November 4, 2021

PHILADELPHIA — Today, 314 Action Fund congratulated twelve pro-science candidates in municipal races across the country for winning their elections. From Michigan to Colorado, these scientists and STEM professionals will ensure that science has a seat at the policymaking tables and be the pipeline of candidates running for higher office for generations to come.

“Tonight, 314 Action and our network of more than six million pro-science advocates congratulate our twelve endorsed STEM candidates across the country who won their elections,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, 314 Action president. “The continued impact of the pandemic has underscored the importance of state and local leaders who are willing to fight for science and advocate for evidence-based policy solutions. These victories represent the success of 314 Action’s growing pipeline of STEM leaders at all levels of government, and our continued commitment to recruiting and investing in state and local races moving forward.” 

The full list of victorious science candidates endorsed by 314 Action Fund is as follows: 

Connecticut:

– Justin Elicker (Environmental Scientist), Mayor of New Haven

Florida:

– Richie Floyd (Electrical Engineer), St. Petersburg Town Council

Ohio: 

– Ukeme Awakessian Jeter (Mechanical Engineer), Upper Arlington City Council

– Kristin Malhotra (Chemical Engineer), Deerfield Township Trustee

Michigan:

– David Hamilton (Electrical Engineer), Troy City Council

New Mexico:

– Teresa Smith de Cherif (Infectious Disease Specialist), Valencia Soil & Water Conservation District

New York:

– Mark Levine (Physicist), Manhattan Borough President

Pennsylvania: 

– Neil Desnoyers (Statistician),  Upper Darby School Director

– Mariam Mahmud (Pediatrician), Central Bucks School Director, Region 5

– Xander Orenstein (Biological Scientist), Allegheny County Magisterial District Judge

– Jesse Sloane (Nuclear Engineer), Bensalem Township Council

Virginia:

– Dr. Jim Andrews (Physicist), Albemarle County Board of Supervisors, Samuel Miller District 

Last month, 314 Action launched a $10 million, cycle-long advocacy campaign focused on engaging voters on critical science issues — including climate change, health care, and the pandemic response — and holding anti-science public figures accountable. Additionally, 314 Action has engaged its six million grassroots member base to push for pro-science legislation at the federal level and across the states.

In 2022, 314 Action Fund will aim to spend $50 million to elect scientists across all levels of government, with initial targets of seven U.S. Senate races, forty U.S. House races, and twenty-one statewide races. In 2020, the organization spent $25 million on behalf of its endorsed candidates and raised a total of $5 million in grassroots donations for scientists running for office.

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314 Action Fund is powered by a grassroots community of over six million people working to elect scientists, doctors, and STEM professionals who will use science and facts to address our most pressing issues like climate change and health care. In 2018 and 2020, we played a pivotal role in flipping the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, electing eleven Democratic scientists to federal office, as well as over 100 to state and local offices. In 2021 and 2022, 314 Action Fund will continue working to elect science leaders and defeat climate deniers in Congress and legislatures across the country.