Bernie 2020
February 1, 2020
Contact: Roger Ouellette
NEWS: State Rep. Ako Abdul-Samad Endorses Sen. Bernie Sanders
Sanders “Closest To My
Passion For Justice In The World”
DES MOINES -- State Representative Ako Abdul-Samad, a leading
progressive voice in Iowa, on Friday announced his endorsement of Sen.
Bernie Sanders for president.
“The candidate that resonated with me and that has come closest to my
passion for justice in the world is Sen. Bernie Sanders,” said Rep.
Abdul-Samad. “I look forward to working with the Senator and the team
to continue addressing the issues that are not only dividing us here in
America, but in the world. The struggle is real. We can and must win!”
“It’s a tight race in Iowa, so are very excited about Rep. Ako’s
endorsement,” Bernie 2020 Iowa State Director Misty Rebik said. “We
look forward to continuing together in the struggle to change the
system that’s failed the working class for generations.”
A life-long Des Moines resident, Rep. Abdul-Samad has spent decades
building civic power in Polk County’s communities of color. He has
served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2007 and previously
led the Des Moines School Board as vice-president. He founded the
Creative Visions Human Development Institute and helps lead numerous
youth and civic organizations in Des Moines.
###
Bernie
2020
January 20, 2020
Contact: Roger Ouellette
NEWS: Dionna Langford Joins Sanders Campaign as Iowa Co-Chair
Youngest Des Moines
School Board Member Ever Elected Says Sanders “The Only Candidate Who
Will Be Able to Defeat” Trump.
DES MOINES – Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign at Monday’s
rally in Des Moines announced Dionna Langford as an Iowa campaign
co-chair. Langford, the youngest Des Moines School Board member
in history, is featured in a new video launching today.
“When I first ran, I think my bank account may have been in the
negative. I had no political experience. There’s a way that we say that
you’re supposed to do politics: You sit down with these people, you
have these conversations,” Langford says in the video. “One of the many
things that has attracted me to Sen. Sanders campaign is our political
system shouldn’t operate that way. It shouldn’t be for those who just
have affluence, it shouldn’t be for those who are just well-connected.”
Langford became the youngest school board member in Des Moines history
when she ran and won in 2014. Langford joins Linn County Supervisor
Stacey Walker, LULAC Iowa State Director Nick Salazar, State Rep. Jeff
Kurtz, Former CCI President Barb Kalbach and Black Hawk County
Supervisor Chris Schwartz as an Iowa campaign co-chair.
“We are thrilled to have Dionna’s voice out on the trail over the home
stretch toward caucus night,” Bernie 2020 Iowa State Director Misty
Rebik said. “Her leadership, her energy, and her direct experience of
how establishment politics shuts out working-class people give her the
kind of moral authority that is inspiring everyday Iowans to join our
growing movement.”
The video was created entirely in-house by Sanders’ campaign and can be
seen here.
###
Bernie
2020
January
18, 2020
Contact: Roger
Ouellette
NEWS: Iowa Postal Workers
Local 44 Endorses Bernie Sanders
DES
MOINES -- Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign on Saturday announced the
workers of American Postal Workers Union (APWU) Local 44 in central
Iowa have endorsed Sanders for president.
“Donald
Trump
wants
to
privatize
the Postal Service and threaten over 630,000
jobs. That absolutely cannot happen,” said Sen.
Sanders. “I’m
proud to stand together with the postal workers of Local 44 as we fight
to strengthen USPS, protect jobs and allow post offices to provide
basic banking services.”
"Senator
Bernie
Sanders
stands
for
the
working class people of this country. He
is a champion for postal workers against postal privatization which
would lead to higher costs and less service. He will fight for postal
banking that would bring in revenue to the Postal Service and stop the
legalized loan sharking of check into cash and payday loans that feed
on the working poor,” said DMI APWU LOCAL 44
President Mike Bates. “Senator
Sanders is a proven leader -- he has our backs and we will have his
back in this election. The DMI Area Local 44 of the American Postal
Workers Union will do everything we can to elect Senator Bernie Sanders
for President of the United States of America."
Local
44
members
voted
to
endorse
Sanders at their standing meeting this week
in Des Moines. The union boasts a membership of over 700 in and around
the greater Des Moines area. The APWU Local 44 endorsements adds to the
more than 130 individual union worker endorsements already announced
for Sen. Sanders in Iowa in 2019.
