CHERYL WADE HAZLIK (President) and KIMBERLY SMITH (Vice President) of the State Line Abortion Access Partners, a collective of local activists fighting to protect reproductive rights in Appalachia and beyond, discussed how the local community is fighting a zoning ordinance brought in from outside forces to close the local abortion clinic.

REV. LAURA M. GEORGE, Executive Director of The Oracle Institute, discussed a different type of ordinance brought to Grayson County from outside sources that is based on the 1875 Comstock Act. Rev. George explained how this ordinance is purposely being tested in a Blue area to get to the Supreme Court.

JADE HARRIS (Candidate for Senate District 3), EMILY SCOTT (Candidate for Senate District 1) and JENNIFER WOOFTER (Candidate for House of Delegates District 52) spoke about how they are addressing women's reproductive rights on their campaigns.

LUISA BOYARSKI (Director, Virginia Grassroots Coalition) gave a grassroots update of the 2023 election.

NANCY ZDUNKEWICZ (Pollster & Founder of Z to A Research) is leading the next generation of Democratic pollsters and strategists. Nancy shared her 8 lessons learned for activists and candidates to win BIG in 2023.

ROBBIN WARNER (Co-founder, Postcards4VA) spoke about the many postcard writing campaigns active through Postcards4VA right now for supporting local, Delegate and Senate candidates.

ANDREA MILLER (President, National Women's Political Caucus of Virginia (NWPC-VA)) talked about their partnership with Postcards4VA writing postcards to women voters about women candidates.

SUSAN LABANDIBAR (Co-Leader, Swing Blue Alliance) announced a major postcard study being conducted in Virginia to measure whether postcards increase rural voter participation and help rural candidates get more votes. Watch Segment -

SAM SHIRAZI (Social media political pundit) gave an election 2023 update on candidates, districts and Republican distractions. Watch Segment -

PUJA KHANNA, running for Dulles Supervisor, was the candidate spotlight.

GUESTS (in order of appearance):

STACEY STEVENSON (CEO, Family Equality) addressed the current state of affairs for LGBTQ+ families and actions we can take to support this community. She also invited everyone to join Family Equality on August 26th in Washington DC at the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington where Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream '' speech. The march will bring together marginalized groups and all who support them in fighting hate crimes, hate speech, and antisemitism.

NATALIE PIEN (Piedmont Environmental Council and Chesapeake Climate Action Network), JULIE BOLTHOUSE (Piedmont Environmental Council) and ANN BENNETT (Sierra Club Great Falls Group) explained how Virginia hosts the greatest concentration of data centers in the world (Data Center Alley in Loudoun County) and is currently experiencing a deluge of data center applications. They explained how this necessary industry needs reform because it has significant negative impacts on the environment, land use, economy, and energy supply. And finally, what we can do to address the data center problem.

GENE ROSSI, attorney and legal pundit, gave a passionate and fascinating take on Trump’s pending legal cases

The theme of the August 4, 2023 Friday Power Lunch was "GET UP. SPEAK UP. ACT UP! We learned this expression from Delegate Cia Price who challenged us at the Network NOVA Women's Summit to take our activism to the next level and "Get Up. Speak Up. ACT UP."

GUESTS (in order of appearance):

LOUISA BOYARSKI (Leader of the Virginia Grassroots Coalition) spoke about the grassroots strategy of identifying and supporting Power Packs (state and local candidates in overlapping areas collaborating and campaigning together) for this election.

LAUREN BURKE (Founder of Black Virginia News) spoke on the upcoming election focusing on the profile of the candidates running and how the election is being presented in the local and national press.

TAMMARRAH ADDISON (Poet ) recited her new poem that she premiered at the Women's Summit: "We are Democrats."

KELSEY LAWRENCE (Save Samuels) spoke about the efforts they are taking to protect their local library in response to recent book bans and related budget hijacking. She shared her Summit story of coming to the event feeling alone in their fight and leaving knowing she belonged to a dynamic community of activists who have her back.

SHANNON TAYLOR (Henrico's Commonwealth's Attorney) explained what is going on with reproductive rights and prosecution in Virginia and around the nation.

ELLIE SMEAL (Co-Founder and President of the Feminist Majority Foundation and former President of the National Organization for Women (NOW)) spoke about the attack on women’s rights here and in Afghanistan.

