advance to the general election, which could lead voters in the general election unable to vote from candidates in their own party.

No on Amendment 4: When lawmakers fail to pass laws that reflect our values, we vote on the changes we want to see. Amendment 4 would make voter-approved changes to the constitution invalid unless the amendment is passed a second time in the next election.

Color Of Change PAC’s goal to shift how the public views prosecutors and how prosecutors do their jobs is more salient today than ever before. Many of the barriers to racial justice in this country, particularly those who hold power, are more evident now than ever. Prosecutors are mostly white and male, and nearly 85 percent run for DA positions completely unopposed. With these endorsements, Color Of Change PAC continues its tradition of endorsing district attorney candidates offering plans to help move Black people forward.

Color Of Change PAC, one of the nation’s largest Black-led racial justice organizations, plans to support these candidates by building enthusiasm and mobilizing voters who are often left out. The organization leads an education campaign that informs voters about the link between criminal justice reform and voting. One of the first-ever political organizing groups to figure out how to reach and engage its members online, Color Of Change PAC has ramped up its digital tactics, including digital ads, virtual phone banking and town halls, in response to the limitations COVID-19 has put on in-person advocacy and voter engagement.

Color Of Change PAC draws the link between voter turnout in district attorney races and real change in Black communities. The PAC seeks to endorse candidates that support the criminal justice demands bringing about essential reforms; these include ending money bail, reducing collateral consequences for immigrant defendants, protecting kids within the juvenile justice system, holding police accountable and being more transparent with the public.

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Color Of Change PAC is a Political Action Committee focused on building independent Black political power, amplifying Black voices, electing candidates who share our values, and holding them accountable to our communities. For more information on Color Of Change PAC, visit votingwhileblack.com.

Paid Pol. Adv. paid for by ColorOfChange PAC,
1714 Franklin St., Oakland, CA 94612, independently of and not authorized by any federal, state, or local candidate or candidate’s committee.