Sanders Campaign Press Release - Sanders Fundraises for Statehouse Candidates

ANAHEIM, Calif. - U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday sent an email to his national fundraising list in support of eight candidates running for seats in state legislatures around the country. Sanders previously used his small-dollar fundraising juggernaut to raise funds for four congressional candidates, Lucy Flores of Nevada, Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Zephyr Teachout of New York and Tim Canova of Florida.

"Bernie believes that the path toward bold change requires leaders to take back control of state capitols around the country and ensure fair redistricting in 2020," said Jeff Weaver, Sanders' campaign manager. "The leaders we're raising money for today are the members of Congress, senators and presidential candidates of tomorrow."

Justin Bamberg is a state representative from South Carolina who was an early endorser of Hillary Clinton's campaign but switched his endorsement before the primary because of Bernie's work for "racial, social, and economic justice." Justin won his last election by only 113 votes.

David Bowen is the son of Jamaican immigrants who is running for his second term in the Wisconsin State Legislature. He fought for and won a living wage for Milwaukee city employees.

Clara Hart is a refugee from Mozambique whose family fled from violence when she was just 8 years old. Now she's running for the South Dakota House, where she hopes to continue her work for immigrant families.

Terry Alexander is a representative in the South Carolina legislature who supports raising the minimum wage, expanding health care and protecting the right to vote.

Carol Ammons became the first African-American woman to win election in her district of the Illinois State Legislature, scoring an upset election victory against a well-funded establishment opponent.

Jane Kim is the first Korean-American to win election in San Francisco, and she's running to become a California state senator. The daughter of immigrants, Jane is a civil rights attorney who's fought for affordable housing and fair wages in her city.

Joe Salazar is a state representative in Colorado who is a tireless advocate for stopping fracking, protecting civil rights and advancing criminal justice reform. He won his last election by just 221 votes.

Chris Pearson is running for the Vermont State Senate after spending four terms in the Vermont House of Representatives. He is a champion on the issues of livable wages, strong labor union advocacy, climate change and voting rights. This year he was able to pass a bill into law for automatic voter registration.

"In their home states, these candidates are standing up against the wealthy interests and biggest corporations, and putting working families first," Weaver added. "Our people-powered campaign is proud to support them."