Mark Vilardi

  • Vote Run Lead Statement on the Nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

    SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

    Vote Run Lead Statement on the Nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

    We commend President Biden’s selection of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, who is nominated to serve as the sixth woman and first African American woman on the Supreme Court in the history of the United States. There has only ever been one woman of color – four women total – out of the 115 Supreme Court Justices. Building a more reflective democracy, from our statehouses to the Supreme Court, is a step closer to building the democracy we all deserve. 

    This is a watershed moment in our nation’s history as an eminently qualified Black woman has been nominated to the Supreme Court of the United States. Judge Jackson comes with distinguished credentials, a powerful personal history and a clear dedication to the law. 

    This nomination is a win for Black women, whose representation in leadership has not matched their contributions to our democracy. It is a win for women and girls to have a champion for women’s issues strengthening the Court. It is a win for all Americans, as we recognize this judicial leader for her deeply substantive and powerfully representative service. 

    We are joyfully celebrating this nomination, which is not only a campaign promise fulfilled but also a step towards fulfilling the promise of our American democracy. 

    Vote Run Lead looks forward to a fair and transparent nomination process. 

  • published RUN/51 Rundown: Endorsement Questionnaire in Resources 2021-11-29 11:31:05 -0500
  • Solidarity Statement with Representative Park Cannon and Representative Leslie Herod

    Solidarity Statement with Representative Park Cannon and Representative Leslie Herod 

    Vote Run Lead rises in solidarity with Colorado State Representative Leslie Herod (CO-8) and Georgia State Representative Park Cannon (GA-58) who yesterday were threatened and arrested, respectively, for doing their jobs. We will not stand idly by as the power of two Black LGBTQIA women are undermined. Representative Herod and Representative Cannon are Vote Run Lead alumnae, trainers, and mentors.

    For Vote Run Lead, this is personal. 

    It was reported yesterday that the Sheriff of Weld County in Colorado, Steven Reams, called Representative Herod a “terrorist” simply  because she led a bipartisan effort last year to pass Senate Bill 217, a law enforcement accountability and reform bill that passed the Colorado state legislature with almost unanimous support. At the time, the bill was hailed as a healing balm for the state and an effort towards building more trust between the community and law enforcement officers. Ironically, Sheriff Reams slandered Representative Herod while speaking to a roomful of people who have “repeatedly said they wanted to take the law into their own hands” and have argued that they can reject or ignore laws they disagree with.   

    Yesterday, Representative Cannon was arrested and is now facing two felony charges for knocking  on the door of  Georgia Governor Brian Kemp’s office and allegedly delaying the signing of Senate Bill 202, which will drastically disenfranchise Black, Indigenous and people of color voters in Georgia. The new law “limits absentee ballots and early voting, restricts ballot drop boxes and imposes tough new voter ID requirements. It also allows the state, currently controlled by Republicans, to take over county election boards that the state deems problematic.” One of the most egregious features of the new law is that it now makes it a crime to approach voters in line and provide them with food or water. 

    As women, and especially women of color, rise to power, we have seen traditional sources of power strike back. From name calling, to intimidation, to outright arrest and confinement, white supremacy and its cousin the patriarchy will not give up without a struggle.  And make no mistake, this is about power and who gets access to it and who gets to wield it in our democracy. 

    At Vote Run Lead, we believe a better democracy is possible. We affirm our commitment to orient our work towards dismantling white supremacy and the patriarchy and replacing them with shared humanity and the strength of a connected, caring national community. We affirm our commitment to using the full weight of our organizational resources to embolden and empower intersectional, anti-racist, reform-minded women like Representative Herod and Representative Cannon to amplify their leadership, and to put more women like them in positions of power. As we rise up, as we run as we are and win, and as the voters continue to elect more of us, we will wield our power. We will not be intimidated. We know we are the ones we've been waiting for, and we will lead America forward and make good on its promise of liberty and justice for all.