###
Bernie
2020
January 10, 2020
Contact: Roger Ouellette
NEWS: Former Iowa Democratic Party
Chair Derek Eadon Endorses Bernie Sanders
Veteran Party Leader
Became Ardent Medicare For All Advocate After Personal Health Care
Battles
DES MOINES -- Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign in Iowa on
Friday announced former Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Derek Eadon has
endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders and will serve as a state surrogate.
“Medicare for All is a moral and financial imperative for this
state and this country,” Eadon said. “This idea that Democrats can’t
aggressively advocate for Medicare for All and win elections at the
same time is bogus. Senator Sanders’ unwavering support for Medicare
for All is inspiring both party leaders and new activists across the
country. We need ambitious ideas and a grassroots movement of everyday
people to make government work for us again, and only Bernie Sanders is
building the kind of energy and enthusiasm it will take to beat Donald
Trump.”
Eadon was elected state party chairman at the start of 2017 but had to
step down after being diagnosed with a debilitating nerve disease.
Since that life-changing event, Eadon has become an ardent proponent of
Medicare for All.
“Derek Eadon symbolizes what’s best about Iowans: Strength, conviction,
and courage,” Bernie 2020 Iowa State Director Misty Rebik said. “When
his health got in the way of his role with the state party, he went
right back out knocking doors for Democrats as soon as he finished
treatment. His passionate advocacy for Medicare for All, and now his
endorsement of Sen. Sanders, shows how issues like universal health
care, the Green New Deal, and College for All transcend party ideology.”
Eadon worked his way up through the IDP ranks for years before winning
the 2017 chairman’s election. He was one of the first people hired by
President Barack Obama's Iowa operation in 2007 and served as General
Election Director during the 2012 campaign. In 2014, he ran
midwest organizing for Ready for Hillary and served as an advisor to
Clinton’s Iowa campaign during the general election in 2016. He was
previously National Deputy Campaign Manager for Julián Castro’s 2020
campaign.
Eadon will attend Sanders’ campaign events in Iowa this weekend.
###
Bernie
2020
January 3, 2020
Contact: Roger Ouellette
NEWS: Sanders Campaign
Names Black Hawk County Supervisor Chris Schwartz as Iowa Co-Chair
Prominent Progressive
Representing Black Hawk County Announces New Role at Waterloo Event
with Sen. Sanders
WATERLOO, Iowa – Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign on Friday in
Waterloo named Black Hawk County Supervisor Chris Schwartz as an Iowa
campaign co-chair.
“Bernie knows that even great ideas can only go so far without a mass
movement behind them,” Schwartz said. “That’s why I’m proud to co-chair
his Iowa campaign. He is the candidate who can generate the
enthusiastic coalition required to beat Donald Trump, and the energetic
activism required to push real change through Congress.”
“As the state director of American Democratic Action and of one of the
first elected LGBTQ Iowans, Chris knows what it’s like to pioneer
change in his community and is unafraid to take on tough fights,”
Bernie 2020 Iowa State Director Misty Rebik said. “We are proud he will
be putting in the hard work in living rooms and town hall meetings and
rallies over the home stretch of the caucus, and helping us inspire and
connect with the everyday Iowans who are ready to put a champion of the
working class in the White House.”
Schwartz is the first openly gay elected in Black Hawk County history.
He is also currently the State Director of American Democratic Action,
which traces its roots back to Eleanor Roosevelt and the promise of the
New Deal.
###
Bernie
2020
December 30, 2019
Contact: Roger Ouellette
NEWS: Sanders Campaign Announces Farmer, Nurse, and Activist Barb
Kalbach as Iowa Campaign Co-Chair
DES MOINES – Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign on Monday named former Iowa
Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) president, farmer and retired
nurse Barb Kalbach as an Iowa campaign co-chair. Kalbach spoke at
tonight’s town hall in Winterset in Madison County, Iowa.
“I have seen up close how Sen. Sanders listens and responds to the
challenges facing Iowa and the rest of the country,” Kalbach said.
“Bernie knows that one person alone cannot accomplish all that needs to
be done. He is the only candidate who recognizes that he needs all of
us working together in a grassroots movement. I look forward to helping
lend a hand in this effort.”
