WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, The Collective PAC —  the nation’s largest political action committee dedicated to increasing Black political engagement, representation, and power across all levels of government  —  congratulates our endorsed candidates on their primary victories in Massachusetts.

• Ms. Andrea Campbell is running for Attorney General of Massachusetts. As a lawyer and elected official, Ms. Campbell has spent her life and career advocating for justice and those who have been let down by the government. She plans to use the power of the Attorney General’s office to ensure all residents regardless of their zip code or demographic have access to the same tools and resources. If elected, Ms. Campbell will create history by becoming the first Black woman elected as Attorney General of Massachusetts.

• State Senator Lydia Edwards is running for re-election Massachusetts State Senate. State Senator Edwards has advocated for transparency and accountability throughout government. She is currently the Chair of the Government Operations Committee and Housing and Community Development. Fighting to protect Boston’s affordable housing through innovative policy proposals, reducing air pollution, and expanding water transportation. If re-elected, State Senator Edwards plans to continuously advocate on behalf of the community to make Boston’s commonwealth more equitable and inclusive.

Founders of The Collective PAC, Quentin James and Stefanie Brown James, released the following statement:

“The Collective PAC is proud to congratulate Andrea Campbell and State Senator Lydia Edwards on advancing in their primary races. These Black women are on a journey to advocate for transformative leadership through creating transparency in government, increasing funding for public education, and continuing to create initiatives that make the communities in Massachusetts thrive. Ms. Campbell is one step closer to becoming a groundbreaking history maker as the first Black woman to be elected as Attorney General in Massachusetts. We are proud to be a part of these Black women’s journey as transformative agents of change, and helping them win in November.” 

 

 

ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE PAC 

The Collective PAC is working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. The Collective PAC is strategically focused on creating a truly equitable democracy where our nation’s local, state and  federal governments have diverse and talented elected leadership and Black people are fully represented in positions of power to create the policies necessary to progress our communities forward. Over the past five years, The Collective PAC has successfully helped 300 Black candidates win elections across the United States.

Throughout 2022, The Collective PAC will provide pertinent updates every month on our work to support Black candidates running nationwide, as well as results of key research projects and groundbreaking initiatives we’ll be undertaking as we work to increase Black political engagement, representation and power across all levels of government. 

History Makers 2022 

On September 30, 2022, The Collective Education Fund will host our History Makers Sixth Anniversary Celebration with special guest performers, Dru Hill, 702, Mýa, DJ Quicksilva, Backyard Band, and host Kenny Burns. Proceeds from the celebration will support The Collective Education Fund’s “Vote To Live” campaign – the organization’s premier civic engagement program held in partnership with its affiliated organization, Collective Future (501c4) – to register, engage and mobilize Black voters for the general election in November. Tickets are on sale now via Ticketmaster. 

Primary  and General Election Victories  

The Collective PAC celebrated the primary and general election victories of the following 37 endorsed candidates:

Arizona 

• Jevin Hodge

Connecticut 

• Jahana Hayes  

Florida 

Primary Election

• Representative Val Demings 
• Aramis Ayala
• Tiffany Hughes
• State Representative Michele Rayner
• Vice Mayor Mike Gelin
• Helen Lurry
• Mrs. Paula DeBoles-Johnson

General Election

• Dr. Keesha Benson 

• Caprice Edmond

Michigan 

• Garlin Gilchrist II
• Helena Scott 

• Joe Tate 

• Larry Jackson 
• Justin Hodge 

Minnesota 

• Keith Ellison
• Cedrick Frazier

Missouri 

• Representative Cori Bush
• Jamie Johnson

New York 

• Jackie Gordon
• State Senator Kevin Parker 
• Lea Webb

Ohio 

• Dontavius Jarrells  
• Munira Abdullahi 
• Darnell Brewer  

• Tavia Galonski  

• Erika White  
• Thomas West 
• Regan Phillips

Tennessee 

Primary Election 

• Odessa Kelly

General Election 

• Marcus Floyd 
• Judge Rachel L. Bell 
• Robin Kimbrough Hayes 
• Marie Mott

Washington 

• Jamila Taylor

Wisconsin 

• Mandela Barnes

August Endorsements

The Collective PAC endorsed four more candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, a few more candidates for state and local office in Florida and New York, and in Rhode Island we endorsed Lieutenant Governor Sabina Matos for re-election and a couple candidates for local office. We also endorsed Henry Martin Missouri’s sixth congressional district, Alisha Thomas Searcy for Georgia State School Superintendent, and 15 candidates for state and local races across the country.