  • Solidarity Statement After the Killing of Eight People in Atlanta, Georgia

    Vote Run Lead stands in solidarity with the residents of Cherokee County and Atlanta, Georgia (GA) and in particular, with the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community across the United States. We are outraged and heartbroken by the senseless killing of Xiaojie Tan, Daoyou Feng, Delaina Ashley Yaun Gonzalez, Paul Andre Michels, and four other women of Korean descent that occurred on Tuesday, March 16, 2021. Elcias R. Hernadez-Ortiz was also shot and is in intensive care. To these victims, the survivors and bystanders, their families and friends and all who have been harmed: we see you and we are holding you with love and hope.

    Tuesday night’s killings leave us grieving and deeply examining a number of questions:

    • Why did the police advance the killer’s version of what happened, that it was lust and not misogyny, which resulted in the killing of seven women?  
    • Why did the media hesitate to call the killings anti-Asian even after six of the eight victims were identified as Asian Americans and Asian-owned businesses were targeted?
    • Why are the reputations and occupations of the dead Asian American women called into question but not the character of the white, religiously devout killer? 
    • Why is the killer quickly humanized and allowed to “have a bad day,” but four of the Asian American victims still faceless and nameless? 
    • Why has it taken 30 years for there to be a congressional hearing on anti-Asian discrimination, even after the past year has witnessed thousands of Asian Americans harassed, stalked, or killed due to the political rhetoric of this country’s highest leaders? 
    • And why, just two days after the killings in Georgia, why did Representative Chip Roy (TX-21) lambast China and reference lynching at a congressional hearing about discrimination against Asian Americans in the United States? 

    The answers to these questions privilege the experiences and opinions of white men over everyone else, and that in of itself, is the very epitome of white supremacy and its incestuous entanglement with misogyny, racism and violence.

    Vote Run Lead is committed to building a world where each human being is valued. We train women, especially women from marginalized and disenfranchised backgrounds, to run for public office and to win, because we believe a better democracy is possible. We will not allow Asian American women’s voices and stories to be eviscerated or silenced. We will not be gaslighted to doubt what we see, hear, and know to be true. We will not accept the status quo. In fact, we reaffirm our commitment to orient our work towards dismantling white supremacy and the patriarchy and replacing them with shared humanity and the strength of a connected, caring national community. We reaffirm our commitment to using the full weight of our organizational resources to embolden and empower intersectional, anti-racist, reform-minded women, to amplify their leadership, and to put more women like them in positions of power to lead us all into a better future.

    And lastly, we stand alongside and united with the National Asian Pacific American Women’s ForumAAPI Women LeadAPIA Vote,  APAICS and our friends in Georgia including Asian American Advancing Justice Atlanta and 9to5.
     
    In solidarity-- Vote Run Lead

  • Vote Run Lead Full List of Alumni Who Ran in 2020

    Of our 221 alumni on a Nov. 3rd ballot:

     87 were women of color, 8 GLBTQ, 6 immigrant or first generation, and 4 veterans
     4 Black women headed to U.S. House of Representatives! (Did you hear? The formidable Lauren Underwood is headed back to Congress to represent IL 14th District!)
     64% were running as a challenger or non-incumbent
     55% won their races
     71% of women of color won their races
     73 of the 147 women (50%!) who ran for a state legislative office won

    FULL LIST BELOW

     

    The #1 office sought was State Representative

    Alicia Hyndman, New York State Assembly District 29
    Allison Russo, Ohio House of Representatives District 24
    Amada Marquez Simula, Mayor of Columbia Heights, Minnesota
    Ami Wazlawik, Minnesota House of Representatives District 38B
    Andrea Schroeder, Michigan House of Representatives District 43
    Angela Brown, Cobb County Superior Court Judge, Georgia
    Anita Burroughs, New Hampshire House of Representatives Carroll 1
    AnJanette Brush, Taos County Commission District 4, New Mexico
    Anna Williams, Oregon House of Representatives District 52
    Anne Hughes, Connecticut House of Representatives District 135
    April Legere, Rogers City Council, Arkansas
    Ashantae Green, Duval Soil and Water Conservation District Group 4, Florida
    Athena Hollins, Minnesota House of Representatives District 66B
    Audrey Thayer, Bemidji City Council Ward 1, Minnesota
    Bee Nguyen, Georgia House of Representatives District 89
    Bregetta Fields, Wilmington City Council 5th District, Delaware
    Brenda Carter, Michigan House of Representatives District 29
    Brianna Titone, Colorado House of Representatives District 27

