2022 Cong. Endorsements

Update 611 — 2022 Cong. Endorsements

Primary Winners in GA, NC, OH, PA, TX

This is the first part of a regular Update series covering 20/20 Vision’s endorsements for the 2022 midterm elections. We begin with congressional candidates nominated in states that held their primaries in March and May. Most of our candidates are in margin-of-error-tight races or face incumbent Republicans.

We have chosen candidates not only with a view to viability but because we believe they have the potential to serve as important leaders on national economic and political reform issues in Congress. Today’s candidates have all won Democratic nominations to serve in the 118th Congress in GA, NC, OH, PA, and TX. In the coming months, we will cover candidates in the remaining states as their primaries occur.

Good weekends all,

Dana

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U.S. Senate

Raphael Warnock – Georgia

Race Rating: Toss-up

Total Amount Raised*: Warnock $50.2M / Walker $16.5M

Senator Warnock’s election to the U.S. Senate in 2020 was monumental for Georgians and the Democratic party. After defeating Republican incumbent Kelly Loeffler in the runoff, Sen. Warnock flipped the seat from red to blue, becoming the first Black senator from Georgia. Before joining the Senate, he was a pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once preached. He rose to political prominence in Georgia as a leading activist in the campaign to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. In his brief time in the Senate, Sen. Warnock has continued to advocate and fight for Georgian’s best interests. 

Sen. Warnock is up once again to secure a full six-year term in November. This year’s general election is expected to be one of the tightest, most closely watched Senate races in the country. Recent polls have Sen. Warnock’s race against GOP candidate and former UGA football player, Herschel Walker, as a toss-up. Walker’s baggage includes a Trump endorsement, state-wide name recognition, and a less than favorable personal history. Sen. Warnock’s strong voting record aimed at increasing access to healthcare, lowering costs, and creating jobs should resonate with Georgians.

Justice Cheri Beasley – North Carolina

Race Rating: Lean Republican 

Total Amount Raised*: Beasley $9.6M / Budd $4.6M

Former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley is a devoted public servant and an experienced leader who has dedicated her life to the people of North Carolina. In 2019, Justice Beasley made history by becoming the first African American woman to serve as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Justice Beasley is running for the open U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican incumbent Senator Richard Burr, who is not seeking reelection in 2022. 

Justice Beasley is running to expand economic opportunities for all North Carolinians. She has promised to support workforce development programs that would protect manufacturing and farming jobs while encouraging high-tech jobs in areas like the Research Triangle. Justice Beasley also wants to make the Expanded Child Tax Credit permanent, one of the most popular and transformative provisions of the American Rescue Plan.

Tim Ryan – Ohio  

Race Rating: Lean Republican 

Total Amount Raised*: Ryan $13.1M / Vance $2.5M

In Congress, Rep. Tim Ryan has fought for working families in his district and across the country — opposing unfair trade deals that would ship jobs overseas, pushing to raise wages, and working to protect the promise of a secure retirement by strengthening Medicare and Social Security. Currently, Congressman Ryan is on the House and Senate Conference Committee for USICA/COMPETES. Ryan understands that there’s nothing more patriotic than investing in Ohio’s workforce, bringing good-paying jobs to Ohio, and making sure our workers can compete with countries around the world. 

In the Senate, Congressman Ryan will fight to raise wages, make healthcare more affordable, invest in education, rebuild our public infrastructure, and revitalize manufacturing — and he’ll make sure we’re keeping workers in on the deal every step of the way. Congressman Ryan outperformed President Biden by 2 percent in both the rural and suburban precincts in his district in 2020. Rep. Ryan has built a campaign and message focused on winning in every corner of Ohio, and he is prepared to beat his extreme and out-of-touch Republican opponent, J.D. Vance.

Lt. Gov John Fetterman – Pennsylvania

Race Rating: Toss Up

Total Amount Raised*: $16M / Republican Nominee TBD

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman decisively won the Democratic nomination for Pennsylvania’s Senate seat. This is a flip seat opportunity for Democrats with Senator Toomey retiring. Fetterman presents as a no-nonsense, blue-collar populist. He was Mayor of Braddock for 13 years, first elected in 2005. In 2018, he was elected Lieutenant Governor. 

As Lt. Gov., he focused on economic issues and criminal justice reform. Fetterman supports a $15 minimum wage, unions, and healthcare as his top priorities. He doesn’t accept campaign money from corporate PACs and wants to get rid of the filibuster. Currently, the GOP still doesn’t have a nominee: Dr. Oz has 31.3 percent of the vote, and Dave McCormick has 31.1 percent of it. Fetterman will be a strong candidate against either nominee and will be key to the Senate majority.