PENNY BLUE (Virginia Program Director, Red, Wine & Blue) explained how Red, Wine & Blue’s new Virginia chapter is making good trouble by organizing suburban women to fight back on the attacks on school boards and efforts to ban books.

VIRGINIA DIAMOND (President, Northern Virginia Labor Federation, AFL-CIO) discussed how labor rights and forming unions are on the rise in Virginia from Starbucks workers to service workers.

DELEGATE DAN HELMER (Vice Chair for Outreach, House Democratic Caucus) spoke about how the House and Senate Caucuses are coordinating to take back the majority and hold the Youngkin administration accountable.

KENDL KOBBERVIG (Advocacy and Communications Director, Clean Virginia) discussed how we fight corruption in Virginia politics to promote clean energy, fairer electric bills, and a lower cost of living for every Virginian.

As a treat, we invited members of the Women’s Summit team to talk about some of the exciting features of the 7th annual Women’s Summit.:

FINALE NORTON previewed the 35 workshops.

MICHELLE MCKINNEY gave an overview of the postcard room's activities.

DIANE WEEKS walked us through the Advocacy Fair.

LISSA SAVAGLIO gave an overview of the candidate room sessions and the big Saturday night Candidate Power Jam.

RENISE LERESCHE covered the food and fun.

STAIR CALHOUN announced her early Saturday morning “Sit & Stretch.”

LUISA BOYARSKI (Director, Virginia Grassroots Coalition) gave her always informative grassroots update.

ANDREA MILLER, President of the National Women’s Political Caucus of Virginia, spoke about the power of electing women.

SENATOR LOUISE LUCAS told us how she built and continues to expand the Senate’s blue brick wall. She is packing a punch if anyone tries to stand in the way of protecting women’s rights.

Equality Loudoun President, CRIS CANDICE TUCK (she/him) and Inclusion Director, LEIGH GUARINELLO (she/her) discussed how we stay strong and united to protect and support the assault on the LGBTQ+ community.

CORDELIA GAFFAR, known as the “ultimate joy goddess,” shared how we can take care of ourselves and find joy while fighting to save Democracy.

MANISHA SINGH, Chair, Virginia's 11th Congressional District Democrats, is coordinating the big “Rhythm of Democracy Celebration” Saturday night at the Women’s Summit. She gave a preview of what we can expect in terms of music, poetry performances, and more.

LAURA STOKES
Campaign Manager for Saddam Salim's recent big primary win in SD37
Laura explained how she put together a winning strategy by building on grassroots power and community organizing. Watch her segment

SENATE CANDIDATES
Sen Creigh Deeds (SD 25)
Sen Dave Marsden (SD 35)
Stella Pekarsky (SD 36)
Russet Perry (SD 31)
Saddam Salim (SD 37)
Suhas Subramanyam (SD 32)
Trish White-Boyd (SD 4)
Angelia Williams Graves (SD 21)

DELEGATE CANDIDATES - Group 1
Bonita Anthony (HD 92)
Nadarius Clark (HD 84)
Amy Laufer (HD 55)
Adele McClure (HD 2)

DELEGATE CANDIDATES - Group 2
Susanna Gibson (HD 57)
Rozia Henson (HD 19)
Karen Keys-Gamarra (HD 7)
Kannan Srinivasan (HD 26)

COMMONWEALTH'S ATTORNEYS
Buta Biberaj (Loudoun County)
Parisa Dehghani-Tafti (Arlington County and the City of Falls Church)

LASHRECSE AIRD, Candidate for State Senate District 13, won handily in Tuesday Democractic primary (6/20/2023) against incumbent Senator Joe Morrissey. Morrissey is one of the few anti-abortion Democrats still serving in Virginia. Aird ran as an unapologetically 100% supporter of abortion rights. She joined us to talk about her win in Tuesday’s primary (June 20, 2023) and on this one-year marking of Roe V Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court.

DAVID PEPPER, best-selling author, former local elected official, and former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, spoke about his new book, Saving Democracy: A User Manual for Every American. David’s 2021 book, Laboratories of Autocracy, was hailed by the Wall Street Journal as “one of the most important books on democracy in American politics.” His new book is a how-to manual for recognizing and acting on the threats to Democracy in your own backyard.

