TUESDAY

We not only won our primary by a massive margin, but we also held the seat in the special election.

To be frank, this was probably one of the most complex and challenging races I’ve ever experienced. As I’ve shared before, our district had two elections. One was our regular primary. The other was a race to finish out the State Senator’s term who resigned. That race was between a Republican and a Democrat. We had to do persuasion, GOTV, and voter education all at once.

Statewide, Republicans had runoffs in more races including for Senate and Governor. Millions of dollars was being spent to turnout Republicans. Democrats did not have the same amount of races or spending. This meant that 62% of those who voted in Georgia were Republicans. In Gwinnett County, that number was 58%.

This win is what we call the margin of effort. We bucked state and county trends. We held the seat. We won our race. And, we set us up to go into special session with a strong position leading to another major win.

Normally, this is when I’d ask you to donate, but we actually cannot fundraise during session. Instead, I’m asking you to send this newsletter to others inviting them to subscribe so we can share with them everything that is going on.

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And, sign up to volunteer. We will be resuming full campaign operations by August but will have events and other activities leading up to that.

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WEDNESDAY

Which brings me to yesterday. We stopped the maps y’all. As I’ve mentioned, special session began the day after our runoffs. Yesterday was the first legislative day. But, for weeks before that we had been working hard to apply pressure and prevent more gerrymandering of our state. And we won!

I want to be clear, this is because every single vote matters. Right now, Republicans are extremely divided after a bruising primary. If Republicans had won the SD7 special, it would have been their first pickup since 2024. That would have put the wind back in their sails and united them. Instead, we kept this seat, thousands of people mobilized, and we were ready for anything they brought our way.

But the work is not over. We are in this special session because our ballots will no longer be valid starting July 1. Yes, you read that correctly. Republicans put an arbitrary deadline that will throw our elections in jeopardy. This special session was originally called to fix that. We are watching closely to see what the Senate sends our way to make sure they do not slip anything in the bill that will further erode trust in our elections.

The expectation is we will be done by Tuesday, June 23rd. We will be in session:

• Saturday, June 19th

• Monday, June 22nd

• Tuesday, June 23rd

The resolution we voted on, however, leaves this open ended so we may see more days added.

Let me be clear, the lesson from the past few days is that every vote matters, and we must not preemptively surrender. So many people said that these maps will pass anyway, that there is no way to stop them. But, we were able to stop them this session. They can still try again later, but for now, we showed our power.

Our jobs as elected officials is to do everything in our power to stand up for our constituents. This moment demands more of all of us to end the practice of sacrificing black and brown voters on the alter of greed and power.

Our path to victory through these upcoming fights and elections in November can only be tread with our multifaith, multiracial, and multigenerational coalition. We deserve better. Let’s do this y’all!

For those who haven’t fully followed along, we have 2 elections for 1 district. One is our primary which is a Democrat vs Democrat race. The other is the Special Election to finish the term of our State Senator who resigned. That one is between a Democrat (Adrienne White) and a Republican.

The special election turned into a five alarm fire because Republicans outvoted us everyday during this early voting period meaning we are on track to lose a Democratic seat simply because their side has more contentious runoffs.

But, all hope is not lost!

Our team finally was able to triple field and jump in to help. As y’all can see, in just 24 hours, we shifted the tides and bucked statewide AND countywide trends.

But, the work is not over. We have to make up those days we lost and finish strong by Tuesday. So yes, I’m going to make an ask to donate to support the field program we stood up to protect our voting rights, protecting our communities from ICE, expand healthcare access, and lower utility costs. And, if you can, sign up for a shift!

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Please know that unlike so many other campaigns we invest heavily in people powered infrastructure. It’s how we tripled field within 24 hours. None of that could have been possible without you. So thank you!

In addition to our runoff being 4 days away, special session will be the following day just 5 days away. Here’s the thing, these maps are not a foregone conclusion. We were able to stop 90% of bad bills this year because so many of you emailed, called, and showed up. We need you to do it again!

There are so many events happening starting on June 16th and more will be added as the session goes on. Every line truly will shape our future. Check out ways to get involved here.

Here’s the thing though, we actually cannot fundraise during special session, and we do not get paid staff as legislators except for one admin who we share between 8 members. So, if you want to help close the gap ahead of the general election and support our work donate before Wednesday, June 17th!

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Either way, I hope to see you at the Capitol!

Our team has been all around the district. Because of your support, we’ve been able to scale in ways I never even thought possible. So where have we been?

Well first, we joined Gwinnett County Young Democrats to vote on the second day of early voting then had ice cream after!