    Carrie Warren Gully, Arapahoe County Commissioner District 1, Colorado
    Catalina Cruz, New York State Assembly District 39
    Cathy Connolly, Wyoming House of Representatives District 13
    Christine Kushner, Wake County School Board District 6, North Carolina
    Cori Bush, U.S. House Missouri's 1st Congressional District
    Cynthia A. Johnson, Michigan House of Representatives District 5
    Dafna Michaelson Jenet, Colorado House of Representatives District 30
    Debra Altschiller, New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 19
    Delia Garza, Travis County Attorney, Texas
    Denise Ennett, Arkansas House of Representatives District 36
    Denise Garner, Arkansas House of Representatives District 84
    Denise Johnson, New York City Civil Court Queens 4th Municipal Court District
    Diana Richardson, New York State Assembly District 43
    Diane Warren, Circuit Court Judge, Arizona
    Dominique Jackson, Colorado House of Representatives District 42
    Doreen Carter, Georgia House of Representatives District 92
    Elena Parent, Georgia State Senate District 42
    Elizabeth “Libby” Hart-Wells, Scottsdale Unified School District Governing Board, Arizona
    Elizabeth "Lyz" Jaakola, Cloquet City Council Ward 5, Minnesota
    Erica R. Thomas, Georgia House of Representatives District 39
    Esther Agbaje, Minnesota House of Representatives District 59B
    Gaby Grossman, New Hampshire House of Representatives for Rockingham 1
    Gerri Cannon, New Hampshire House of Representatives for Strafford 18
    Ginny Klevorn, Minnesota House of Representatives District 44A
    Heather Keeler, Minnesota House of Representatives District 4A
    Hodan Hassan, Minnesota House of Representatives District 62A
    Ilana Spiegel, University of Colorado Board of Regents District 6
    Ilhan Omar, U.S. House Minnesota's 5th Congressional District
    Janeese Lewis George, DC City Council Ward 4
    Jennifer Jermaine, Arizona House of Representatives District 18
    Jessica Hanson, Minnesota House of Representatives District 56A
    Jessica Mangrum, Texas 200th District Court
    Jessica Ramos, New York State Senate District 13
    Jessica Thomas, Peoria County Auditor, Illinois
    Jessie Lopez, Santa Ana City Council Ward 3, California
    JoCasta Zamarripa, Milwaukee Common Council District 8, Wisconsin
    Jody Shaduck-McNally, Larimer County Commissioner, Colorado
    Joyce Mason, Illinois House of Representatives District 61
    Julie von Haefen, North Carolina House of Representatives District 36
    Kandie Smith, North Carolina House of Representatives District 8
    Kaohly Her, Minnesota House of Representatives District 64A
    Kari Niedfeldt-Thomas, Mayor of New Brighton, Minnesota
    Kate Farrar, Connecticut House of Representatives District 20
    Kayla Young, West Virginia House of Delegates District 35
    Kelda Roys, Wisconsin State Senate District 26
    Kendra Anderson, Rhode Island State Senate District 31
    Keri Ingle, Missouri House of Representatives District 35
    Kim Schofield, Georgia House of Representatives District 60
    Kimberly-Ann Collins, Missouri House of Representatives District 77
    Kristin Bahner, Minnesota House of Representatives District 34B
    Lauren Underwood, U.S. House Illinois' 14th Congressional District
