Jason,
Last night, two Leaders We Deserve candidates won their primaries in Illinois!
That makes five victories for us so far in the 2026 cycle, and every one of those candidates ran to challenge the status quo. Last night was further proof that our movement is working.
In Illinois House District 13, Demi Palecek won the Democratic primary in Chicago's North Side. In a five-way race, she took on candidates bankrolled by the same corporate powerful special interests and super PAC money that has had a stranglehold on Illinois politics for decades.
Demi was outspent 6:1 by one of her opponents who was backed with hundreds of thousands of dollars from DraftKings-funded super PAC "American Future," Mark Zuckerberg's super PAC, "Making Our Tomorrow," and other dark money groups determined to protect their corporate interests. They thought they could buy this seat — they were wrong.
We were proud to play a major role in supporting her candidacy, investing over $110,000 in her campaign, conducting polling in the race, knocking doors in the district, and sharing Demi's message online. Last night showed that Democrats don't need to sell out to win — there is a path to victory for young candidates who are strategic with their money, know how to organize in their community, and have a clear vision voters actually want to support. Demi stuck to her values, out maneuvered the special interests, and won.
Demi has spent years showing up for her community. Organizing women's marches, sheltering people seeking abortion care, and running monthly mutual aid events that have served over 4,000 meals. She's stood on the frontlines for families that have been wrongfully detained by ICE, including her own. When she gets to the state legislature, she'll show what it's like to lead with integrity and be the working class fighter her district deserves.
In Illinois State Senate District 26, Nabeela Syed advanced in her primary and will face off with Republican incumbent Darby Hills in November. She has a real opportunity to flip the district and prove that when we back young, bold progressive fighters, we can compete anywhere.
Since flipping a Republican state house district in 2022, Nabeela hasn't stopped fighting for working people. She's passed legislation to penalize pharmaceutical corporations that hike up drug prices, protect sexual assault survivors from having their DNA used against them, and close a loophole cutting low income families off from heating assistance. That's what delivering real results for your constituents looks like.
Demi and Nabeela won their primaries, but their fight isn't over. Corporate PACs and dark money groups will continue pouring money into Demi's race to take her down, and flipping Nabeela's district won't be easy.
Leaders We Deserve doesn't take any special interest money or corporate cash, and neither do our candidates. That means they rely on grassroots supporters like you, Jason, to keep them in this fight.
This is what a winning movement looks like. Let's keep going.
Thank you,
David Hogg
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