U.S. House of Representatives

Greg Landsman – OH-01

Race Rating: Toss-Up

Total Amount Raised*: Landsman $562.6K / Chabot $1M

A former public school teacher and non-profit leader, Greg Landsman is in his fifth year on Cincinnati City Council. Greg has spent his career fighting for children and families, having successfully led the Preschool Promise which now provides two years of quality preschool for Cincinnati’s three and four-year-olds. 

In Congress, Greg will focus on issues like housing, jobs, and climate. This district is a prime flip opportunity, to help the Democrat’s majority in the House. GOP Congressman Steve Chabot won in 2020 with only 51 percent of the vote.

Emilia Sykes – OH-13

Race Rating: Toss Up

Total Amount Raised*: Sykes $366.9K/ Gilbert $615.7K

Ohio State Rep. Emilia Sykes currently represents the Akron area in District 34. Sykes is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Ohio’s 13th Congressional District. Sykes served as state House minority leader from 2019 to 2021. The current configuration of Ohio’s 13th Congressional District is represented by Tim Ryan, running for U.S. Senate in Ohio.

As a State Representative, Sykes has worked tirelessly to keep jobs in Ohio and expand opportunities for working families in Northeast Ohio. She’s fought for tax cuts for middle-class and working families, funding for high-speed internet, and higher wages with safer working conditions for Ohio’s workers. During her first year as leader, despite serving in the minority, the percentage of bipartisan bills passed was nearly double each of the previous two legislative sessions. She believes that too often working families feel alone and shouldn’t have to leave the state to find success, safety, and security. Sykes will bring a fresh perspective and fight for opportunity for children, seniors, and families, stand up for jobs, affordable, quality health care, and public safety.

Honorable Mentions

Rep. Susan Wild – PA-07

Race Rating: Toss Up

Total Amount Raised*: Wild $3.2M / Scheller $2M

Representing Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, Congresswoman Susan Wild has a strong history of prioritizing economic issues and fighting for unions and job creation as a member of the Education and Labor Committee and as vice-chair of the Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus. She’s a leader in lowering the cost of prescription drugs, education, and mental health.

She first took office in 2018, the first woman ever elected to Pennsylvania’s 7th congressional district. Since then, her district has gone from D+1 to R+2. Congresswoman Wild isn’t new to a tough race. The GOP has nominated Lisa Scheller, whom Representative Wild already defeated in 2020.

Rep. Brendan Boyle – PA-02

Race Rating: Safe Democrat

Total Amount Raised*: Boyle $1.2M / Bashir N/A

Representing Northeast Philadelphia in Pennsylvania’s 2nd district, Representative Boyle is in no danger of losing reelection but has demonstrated impressive leadership during his tenure for the last eight years. Boyle has been a stalwart advocate for working families and focuses on lifting wages and keeping jobs in America while ensuring our seniors continue to see adequate benefits in retirement.

Representative Boyle has been a critical ally for progressive reform of our tax code as a member of the Ways and Means Committee. He has worked alongside other progressives to rein in the failures of the Opportunity Zones program and to make sure our tax code rewards work, not wealth. As a co-founder and chair of the Blue Collar Caucus, Representative Boyle has proven his commitment to workers in the manufacturing and building industries, particularly as the new consensus around an industrial policy is formed. He has also pushed for the expansion of education and healthcare, two pillars of the modern Democratic coalition and a sign he is working to deliver.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett – TX-37

Race Rating: Safe Democrat

Total Amount Raised*: Doggett $799.8K / Sharon $2K

Having served in the US House of Representatives since 1995, Rep. Lloyd Doggett will run this year in Texas’s new 37th Congressional District. During his time in Congress, he has been a champion for progressive economic issues. 

As chair of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, Rep. Doggett has fought to lower the cost of prescription drugs and increase access to affordable healthcare. He also serves on the House Budget Committee and the Joint Committee on Taxation. He has been a committed advocate for tax fairness, Social Security and Medicare, public education, and the environment, earning awards for his service and leadership from Save the Children, AARP, and the League of Conservation Voters, among others.

Rep. Madeleine Dean – PA-04

Race Rating: Safe Democrat

Total Amount Raised*: $1.1M / ​​Nascimento $93.8K

Congresswoman Madeleine Dean was sworn into Congress in 2018 as a part of the most diverse freshman class in history – and brought female representation back to Pennsylvania. Having cosponsored over 400 pieces of legislation during her first term – she has used her voice in Congress to advocate for and champion forward-thinking priorities such as education, universal access to healthcare, gun safety, and ethical government to support the lives of her constituents.

Serving on the House Judiciary Committee and House Financial Services Committee, Congresswoman Dean is committed to oversight and accountability of all elected officials and government agencies – recognizing the importance of good governance and public trust. She is also a regional vice-chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), working to elect more Democrats to Congress.

*Total campaign receipts according to most recent FEC filings.