And of course, we ended up canvassing all over the district, something our team has been doing every single day!

From Berkeley Lake, to Duluth, to Lawrenceville, to Norcross, to Peachtree Corners, to Suwanee our team has been all over the district every single day to turn people out!

And, in case you missed it, because of your support we were able to release our ad!

Not every visitor or event was positive though. Rick Jackson, a Republican candidate for Governor, released an ad where he says “I don’t care if you’re a Muslim or a Mongolian…you’ll end up deported or departed. Any questions?”

He was in our district in Gwinnett County, one of the most diverse counties in the country. I tried to ask him about it but couldn’t get in

If you’re wondering what’s coming up or how you can help, look no further! Our schedule is below and all shifts are at volunteer.ruwaforgeorgia.com.

And, don’t forget to save the date for our upcoming Election Night Party! No matter what happens, we have so much to celebrate!

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This newsletter has gotten way too long, so I’ll end it here for now. Thank you for being on this journey with us in whatever way you have been. I know we can make history again AND keep fighting for a Georgia we can afford and where we all belong.

In just 54 days we knocked on 5,326 doors, made tens of thousands of phone calls, and raised almost $80,000. We showed that the many can beat the money especially at the local level.

We could not have done it without you! But now, we have a runoff on June 16th. Early voting starts June 6th. If you haven’t yet, donate and sign up to volunteer.

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Senate District 7 is….Special

For those who haven’t followed the race too closely, we have a bit of a complicated situation in Senate District 7. Our State Senator resigned during the legislative session in March triggering a special election. This means voters in SD7 are voting twice for the same seat. My race is for the full term. The special election is to finish out the outgoing State Senator’s term. Both races are on the same day, on the same ballot, and the boxes are on the same page of the ballot. It has created a lot of confusion.

But even more than that, it also could make the upcoming map fight during special session harder. Why? Because the special election is a jungle primary. This means Democratic and Republican candidates ran against each other. Now, the runoff is between Adrienne White and her Republican opponent. Because of how turn out is in runoffs, we could lose this seat for 6 months which would include the upcoming special session where Republicans will try to force through new maps.

So how do we fix this mess? Our team is taking Adrienne’s lit with us to every door we knock so when you sign up to volunteer with our team, you’ll also be helping defeat a Republican well before November!

Volunteer with us, and if you’re so inclined, you can use this link to chip in to both of our campaigns!

But…so many endorsements!

Yes, we received so many incredible endorsements from Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Senator Bernie Sanders to State Senator Kim Jackson to Council Member Matt Myers. Even my own Congressman Hank Johnson! Just take a look!

That incredible multifaith, multiracial, and multigenerational coalition is how we got first place even though we were outspent. So why was it not a landslide? It’s because endorsements are only as powerful as our ability to tell voters about them. That requires canvassing, mail, digital, and if we can swing it, some tv. It’s why candidates end up sending so many annoying asks for money.

When we fundraise, we are paying those getting out our mailers, ads, etc. But, I am incredibly proud of what our campaign built under such difficult circumstances. I cannot thank you all enough for making all of this possible! Now let’s finish strong!

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Special Session Details

In case you missed it, Governor Kemp has officially announced a Special Session for June 17th, yes the day after the runoff.

If you hadn’t been following, in the 2023-2024 legislative session the Republicans passed SB189 that included a provision to sunset the QR codes on our ballots by July 1, 2026. The problem is, they failed to come up with a transition plan and this past session failed to pass a bill to either delay the deadline or come up with a realistic transition plan. This means that starting July 1, 2026, our ballots will not meet legal requirements.

The Governor was forced to call this Special Session to fix this issue and prevent chaos in the upcoming elections. The problem is he also added in redistricting as part of the work we will be doing.

It’s important to be clear about why this is happening. Make no mistake, this is happening because 46% of voters during this primary were not white.

But all hope is not lost! Redistricting just failed in South Carolina. We have a few weeks to mobilize, and we are more powerful thank we realize. So what can we do?

1. Email your state legislators demanding that they only fix the QR issues and not to bring up the maps.

2. Ask 5 other people you know to do the same.

3. Save the dates for at least June 17th and June 19th with more dates to come for actions.

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My Bill is Law!

The first bill I ever authored was to designate EMS as an essential service. For those who don’t know, unlike law enforcement and fire, EMS is not considered essential. It’s because it is much newer than law enforcement and fire. By designating them as essential, it means they can apply for grants, get the same protections, and be given the recognition they deserve.