RIKI CONREY, Science Director, Harmony Labs, spoke about their work using science, data, and creativity to research and reshape our relationship with media. Riki explained how they use media data to understand how and where democratic values reach people. In short, Harmony Labs helps us understand how to relate better to different audiences through the stories we tell to produce real change.

TIM CYWINSKI (Communications Director) and PAIGE WESSELINK (Digital Outreach Coordinator) from the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter discussed their strategy for making climate issues understandable, relatable, and actionable.

VANESSA BORG (Loudoun Organizer, Freedom Virginia) and JENAYA MOORE (Richmond Organizer, Freedom Virginia) shared how they use personal stories about affordable housing and healthcare to educate legislators and voters.

ROSE FABIA, a local canvassing treasure and member of We of Action, shared her incredible canvassing stories. Rose demonstrated how talking to voters is a gift she gives herself and voters.

JESSICA CRAVEN, TikTok influencer, explained how she short TikTok videos as a training tool to message about important topics.

JENNIFER CARROLL FOY (Former Delegate and candidate for Senate in SD33) was one of first women to graduate from Virginia Military Institute (VMI). Jennifer gave an alumna’s perspective of the resignation of VMI’s chief diversity officer, a role created in 2021 after a scathing report documented cases of sexual assault and racism at the nation’s oldest state-supported military college.

HAN JONES (Political Director) and JAMIE LOCKHART (Executive Director) Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia provided update on the current state of abortion access in Virginia and how we are helping our sisters in the South.

KANNAN SRINIVASAN, Chair of the Virginia State Medicaid spoke about what this means for Virginians' access to Medicaid.

KATE SLAYTON (Executive Director, Virginia21) talked about their work empowering college students and young Virginians to be engaged citizens. She gave an insider view of issues young people care about and Virginia21’s work registering new voters.

ANDREA BAILEY (Prince William County Supervisor) spoke about the new Crisis Receiving Center she helped bring to her county which increases local service and provides access and capacity for those experiencing acute behavioral health care needs.

The June 2, 2023 Friday Power Lunch, MAKING HISTORY DIFFERENTLY, focused on stories of change makers who forged their own paths and made their marks in history.

GUESTS (in order of appearance):

REBECCA BOGGS ROBERTS writes history books about the work of strong women. Her latest book, "Untold Power: The Fascinating Rise and Complex Legacy of First Lady Edith Wilson," spotlights a relatively unknown First Lady who wielded tremendous power in her husband’s administration. Rebecca’s other books have focused on suffragists, including "Suffragists in Washington, DC: The 1913 Parade and the Fight for the Vote." We spoke to Rebecca about the challenges of writing women's history.

LAUREN BURKE, journalist, podcaster and founder of "Black Virginia News" joined the conversation by sharing how contemporary women, like their sisters before them, have had to work twice as hard as men to get their rightful place in history.

Our guests have something in common beyond writing about badass women. They are both connected to legendary journalist, Cokie Roberts. Rebecca is Cokie’s daughter and Lauren worked for Cokie. They started the conversation talking about this connection.

CHRIS DIAZ, Executive Director, Drag Out the Vote a national organization that works with drag performers to promote participation in democracy, shared with us their focus in the upcoming election.

The May 19, 2023 Friday Power Lunch, titled ALL IN 4 PUBLIC EDUCATION, explored issues with and attacks on public education and ways stakeholders are fighting back.

ANNE HOLTON (Former VA Secretary of Education and Advisory Board member of We the People for Education) kicked off our special program with a look at where we are and what we need to be doing.

SARAH GROSS (Former Virginia PTA President) and SANDY SULLIVAN (Loudoun educator and Loudoun Education Association President) explained what is driving the effort to demonize educators, ban books, and drive a wedge between educators and parents.

MADISON IRVING (Candidate for School Board in Henrico), APRIL CHANDLER (Candidate for School Board in Loudoun), and PADREUS PRATTER (Candidate for School Board Prince William County) shared issues and concerns about running for School Board and how activists can support board members and candidates.

TIFFANY VAN DER HYDE (Executive Director, We the People for Education) and SHANE RIDDLE (Government Relations Director, Virginia Education Association) dove into how statewide organizations are working together to support local School Board candidates, what services and supports they offer, and what 2023 looks like in this political space.