#BetOnBlack, Candidate Video Series 

The Collective PAC released new installments of our #BetOnBlack candidate video series. We featured Jevin Hodge and Steven Horsford who are running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Arizona and Nevada. 

 

ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE PAC 

The Collective PAC is working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. The Collective PAC is strategically focused on creating a truly equitable democracy where our nation’s local, state and federal governments have diverse and talented elected leadership and Black people are fully represented in positions of power to create the policies necessary to progress our communities forward. Over the past five years, The Collective PAC has successfully helped 300 Black candidates win elections across the United States.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, The Collective PAC  — the nation’s largest political action committee dedicated to increasing Black political engagement, representation, and power across all levels of government — endorsed 15 candidates for state and local races in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Georgia, Kansas, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas. 

Alabama

• Mr. Korey Wilson is running for Alabama State Senate in District Seven. Mr. Wilson is a Huntsville, Alabama native, and is dedicated to uplifting and investing in the community that raised him. If elected, Mr. Wilson seeks to increase access to mental health resources, improve rural healthcare access, and reimagine emergency response to include social workers and mental health specialists. 

Arkansas

• Mr. Christopher Reed is running for Arkansas State Representative in District 37. Mr. Reed has been protecting and serving the communities of Arkansas for the past 20 years in Federal Law Enforcement.  If elected, he plans to advocate for police reform, equal rights, and investing in the community through economic development. 

California

• Ms. Pamela Price is running for Alameda County District Attorney. For the past 30 years, Ms. Price has served the community as a nationally recognized civil rights attorney. She graduated from Yale College and the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and founded her law firm in 1991. If elected, Ms. Price seeks to end the school-to-prison pipeline, reduce gun violence, and restore the public trust in the judicial system. 

Georgia

• Mrs. Matielyn Jones is running for Georgia State Senate in District 45. Mrs. Jones currently serves as a Research Director, where she builds diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism training for global clients. She is a former social studies teacher and consultant for low-income women working in administrative positions. If elected, Mrs. Jones aspires to uplift and empower her community through affordable and accessible healthcare and housing, develop statewide grade school educational programs, and raise the minimum wage.

 

• Mr. Segun Adeyina is running for the Georgia House of Representatives in District 110. For the past 30 years, Mr. Adeyina has worked in information technology for General Motors, HP, and Cisco Systems; and has taught information technology and project management courses for 14 years as an adjunct professor at the University of Phoenix and Wayne County Community College District in Michigan. If elected, Mr. Adeyina plans to keep taxes low, raise educator’s pay, and invest in the public’s health. 

 

• Representative Regina Lewis-Ward is running for re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives in District 115. Rep. Lewis-Ward became the first Black woman elected to represent Georgia’s 109th District, due to redistricting her District has expanded and is now District 115.  During her first term, Rep. Lewis-Ward sponsored bipartisan legislation that led to two historic Democratic mayoral wins. If re-elected, Rep. Lewis-Ward plans to continue to advocate for accessible healthcare, quality education, and economic development. 

Kansas

• Mr. Brad Boyd is running for Kansas State Representative in District 49. Public service is a family tradition for Mr. Boyd, his grandmother Lovana Jones, is a former Illinois state representative. Mr. Boyd currently serves the community as the Director of Organizing for Prairie Roots, an organization focused on organizing, training, and empowering volunteers to reach registered voters in Kansas. Mr. Boyd is running to increase access and opportunity for medicare and reproductive rights, quality education, and safer and secure communities. If elected, Mr. Boyd will be the first Black state representative in District 49. 