Even though this was truly a simple bill (less than a page long!) it took three years. The bill was originally HB1314 in 2024. It made it all the way to Senate Rules then ran out of time. This past biennial (2025-2026), I introduced it again but a Republican colleague did as well.

So, we teamed up. Somehow, again, the bill (HB154 this time) got caught in the Senate. Now it’s 2026, the bill is stagnant but no reason why. As session moved, I get news that they stripped HB154 and turned it into a bill for daylight savings!

I just could not let this simple bill not pass for a whole other year. So, after a lot of running around, we found a vehicle SB395 (a bill about THC). A vehicle means a bill where our bill language would qualify to be added onto that bill. After a lot of back and forth, we combined the sections, passed the bill, and the Governor signed it on May 11th.

This brings us to our next section. Upcoming events!

Saturday, May 30th at 10am: Join us for a canvass with Representative Akbar Ali and Commissioner Kirkland Carden

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Saturdays through Thursdays: We canvass six days out of the week. It’s how we showed that the many can beat the money. Join us as we work to keep our momentum and win again!

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June 6th at 2pm: We’ll be doing our monthly Peachtree Corners Huddle Town Hall at the Local Peach. Join us as we share news, provide updates, and answer any questions you have!

Closing Thoughts

If you made it this far, today’s lesson is that if Republicans want to pass a bill they will. That’s what happened with my bill. Once they decided they wanted it, it passed. That’s the reality about politics. It truly encompasses the phrase “if they wanted to they would.” It’s why I’ve never traded a vote to get ahead. The EMS bill was necessary. It had broad support. And, it passed without me ever trading a vote or compromising on the values my constituents sent me to the Capitol to uphold.

AOC Endorsed Our Campaign

In case you missed the social media posts, emails, texts, and everything in between, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez visited Georgia this weekend to meet with local organizers and hear about the impacts of Data Centers and discuss more about the data center moratorium introduced by her and Senator Sanders. I was invited to those conversations, because we introduced the first statewide data center moratorium in the country.

While here, they endorsed our campaign! We absolutely did not expect this, but we were ecstatic. This is such a validating moment for the progressive movement we are building here in Georgia and truly shows all that is possible in our state.

But I want to be clear, endorsements only go so far. Our opponent still has more money than us, but we have the people power. We need to let voters know about our campaign, and we will be canvassing everyday this week. Join us and chip in to our campaign!

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Special Session

Governor Kemp has officially announced a Special Session in June. If you hadn’t been following, in the 2023-2024 biennium the Republicans passed SB189 that included a provision to sunset the QR codes on our ballots by July 1, 2026. The problem is, they failed to come up with a transition plan and this past session failed to pass a bill to either delay the deadline or come up with a realistic transition plan. This means that starting July 1, 2026, our ballots will not meet legal requirements.

The Governor was forced to call this Special Session to fix this issue and prevent chaos in the upcoming elections. The problem is he also added in redistricting as part of the work we will be doing.

I want to be clear, this special session to redraw our legislative maps is cowardly bullshit. If Republicans are more concerned about choosing their voters than letting voters hold them accountable, they should be updating their resumes because they aren’t fit to serve the people.

Georgia Republicans have failed on everything the majority of Georgians, regardless of party affiliation, have asked for from protecting them from data centers to addressing the affordability crisis. Now they’re looking out for themselves, NOT our families.

We can disagree on a lot, but independent redistricting in Georgia that takes partisan politics out of our maps isn’t one of them. Georgia can, and should, lead in protecting the soul of our Democracy.

If you’re tired of politics as usual - whether you’re conservative, liberal or anything in between, then it’s time to FIRE any and every politician who puts their personal power over your and your family’s well being. Period.

This brings us to our next section. Upcoming events!

Saturday, May 16th: In light of the news around special session, we will be hosting an emergency town hall on Saturday at 3:30PM at the Duluth Library. Join us!

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Everyday until May 19th: The best way to cut through the noise and beat the money is to talk to people directly at their doors. We will be canvassing to turn out voters all around the district every day until Election Day on May 19th. Sign up to volunteer and come canvass with me!

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Tuesday, May 19th: Tuesday is Primary Day! Join us Election Night as we get results back and celebrate all the hard work we put in together. Regardless of what happens, it’s important that we recognize all that we are able to accomplish.

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Closing Thoughts

This moment demands experienced fights who are able to meet the challenges we are facing. The courts have failed us. We need to win back power. To do that, we must build out our organizing apparatus all around our state. As hard as this moment is, we must keep the faith. They would not be this desperate to change the rules if we are powerless. Thank you for being in this fight with us.