“Barb’s lifetime of activism on the front lines of Iowa’s progressive
movement makes her the perfect person to bring our campaign’s message
to rural Iowans,” Bernie 2020 Iowa State Director Misty Rebik said. “As
a family farmer and a nurse, Barb knows first-hand what’s at stake and
she will help us engage with Iowans who have felt left out of our
political process to drive us to victory on February 3rd.”
Kalbach is a fourth-generation family farmer from Adair County. On
behalf of Iowa CCI, Kalbach organized a bus tour of factory farms in
Iowa with Sen. Sanders and rural advocates earlier this year. Kalbach
also worked in Madison County Hospital’s nursing units for years and
has been a longtime advocate for universal health care in Iowa.
###
Bernie
2020
December 6, 2019
NEWS: Youth Climate Activists
Endorse Sanders
Video Endorsements Follow Sanders’ Address
at Des Moines Youth Climate Strike
DES MOINES – Several leaders from U.S. Youth Climate Strike on
Friday announced their support for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign for
president. The video endorsements come after Sanders joined a youth
climate strike in Des Moines.
“Young people all over the world, not just here in Iowa or in the
United States, but all over the world are telling their leaders, ‘Hey,
we want a planet that we can grow up in and have kids in that is
healthy and inhabitable,’” Sanders said at the Des Moines event. “When
that global movement spreads, maybe, just maybe, we can tell world
leaders all over the planet that instead of spending $1.8 trillion a
year on weapons of destruction designed to kill each other, maybe we
can pool our resources and combat our common enemy which is climate
change.”
U.S. Youth Climate Strike’s Co-Founder and Partnerships Director Isra
Hirsi, Executive Director Felíquan Charlemagne, Political Director
Daylon Prochaska and Creative Director Pujan Patel endorsed the senator
for president in their personal capacities.
“Historically, movements have had young people at the forefront and the
climate movement is no exception,” Hirsi said. “Bernie has been there
since day one fighting alongside all the young people across the
country.”
“Bernie Sanders’ Green New Deal is the only plan that addresses the
climate crisis to the scale it needs to be addressed,” Charlemagne
said. “It is the only plan that sets our goals to 2030. It is the only
plan that has such a consideration of climate migrants, the only plan
that has such a consideration of climate justice. It’s the only plan
that can save our planet.”
“When we talk about consequences, it’s my generation. It’s our people
who are going to be facing the consequences and who are going to be
living in a world that is not sustainable, Prochaska said. “It’s Bernie
Sanders and that campaign and the movement that he’s building that
actively centers us in the conversation. The Bernie campaign focuses on
young people and focuses on marginalized communities. And that allows
him to listen to us, and that allows us to be heard.”
“When Bernie talks about this being a global crisis where we need to
come together as one planet, this is what he means,” Pujan said. “A
grassroots movement where the working class stands up and tells the
government that we have a say and that we deserve to survive.”
“I’m a freshman from Ankeny Iowa,” Iowa State Lead Lydia Pesek, who
introduced Sanders at the event in Des Moines, said. “I’m also the Iowa
State Lead for US Youth Climate Strike, and have organized three
climate strikes in Iowa along with other passionate youth activists.
Climate Change is my biggest issue, because it will affect every other
problem, and we’re running out of time to stop i. I’m endorsing Bernie
because I think that it’s important to have someone who will take
radical stances on things like climate change, and health care reform.
I think it’s important we have someone in office who is for the people,
and who has stuck to his beliefs from day one no matter what other
people are saying.”
Sanders last month met with Iowa youth climate strikers at his
campaign’s Climate Crisis Summit hosted with Rep. Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez in Des Moines.
Sanders’ Green New Deal sets a goal of reaching 100 percent renewable
energy for electricity and transportation by no later than 2030,
ensures justice for frontline communities and expands the climate
justice movement to prioritize young people, workers, indigenous people
and communities of color.
Isra Hirsi’s video can be seen here, Felíquan Charlemagne’s video can
be seen here, Daylon Prochaska’s video can be seen here and Pujan
Patel’s video can be seen here.
###
Bernie
2020
December 5, 2019
Contact: Roger Ouellette
NEWS: Over 30 Farmers and Rural
Activists Across Iowa Endorse Bernie Sanders
Endorsements
Announced
Ahead
of
Sanders
Events
with
Farmers
and
Rural
Leaders
on
Thursday,
Friday
and
Saturday
DES MOINES -- A group of 38
Iowa farmers and rural activists on Thursday endorsed Sen. Bernie
Sanders for president. The endorsements come as Sanders is set to speak
tonight at the Organic Farmers Association and Iowa Organic Association
Forum in Story City, the Iowa Farmers Union Presidential Forum on
Friday in Grinnell and his Farmer and Rural Economy Town Hall in Iowa
Falls on Saturday.