KELLY JOHNSON, Co-Lead, Moms Demand Action Alexandria, started things off with a discussion about the horrors of gun violence, the Mother’s Day action, and the June 2-4 Wear Orange weekend honoring gun violence survivors.

SUSAN LABANDIBAR, Co-lead, Swing Blue Alliance, spoke about their Field Leaders Research Network (FLRN) that evaluates research being done of interest to grassroots organizers—from postcarding to messaging. FLRN shift throughs the research studies and shares it so we can be more effective political volunteers.

JODY REIN from the Indivisible Truth Brigade, which addresses a major challenge in today's political world—those who intentionally spread misleading or false information—explained how they provide resources to fight against individuals and organizations spreading disinformation.

MATT CAFFREY, Director of Grassroots Organizing for Swing Left, shared their plans to bring their national organizing muscle and volunteer power to Virginia.

MICHAEL FEGGANS, running for Delegate in HD 97 was our spotlight.

The April 28, 2023, Friday Power Lunch, titled COMING TOGETHER FOR GOOD, spotlighted 3 organizations doing their part to engage and support people in a variety of critically important ways.

LAURA BRILL, former law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and accomplished lawyer, talked about The Civics Center's work helping high school students register to vote.

JARVIS HOUSTON, Organizing and Political Director, and SUSAN FARRELL, Head of Organizing, of Sister District shared their plans in Virginia this election cycle and the candidates they are endorsing.

JENNIFER KITCHEN, Managing Director, and board members, BOB and ANTONIA FASICK, explained the 51st Collective's work providing an immediate safety net for people in crisis in the Staunton, Virginia community.

The April 21, 2023, Friday Power Lunch welcomed leaders from the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community for a roundtable discussion on community, politics, history, and the arts. Our last guest, Gene Rossi, legal pundit, delivered a rapid fire commentary on legal cases in the headlines today.

DELEGATE KATHY TRAN (HD 42) related her family’s escape during the fall of Saigon. She was 6 months old at the time. She spoke movingly about how her family put their lives at risk to make their way to America. She mentioned several issues she feels strongly about: the banning of books, the need for people to vote and participate in government, suppression of voting rights, and attacks on LGBTQ community and women’s reproductive health.

ROSE CHU (Treasurer of the Democratic Asian Americans of Virginia and 8th District Dems) laid out growing percentages of Asian Americans in Northern Virginia with Fairfax and Loudon Counties leading the way.

SOOKYUNG OH (Director, NAKASEC Action Fund) said her organization’s primary goal is to work with Asian Americans in Virginia to activate civic engagement. She also spoke about the sizable number of Asian Americans in Northern Virginia and the fact that Fairfax County has the largest communities of color in the state. There was a lively discussion about public education challenges to provide equity and opportunities for all.

MITCHELL YANGSON (Director, Asian American Pacific Islander Civic Engagement (ACE) Collaborative of New Virginia Majority) spoke about pandemic challenges that changed the nature of his organization’s work. He urged people to go beyond the ballot and voting responsibilities and show up at committee meetings and demonstrations to make their voices heard.

LUISA A. IGLORIA (20th Poet Laureate of Virginia, Emerita) read two of her incredibly powerful poems which she specifically chose for her Network NOVA audience – ‘The Loneliest City in the World’ and “The Others.”

GENE ROSSI (Legal pundit and former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia) began his talk by mentioning his grandparents’ arrival in the U.S. from Italy and that both of them died before he was born. He spoke about the FDR order in 1942 to round up 112,000 people of Japanese descent, 80,000 of whom had been born in this country. At lightning speed, he then went through a long list of court cases facing Donald Trump and commented on the status and timing of each and some likely outcomes.

DAHLIA LITHWICK (Author, host of Slate's Amicus with Dahlia Lithwick podcast, and Supreme Court pundit) spoke about her new book of Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America and the state of the Supreme Court--from the latest revelations about Justice Clarence Thomas and a discussion about a full range of abortion and stolen election cases.

DALIA PALCHIK, Providence District Supervisor talked about being the first Latina woman on the Board of Supervisors in Fairfax County and how her perspective as a woman, Latina, and millennial affects her work as an elected official.

The program opened with LUISA BOYARSKI of the Virginia Grassroots Coalition giving an update on House of Delegate Races.

