SOMA Action Announces 2020 General Election Endorsements
After careful deliberations by our Endorsements Committee and a vote of our Sustaining Members, SOMA Action has endorsed a slate of candidates in the 2020 General Election. Our Sustaining Members - people who have contributed $20 or more to SOMA Action in the past year and thus qualify to vote on key decisions such as endorsements - voted overwhelmingly (97% in favor, 3% opposed) to endorse this proposed slate of candidates:
President: Joe Biden
Senate: Mark Kelly (Arizona), Sara Gideon (Maine), Cal Cunningham (North Carolina)
House: Amy Kennedy (NJ CD-2), Andy Kim (NJ CD-3), Tom Malinowski, (NJ CD7)
SOMA Action will be mobilizing volunteers to support each of these candidates through a variety of efforts from now through November 3, starting with our "Vanquish the Villains" Campaign, aimed at defeating GOP Senators Susan Collins, Martha McSally and Thom Tillis, which kicks off on Sunday August 9th at 4 PM on Zoom.
We picked Senate races which are winnable and in which our efforts can make a difference. We need to flip four seats to take the Senate and wield its critical power over judicial appointments.
We selected three closely-contested House races so that our efforts can make the difference. While other representatives are worthy of support, we will focus on races where we can have the biggest impact:
Amy Kennedy ran in the primary as an anti-machine candidate and is running against Jeff Van Drew, who was elected in 2018 as a Democrat but then showed his true colors by switching to the Republican Party. Kennedy’s win would be a big step forward in strengthening progressive politics in NJ and in the House.
Andy Kim takes no corporate PAC money and is fighting for a effective response to the pandemic and to lower prescription drug costs.
Tom Malinowski won a very tight election in 2018 and faces an opponent with a powerful name in NJ politics—Tom Keane, Jr. Tom Malinowski has fought to protect the environment, health care and gun safety. Andy Kim’s 2018 victory was also razor thin, secured by late-arriving mail ballots.