    Leslie Herod, Colorado House of Representatives District 8
    Lindsey Port, Minnesota State Senate District 56
    Lisa Cutter, Colorado House of Representatives District 25
    Liz Hanbidge, Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 61
    London Lamar, Tennessee House of Representatives District 91
    Lucy Dathan, Connecticut House of Representatives District 142
    Maria Horn, Connecticut House of Representatives District 64
    Mary Bradfield, Colorado House of Representatives District 21
    Mary Marubio, Cook County Circuit Court 10th Sub-circuit, Illinois
    Mary Murphy, Minnesota House of Representatives District 3B
    Maura Hirschauer, Illinois House of Representatives District 49
    Meghan Kallman, Rhode Island State Senate District 15
    Melissa Shusterman, Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 157
    Mesha Mainor, Georgia House of Representatives District 56
    Milele Coggs, Milwaukee Common Council District 6, Wisconsin
    Monique Baker McCormick, Wayne County Commission District 6, Michigan
    Monique Sheffield, Cobb County Commission District 4, Georgia
    Natalia D. Macker, Teton County Commission, Wyoming
    Nikema Williams, U.S. House Georgia's 5th Congressional District
    Nora Vargas, San Diego County Board of Supervisors District 1, California
    Park Cannon, Georgia House of Representatives District 58
    Patricia Torres Ray, Minnesota State Senate District 63
    Patsy Austin-Gatson, Gwinnett County District Attorney, Georgia
    Rachel Zenzinger, Colorado Senate District 19
    Raquel Regalado, Miami-Dade County Commission, Florida
    Rebecca Mitchell, Georgia House of Representatives District 106
    Regina Lewis-Ward, Georgia House of Representatives District 109
    Regina Weiss, Michigan House of Representatives District 27
    Rhonda Burnough, Georgia House of Representatives District 77
    Rodneyse Bichotte, New York State Assembly District 42
    Samra Brouk, New York State Senate District 55
    Sara Innamorato, Pennsylvania House of Representatives District 21
    Shannon Bird, Colorado House of Representatives District 35
    Sharon A. Davis, Hopkinton Town Council, Rhode Island
    Shermela Williams, Superior Court Judge for Georgia's 5th District
    Sonya Jaquez Lewis, Colorado State Senate District 17
    Stephanie Albanese, Red Bank Regional's Board of Education, New Jersey
    Stephanie Howse, Ohio House of Representatives District 11
    Sue Conley, Wisconsin State Assembly District
    Tamara Grady, Osseo School Board #279, Minnesota
    Tanya Ortiz Franklin, Los Angeles Unified School Board District 7, California
    Tasha Boerner Horvath, California State Assembly District 76
    Tiesha Smith, Cook County Circuit Court, Illinois
    Tishaura Jones, St Louis City Treasurer, Missouri
    Tracee Miller, St Louis Board of Education, Missouri
    Tyria Walton, Cook County Circuit Court 1st Subcircuit, Illinois
    Valarie Lawson, Rhode Island State Senate District 14
    Veronica Cope, Gwinnett County State Court Judge, Georgia
    Victoria Neave, Texas House of Representatives District 107
    Victoria Reinhardt, Ramsey County Board of Commissioners District 7, Minnesota
    Yamekia Robinson, Lake City Council District 4, South Carolina