Then we were excited to welcome newly elected Congresswoman JENNIFER MCCLELLAN.

We spoke to two history makers: Delegate VIVIAN WATTS, the longest-serving woman in the Virginia House of Delegate and Delegate EILEEN FILLER-CORN, the first woman and Jewish Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates.

Next, we were joined by members of the historic class of 2017 when the grassroots helped flip 15 seats: Delegates KARRIE DELANEY, ELIZABETH GUZMAN, and KATHY TRAN.

In 2019, Democrats took control of the Virginia State Government for the first time in 25 years. To help us remember that exciting and historic time we spoke to Senator GHAZALA HASHMI and Delegate SHELLY SIMONDS who were both elected that year.

In 2021, two special elections brought two powerhouse women into the General Assembly: Delegates CANDI KING and ANGELIA WILLIAMS GRAVES.

And in 2022, the millennials entered the House of Delegates in force: Delegates JACKIE GLASS, BRIANA SEWELL and IRENE SHIN.

MEREDITH WEISEL, DC Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League–a global leader in combatting antisemitism, extremism and bigotry and ensuring a just and inclusive society for all–started us off by providing an historical look at hate in American and then shared insights as to what is happening today.

MARGARET EDDS, journalist & author “What the Eyes Can’t See: Ralph Northam, Black Resolve, and a Racial Reckoning in Virginia,” told the story of how the Governor’s blackface scandal changed him as a politician and a person. She recounted how his reckoning resulted in his working with the Black community to craft and pass meaningful public policies and remove Confederate statues.

PASTOR MICHELLE THOMAS is a third-generation pastor, President of NAACP Loudoun, and one of the prominent Black leaders Governor Northam reached out to for guidance. She spoke about her first-hand experience helping to educate the Governor about endemic racism in the state and provided guidance on how he could use his position to help the Black community.

We spoke with a group of "Women Who TikTok" from our community:

MARY RARICK (@MaryRarick)
HEIDI DRAGNEFF (@heidi_maed_it)
JULIE GALDO(@happygrandma4democracy)
FINALE NORTON (@finale_norton)

Inspired by Finale to get involved with TikTok, Mary Rarick summed up the core reason why it's important for women of different ages, ethnic and racial backgrounds, and approaches to add their voices to the conversation: Not everybody hears everything from a certain person. We all need to be in all the places because the messenger is just as important as the message. The message the guests conveyed is if you have something you want to say, give TikTok a go. Or, you can simply get on TikTok to be inspired by others and share valuable messaging with friends and colleagues.

We also showed a video produced by YOU CAN'T BEAT BLUE that featured more women who TikTok.

SANTIAGO MAYER (Founder and Executive Director, Voters of Tomorrow) was a teenager with a love of politics when he arrived in the U.S. from Mexico City during the Trump Administration. Moved to take action, he realized that Gen Z didn't seem to have the tools necessary to engage in politics effectively. To share information and engage youth, he built a platform which eventually grew into Voters of Tomorrow. Now in 26 states and D.C., his organization reached 8.4 million people to encourage them to register and vote in the 2022 midterms. About to graduate from college, Santiago is committed to making sure Gen Z is in the rooms where decisions are made. Listen to what motivated him and where he is headed.

MAYOR PHILLIP JONES at age 33 is one of the nation's youngest mayors,. He spoke about his vision to make Newport News an All American City with an excellent education system, effective community policing, and full engagement of the public and private sectors. Listen to how his parents and grandmothers encouraged him, which mayors are his role models, and his gratitude to grassroots volunteers for the role we play in supporting democracy.

LISA SALES (President, Virginia Chapter of NOW) was Friday Power Lunch host Katherine White's special guest for the Power Chat.

LYNNE REVO-COHEN (Songwriter and owner of I Will Productions) shared her inspiration for writing songs and producing music videos on key issues of our time.

SASSA WILKES (Creative soul & visual artist) discussed his 100 Badass Women in 100 Days painting project. 100 Badass Women Project

Senators JENNIFER BOYSKO, BARBARA FAVOLA, and MAMIE LOCKE shared stories of the bold actions they took on issues of women’s rights, trans rights, and more this session.