“Rural agriculture is the victim of corporations at both ends of the
spectrum,” Delaware County farmer Randy Marquardt said. “After 49 years
I am considering an exit, not due to health or wanting to retire but
rather a desire to do something whereby I can actually make a living. I
know Bernie Sanders will fight for families like mine, because he
always has.”
“Our grassroots movement is earning the support of rural Iowans because
we are the only campaign with the vision, courage, and the people power
required to save small-town America from corporate greed,” Bernie 2020
Iowa State Director Misty Rebik said. “These Iowans are tired of
watching corporations swallowing up their farms and local economies.
They understand that Bernie Sanders is the candidate they can trust to
take on these predatory monopolies, and win.”
Sen. Sanders’ Revitalizing Rural America plan and his Green New Deal
would boost rural economies, mitigate water pollution and promote
sustainable farming practices across the country. Sanders will also use
antitrust authority to combat abusive corporate monopolies strangling
family farms.
The endorsing farmers and rural activists include:
Barney Bahrenfuse, Livestock Producer & Local Food Advocate, Jasper
County
James Berge, Farmer & Rural Activist, Worth County
Michael Glenn Breitbach, Organic Farmer, Grocer, & Musician,
Dubuque County
James Bird, Small Business Owner & Environmental Activist, Wright
County
Brenda Brink, Clean Water & Rural Activist, Story County
Ash Bruxvoort, WFAN Member and Innkeeper, Linn County
April Burch, Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner, Boone
County
Suzanne Castello, Livestock Producer & Local Food Advocate, Jasper
County
Susan Cerato, Family Farmer, Appanoose County
Emily Coll, Beginning Farmer & IFU Board Treasurer, Boone County
Jeff Cox, Co-editor of the Prairie Progressive, Johnson County
Kim Davis, County Democratic Chair & Rural Activist, Washington
County
Thomas Fiegen, Former State Senator, Farm Bankruptcy Lawyer, Cedar
County
Meghan Filbert, Practical Farmer & Educator, Story County
Jan Flora, Retired ISU Professor & Sustainable Ag Activist, Story
County
Larry Ginter, Retired Farmer & Community Activist, Marshall County
Dale Grimmius, Livestock & Grain Farmer, Grundy County
Gary Hoskey, Family Farmer, Tama County
James Isley, Farmer & Rural Activist, Warren County
Daniel Josephson, Family Farmer, Buena Vista County
Barb Kalbach, Family Farmer and Nurse, Adair County
Daniel Kelly, Farmer & Computer Programmer, Union County
Patti Kelly, Farmer & NNU Member, Union County
Joe Lynch, Organic Farmer, Story County
Randy Marquardt, Family Farmer, Delaware County
Chuck Mohns, Retired Farmer, Carroll & Crawford Counties
George Naylor, Organic Farmer & Rural Activist, Greene County
Patti Naylor, Organic Farmer & Rural Activist, Greene County
Rosie Partridge, Small Business Owner & Conservation Activist, Sac
County
Chris Petersen, Family Farmer & IFU Board Member, Cerro Gordo County
Faith Reeves, Farm Manager & Local Food Advocate, Jefferson County
Emma Schmit, Food and Water Watch Organizer, Calhoun County
Nick Schutt, Independent Farmer, Hardin County
Francis Thicke, Organic Dairy Farmer & Soil Scientist, Jefferson
County
Bradley Tronchetti, Farmer & Rural Activist, Greene County
Jonathan Wilder, Farmer & Rural Activist, Cerro Gordo County
Don Wirth, Archaeologist & Sustainability Specialist, Boone County
Ethan Vorhes, Farmer, Chickasaw County
###
Bernie
2020
December 4, 2019
Contact: Roger Ouellette
NEWS: Iowa Latino Leader Mitch
Henry Endorses Sanders
DES MOINES -- Mitch Henry, co-founder and board member of the Asian and
Latino Coalition, on Wednesday endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for
president.