New Mexico

• Ms. Janelle Anyanonu is running for the New Mexico House of Representatives in District 19. Ms. Anyanonu is a daughter of an immigrant, a proud Burqueña, and an Albuquerque, New Mexico native. She is passionate about being the voice for the underrepresented and is ready to help District 19 thrive. If elected, Ms. Anyanonu seeks to invest and expand the youth employment policy initiative, prioritize supporting small businesses, and allocate money not only for schools and government-run child care programs but also for home facilities. 

North Carolina

• Mr. Tyler Swanson is running for Wake County Board of Education in District Nine.  Mr. Swanson is a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University and a founding member of the City of Greensboro College Commission Board. He is an educator and community associate and has worked at the North Carolina NAACP as the Youth and College Field Secretary and the Communication and Policy Director. Mr. Swanson believes that “service to others is the rent we pay to live on Earth”, and if elected, he plans to pay that rent by creating engaging workspaces where students can thrive.  

• Mrs. Monika Johnson-Hostler is running for re-election to the Wake County Board of Education in District Two. Mrs. Johnson-Hostler is currently serving her fourth term in Wake County and has successfully partnered with local community colleges to expand career and technical education. If re-elected, Mrs. Johnson-Hostler intends to continue to advocate for quality education, engaging and amplifying the voices of parents in the community, fighting for teacher support through increasing social workers and school nurses, and expanding resources to include local supplemental pay. 

Ohio

• Ms. Angelina Jackson is running for Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge. Ms. Jackson has been practicing and upholding the law for 17 years, and she formerly served as the Director of the Race and Justice Project at the Ohio Justice and Policy Center. Ms. Jackson also formerly served as an adjunct professor for the University of Cincinnati College of Law, and now serves the community as a public defender. If elected, Ms. Jackson plans to implement data tracking to address discrepancies in cases due to ethnicity or socioeconomic status, be an equitable administration of justice, and honor the dignity of all citizens in Montgomery County. 

 

• Mr. Vincent Peterson II  is running for the Ohio House of Representatives in District 64. Mr. Peterson is a community advocate, Minister, and a Villanova University graduate. Mr. Peterson works as the Constituent Liaison and field representative for Congressman Ryan focusing on projects that enhance the community, such as addressing food insecurities and addiction recovery. If elected, Mr. Peterson intends to advocate for improved infrastructure, investing in education, and stimulating economic growth. 

Texas

• Ms. Aicha Davis is running for re-election to the Texas State Board of Education in District 13. Ms. Davis is a Mississippi native and earned her Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Southern Mississippi, and earned her Master’s Degree in Education Administration from the University of North Texas; where she is currently a doctoral student studying Education Leadership and Policy.  Since moving to Texas in 2011, Ms. Davis has taught in the Irving and DeSoto school districts and earned a second language certification, a Texas science certification, and a principal certification. 

 

• Ms. Sheena King is running for the Texas House of Representatives in District 61. Ms. King is a fourth-generation Texan and an Insurance and Financial Service Leader with over 25 years of experience and ten designations. Currently, she is the Chair of the Women Organizing Women Democrats, the Texas Director of DC Bullybusters, and is a volunteer Deputy Voter Registrar. Ms. King aspires to advocate for economic development, accessible healthcare, and voting rights if elected. 

 

• Ms. Veronica Nelson is running for the 482nd District Court in Harris County, Texas. Ms. Nelson created history by becoming the first Black woman Staff Attorney for Criminal and Civil Court Judge.  She has over ten years of experience as the Chief Prosecutor for County and District County Courts. In 2019, she was elected by the Democrat County Court Judge to become the Staff Attorney.  If elected, Ms. Nelson plans to advocate for bail reform, create second-chance programs, and investigate the backlog of cases. 

 

ABOUT THE COLLECTIVE PAC 

The Collective PAC is working to create an America where Black people are equally represented at every level of government. The Collective PAC is strategically focused on creating a truly equitable democracy where our nation’s local, state, and federal governments have diverse and talented elected leadership and Black people are fully represented in positions of power to create the policies necessary to progress our communities forward. Over the past five years, The Collective PAC has successfully helped 300 Black candidates win elections across the United States.