LYDIA MOLAND (Philosophy professor)
Lydia spoke about her new book "Lydia Maria Child: A Radical American Life," which is the story of a popular and prolific writer, out-of-the box thinker, and courageous woman whose 1833 book about abolition resulted in her being ostracized personally and professionally. You need to meet Lydia Maria Child--a badass woman who spoke out against social wrongs when that was the hardest thing to do.

ELLA DUNCAN-HIGH (Outreach Director, Generation Ratify Virginia).
Friday Power Lunc... One of the big stories of the 2022 midterm elections was the power of the youth vote. Generation Z has found its voice and is bringing it to the ballot box. But what about those too young to vote? Ella Duncan-High, from Generation Ratify Virginia (an organization of young Virginians on a mission to guarantee equal rights for all), spoke about the power of high school activism.

NICK GUTHMAN (Co-Founder & Executive Director of Blue Future)
Nick spoke about Blue Future, a youth-led political action committee focused on organizing young people around progressive electoral campaigns, and how young people are pushing for a transformative and progressive agenda.

MS. MARGARET MORRISON (activist)
Ms. Margaret Morrison grew up in the South under Jim Crow. From the civil rights movement to today’s resistance, she has fought tirelessly for social justice. Ms. Margaret shared her stories of a life committed to being a force for good in the face of adversity.

APRYLL ADAMS and MIKE DECANDIDO (co-founders, CommonBondz ) -
Apryll Adams and Mike Decandido co-founded CommonBondz, a not-for-profit organization which focuses on what drives racism and bias against African Americans. They spoke about their work identifying different forms of racism and finding collaborative steps whites and African Americans need to take as a community to drive change. Their motto is “We See, We Learn, We

DEBRA GARDNER (candidate for HD76) -
Debra Gardner shared with us how running for office is hard. Running for office as a woman is even harder. But running for office as a black woman adds a special lay of complexity. shared with us the fundraising challenges of Black women running for office. She is grateful that women have been particularly positive about and supportive of her campaigns, but spoke about an unconscious bias/disparity in how people give fundraising dollars to candidates.

Grassroots update

LUISA BOYARSKI, leader of the Virginia Grassroots Coalition, gave her grassroots update about the status of our priority bills in the General Assembly and Calls to Action to show our support. She also shared her list of questions to ask candidates in a contested primary.

Status of Legislation Impacting LGBTQ Community

NARISSA RAHAMAN (Executive Director of Equality Virginia) gave an overview and status update of the legislation presented in the 2023 General Assembly impacting the LGBTQ community. As of the show, all legislation both good and bad was stopped.

We opened this segment by showing Delegate Danica Roem's impassioned speech on the House floor admonishing the Republicans for their hateful and harmful bills against trans youth. https://twitter.com/FriPowerLunch/sta...

Primaries

JOSEPH ROMANCE, Political Science Professor and co-author of the new book "Primary Elections and American Politics: The Unintended Consequences of Progressive Era Reform" took us on a journey through time to learn how our current primary process came to be, its unintended consequences, and what can be done to make the candidate selection process live up to its potential for being more democratic.

Ranked Choice Voting

LIZ WHITE (Executive Director, UpVoteVA) and JERSOME LEGIONS (President, Richmond Crusade for Voters) explained Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) - an alternative approach to candidate selection.

Providing News Coverage of Virginia's Black Community:

LAUREN BURKE (journalist, podcaster, crisis communications consultant and founder of Black Virginia News)

Recruiting & Training Minority Democratic Candidates:

SONIA VASQUEZ LUNA (Manassas City Council)
RAE COUSINS (Candidate for HD 79)
JAY JONES (former Delegate and founder of Meet our Moment)

Spotlighting Spotsylvania Candidates:

RITA DANIELS (School Board member)
CAROL HUEBNER MEDAWAR (candidate for School Board)
JOSH COLE (pastor, preacher, former Delegate and candidate for HD 65)
BEN LITCHFIELD (candidate for Senate District 27)

JAMIE PERRAPATO, Executive Director of Turn PA Blue, shared what the grassroots activist community in Pennsylvania learned from their great success in the 2022 midterms flipping 12 House seats to take back the majority and flipping the U.S. Senate seat with the victory of Democrat John Fetterman over retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey.

KERENA SUMERS, candidate for the Gainesville Supervisor seat in the February 21 Special Election, discussed about what she is doing the remaining weeks of her campaign to flip this seat from red to blue.