     

    Abbi Sorrells McLean, County Coroner
    Abigail Medina, New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 21
    Adrienne Bell, U.S. House to represent Texas' 14th Congressional District
    Aleta Borrud, Minnesota State Senate District 26
    Alicia McClung, Dallas Independent School District Board of Trustees District 8
    Amanda Bachmann, South Dakota House of Representatives District 24
    Amanda Qualls, Indiana House of Representatives to represent District 49.
    Andrea Phillips, Iowa House District 37
    Anthia Owens Carter, Georgia House of Representatives District 47
    Barb Anness, Michigan House of Representatives to represent District 45
    Beth Workman, Ohio House of Representatives District 92
    Bonnie Wright, New Hampshire House of Representatives Rockingham 8
    Brooke Abdallah, South Dakota House of Representatives District 31
    Caroline Holko, Georgia House of Representatives District District 46
    Carrie Duran, New Hampshire House of Representatives Carroll 6
    Christine Triebsch, Georgia State Senate District 32
    Claudia Istel, New Hampshire House of Representatives - Sullivan 7
    Crystal Chappell, Kentucky House of Representatives District 15
    Daisy Bonilla, Arkansas House of Representatives District 93
    Dani Brzozowski, U.S. House Illinois District 16
    De'Vonna Pittman, Hennepin County Commission District 1
    Deb Porter, Indiana House of Representatives District 4
    Diana Lawrence, Wisconsin State Assembly District 56
    Diane Michel Canada, Tennessee House of Representatives District 56
    Donna Bergstrom, Minnesota State Senate District 7
    Elise Diesslin, Minnesota House of Representatives District 21B
    Elizabeth Helminski, Grand Rapids Township Board Trustee
    Emily Berge, Wisconsin State Assembly District 68.
    Erica P. Martinez, Orleans Parish School Board District 6, Louisiana 
    Erin Preese, Minnesota House of Representatives District 58A
    Erina Prom, Minnesota House of Representatives District 20A
    Gail Young, North Carolina House of Representatives District 83
    Hiral Tipirneni, Md, U.S. House for Arizona's 6th Congressional District
    Holly Herson, Colorado House of Representatives District 48
    Jacqueline (Jackie) Leung, Oregon House of Representatives District 15
    Jenna Wadsworth, North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture
    Jennifer Cantu, Fort Bend County Commissioners Court Precinct 1
    Jennifer Lee, Wasatch County Clerk/Auditor
    Jennifer Mitkowski, Colorado House of Representatives District 43
    Joan Greene, U.S House Arizona's 5th Congressional District
    Jody LaMacchia, Michigan House of Representatives District 46
    Julia Pulver, Michigan House of Representatives District 39
    Julie Jordan, Georgia House of Representatives District 179
    Karen Novy Kendall, County District Board 2
    Karla Bailey-Smith, Illinois House of Representatives District 88
    Katy Owens, Utah State Senate District 19
    Kayla Koether, Iowa House of Representatives District 55
    Ketley Joachim, City Commision, North Miami Beach Group 3, Florida 
    Kim Butler, Wisconsin State Assembly District 28
    Kim Hicks, Minnesota House of Representatives District 25A
    Kim Nelson, U.S House South Carolina's 4th Congressional District
    Kimberly Culbertson, Hillsboro City Council Ward 3B
    Kimberly Hardy, North Carolina House of Representatives District 43
    Kriss Marion, Wisconsin State Assembly District 51
    Kristin Dybvig-Pawelko, Arizona House of Representatives District 15
    Laurie Marshall, Justice of the Peace District 3 Washington County, Arkansas 
    Leigh Miller, Georgia House of Representatives District 30
    Lindsey Simmons, U.S. House Missouri's 4th Congressional District.
    Lisa Beck, Indiana House of Representatives District 19
    Liz Rosenbaum, Colorado House of Representatives District 21
    Mariah Phillips, Tennessee House of Representatives District 37
    Marie Gleason, Iowa House of Representatives to District 94
    Mary Murphy, Minnesota State Senate District 29
    Meg Wheeler, Massachusetts State Senate Plymouth and Norfolk District
    Megan Rezabek, U.S. House Missouri's 3rd Congressional District. 
    Melissa Wilde, Ohio House of Representatives District 77
    Michele Anderson, Minnesota State Senate District 8
    Michelle Fadeley, Illinois House of Representatives District 37
    Michelle Lee, Minnesota State Senate District 11
    Nancy Day-Achauer, Ohio House of Representatives District 23
    Nicole Breadon, Michigan House of Representatives District 43
    Pat Rhudy, Georgia House of Representatives District 18
    Randi McCallian, Colorado Senate District 10
    Sandy Swan, Denton County Commissioners Court District 1
    Sharon Anderson, Minnesota State Senate District 64
    Sharon Girard, New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 21
    Sonia Cintron,  Jersey City Public Schools Board of Education At-large
    Stephanie Keegan, New York State Assembly District 94
    Tamara Calhoun, Minnesota House of Representatives District 14A
    Tiffanie Roberts, Ohio House of Representatives District 86
    Tina Barton, Oakland County Clerk 
    Tonda Pauley, Indiana House of Representatives District 78
    Treva Gear, Georgia State Senate District 8
    Victoria McWane-Creek, Fergus Falls City Council - 3rd Ward
    Wende Schwingendorf, Bernalillo County Commission District 4 
    Wendy Thomas, New Hampshire House of Representatives Hillsborough 21
    Yara Zokaie, Colorado House of Representatives District 49