SARA RATCLIFFE, candidate in the new HD 62, shared how activists and candidates in her area are building support communities to help campaign and recruit candidates for local office in this rural red district.

JESS PIPER, mother to five and grandmother to three, ran for office in 2022 in a farming community on the Missouri/Iowa border. Jess talked to us about how the MAGA Republicans in her district tried everything to scare her off, but she stood her ground. Jess used her voice on TikTok (@jesspipermo) to let the world know what it was like running in her rural, red district. She didn't win her race, but she became a social media influencer for rural voices. Today she is the Executive Director of Blue Missouri and hosts the weekly podcast, "Dirt Road Democrat."

JESSICA ANDERSON, former candidate in CD1 and now running in the new HD 71, found her voice on TikTok and has become a social media influencer (@crazymotherrunner) in the TikTok Mom Community. Jessica shared her journey running in a red district and how social media helped her find community and the confidence to put her voice out there.

ALEXSIS RODGERS, Chair of CD4 and Organizing Director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance & Care in Action, is running in the special election for Virginia Senate 9 to build on Jennifer McClellan's legacy of service to central Virginia. As a queer, black woman living and running for office in the capital of the confederacy, Alexsis knows a thing or two about courage. She discussed how being a professional organizer is helping her meet the moment as a candidate in a special election with a short turnaround time.

NICOLE HOBBS, co-founder and Executive Director of EveryDistrict, a grassroots organization that provides state legislative candidates with early data and fundraising support, spoke about how they will be helping Virginia candidates in 2023. Nicole described EveryDistrict's focus on competitive districts and the critical sharing of statewide candidate information with its donor network. While she described elections as hard, she saw 2022 as a "great year for Democratic candidates" and said 2023/24 promise "exciting new things".

SIMON ROSENBERG (political strategist, thought-leader, commentator and President of the liberal think tank and advocacy organization NDN) is affectionately known in grassroots circles as the person who looked at the 2022 data and not only publicly challenged the commonly held false narrative of a red wave but predicted a good midterm election for Democrats. Simon shared to lessons learned and true outcome of 2022 and why we need stand up and speak out louder than ever in 2023.

DR. FRANK S. RAVITCH (Professor of Law and Walter H. Stowers Chair in Law & Religion at Michigan State University College of Law) discussed how Dobbs, Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade (the first time in modern American history where the court has taken a fundamental right away from people, overturning 50 years of precedent) is one of the worst decisions—if not the worst—in modern history. He also discussed how this activist Court is out of step with the nation and losing all respect by the American people.

LUISA BOYARSKI, leader of the Coalition, moderated the press conference. She was joined by Coalition working group members who presented their priority bills to support and oppose. Then SENATOR JENNIFER MCCLELLAN, SENATOR JENNIFER BOYSKO, and DELEGATE SAM RASOUL gave an update on some of the bills they were sponsoring this session and answered questions.

The January 6, 2023, Friday Power Lunch occurred on a date that no one will ever forget. It was hard to decide what type of show to have on a date like this. In typical Friday Power Lunch fashion, we decided to use this date to discuss how we are going to be big and bold together in 2023.

GUESTS
We started by talking to two of the candidates running in the Special Elections on January 10.

AARON ROUSE (SD 7 - Most of Virginia Beach and parts of Norfolk)

JADE HARRIS (HD 24 - The cities of Lexington and Buena Vista, and Rockbridge, Bath Augusta and Amherst counties.)

LUISA BOYARSKI from the Virginia Grassroots Coalition addressed the upcoming legislative session and the importance of grassroots activists connecting with their legislators.

Clean Virginia helped us take a first look at 2023 legislation by spotlighting their energy affordability priority bills.

We rounded out the show with a rapid fire look at some of the citizen lobby days in Richmond in January, 2023:

CASSADY CRAIGHILL (Deputy Director, Clean Virginia) -January 26, Day of Action for Affordable Energy

SUSAN LOESBERG (Co-Lead, Mom's Virginia Beach-Norfolk) - January 13, Mom’s Demand Action Virginia Lobby Day

KIM BOBO (Executive Director, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy) - January 18, Day for All People: Advocate for Social Justice

HEIDI DRAUSCHAK (Money Out) - January 24, VA Democracy Day for Good Governance