     

     

  • published Make Your Voting Plan Worksheets in Resources 2020-10-22 21:00:12 -0400
  • Vote Run Lead Statement on Violence Against Women Elected Leaders

    Standing in Solidarity with Governor Gretchen Whitmer, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, and the countless other women who receive threats against their personal well-being as they continue to serve and lead their communities.

    Vote Run Lead stands in solidarity with the fierce elected women leaders who, despite violent threats, continue to serve and uplift their communities. We commend their fortitude and resilience in the face of such adversity. You are American heroes. 

    Last week we learned of a plot to detonate an explosive, kidnap, and “try” the Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, who is the second female governor of the state and one of only 44 female governors ever elected in American history. (She remains steadfastly resilient.) While horrific, the threat of violence against women leaders is not new. 

    Around the world, female politicians and their families regularly face kidnapping, rape, and death threats. Violence against women in politics presents a major barrier to achieving equal representation for women in government, in the United States, and across the globe. A United Nations study found “that more than 60 percent of women do not participate in politics due to fear of violence.”

    Here in the United States Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has been constantly and continually
     threatened with physical assault and death. These threats are highly visible (to "put a bullet" through her skull) and incited from the highest levels. Like her, a new young woman of color leader, the other members of “The Squad” - Congresswomen Ayanna Pressely, Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - have all received brutal attacks on social media, in letters and voice messages, from people threatening to infect them with deadly diseases to assault, rape, hang, and shoot them. We know of countless women, from all political parties, who are threatened at the city, state, and federal levels,online and in-person.We recognize the vileness and frequency of threats directed towards Black women, Indigenous women, women of color, and LGBTQIA leaders is especially alarming.

    The rise in violence against women in power in the United States is deeply connected to the rise of extremist groups tied to white supremacy and patriarchyThis is a form of gender-based violence that is all too familiar to every woman, and it seeks to suppress women’s enthusiasm for and likelihood to run for public office. Make no mistake, critique and dissent have always been part and parcel of being a leader, but the escalating viciousness displayed in recent attacks is unprecedented. They are a threat not only to the women they are directed at and the growing power they represent, but also to our very democracy. This must end now. 

    Vote Run Lead will work everyday to make sure women can thrive as leaders and that we all receive the benefit of their leadership.

    Please stay tuned for ways that you can take action to combat this and stand in solidarity in the weeks to come.

  • published Statement on Breonna Taylor 2020-09-24 16:06:41 -0400

    Statement on Breonna Taylor

    Today, our hearts are with Breonna Taylor’s grief-stricken family and her community. The grand jury’s ruling and the lack of accountability for her murder is a travesty of justice that fails us all. 

    This impunity is part of a persistent and systematic pattern of dehumanization and criminalization that Black women, girls and women of color in America face daily at the hands of the state. We cannot expect the very system that perpetuates the violence to hold itself accountable. 

    We demand new leadership, outside and inside the system, to reimagine and redesign our institutions of justice --- in accountability, purpose and practice.

    This is our commitment. We will not stop fighting for justice. We will not stop working to recruit, train and elect women who are anti-racist, intersectional, reform leaders at every level and position of power. 

    We do this in memory of Breonna Taylor. 

Events & Operations Manager at VoteRunLead & Internship Coordinator at VoteRunLead