“I am endorsing Bernie Sanders because I know that when he is in the
White House, he will fight for Latinos and working people everywhere
because he always has,” Henry said. “His leadership and strength are
desperately needed at a time of great division and fear in America.
Sen. Sanders sends a loud and clear message that the Latino electorate
is hungry for a new type of leadership that stands up to special
interests and puts people before politics.”
Mitch Henry, listed as one of the Des Moines Register’s 50 Most Wanted
Democrats, co-founded the Asian and Latino Coalition PAC and currently
serves as board member and Communications Director. Henry previously
served as LULAC Political Director and Polk County Director for LULAC’s
Latino Iowa Caucus. He has worked on over two dozen statewide and local
political campaigns in Iowa and is a U.S. Navy veteran.
“We are excited to get to work with Mitch over the next 61 days to
expand the electorate, turn out Latinos at an historic level and win
the Iowa caucus for Bernie Sanders and working people across this
state,” Bernie 2020 Iowa State Director Misty Rebik said. “Mitch knows
what it takes to win in Iowa and he will be instrumental in keeping up
our strong momentum as we head into the final stretch.”
Sanders’ campaign has worked to connect Latino voters across Iowa,
holding “Unidos con Bernie” organizing events and naming LULAC Iowa
State Director Nick Salazar as Bernie 2020 Iowa Co-Chair. The Sanders
campaign has announced over 20 endorsements from Latino leaders in
Iowa, including prominent community activists Kenia Calderón Cerón,
Maria Bribriesco, Manny Galvez and Denise Diaz.
###
Bernie
2020
December 3, 2019
Contact: Roger Ouellette
NEWS: Iowa Student Action Endorses
Sanders
Student
organizer:
Sanders’
College
for
All
plan
“shows
he
is
willing
to
fight
for
us.”
DES MOINES -- Iowa Student Action and its progressive student
organizers across the state’s college campuses on Tuesday endorsed Sen.
Bernie Sanders for president.
“Only Bernie Sanders has proven to be an ally and voice for young
people throughout his lifetime, and we’re confident that he’ll continue
to do so when he’s president,” said Iowa Student Action organizer Sara
Castro. “Candidates need to do more than just say they support young
people, they need to show that support. Sanders’ College for All plan,
including undocumented and formerly incarcerated people, along with
full debt cancellation, shows he is willing to fight for us.”
“Students at Iowa’s public colleges, private colleges, community
colleges and trade schools know that Bernie Sanders believes higher
education is a right, not a privilege for the few,” Bernie 2020 Iowa
State Director Misty Rebik said. “Iowa Student Action is going to
organize campuses across the state to achieve record-breaking youth
turnout this caucus. Together, with Bernie Sanders in the White House
as Organizer-in-Chief, we are going to build a movement to deliver
college for all.”
Iowa Student Action is an affiliate of Student Action, a national
network of student organizations that run a national campaign for
tuition-free college for all and the full cancellation of student debt.
Sen. Sanders is the only presidential candidate with a universal
College for All and full debt cancellation plan.
Iowa Student Action has members at campuses across the state including
Grinnell College, Iowa State University, Des Moines Area Community
College, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa and Cornell
College. Iowa Student Action is also a sister organization of Iowa CCI,
which endorsed Sanders on Monday.
Sanders continues to build on his lead with young Iowans. High
schoolers voted 2-to-1 for Bernie in October’s Iowa Youth Straw Poll.
In poll after poll, college students across the state and country
overwhelmingly support Sanders by similarly decisive margins. Sanders
leads the entire field with young donors in Iowa, receiving more
contributions from Iowans 25 years old and younger than the next five
candidates combined.
The Sanders campaign in Iowa has built the largest grassroots volunteer
base in the state, bolstered by thousands of young volunteers. Over
1,500 students across the country signed up for the Bernie Summer
School program to train campus leaders with staff-level organizing
skills and resources. Volunteers at some of the largest high schools in
the state and nearly every college in Iowa signed up to participate in
the Summer School program.
###
Bernie
2020
December 2, 2019
Contact: Roger Ouellette
NEWS: Sanders to Receive Iowa CCI Endorsement
Iowa's
Largest
Progressive
Organization
to
Hold
Endorsement
Event
and
Direct
Action
on
Thursday
DES MOINES – Sen. Bernie Sanders will be endorsed by Iowa Citizens for
Community Improvement (CCI), the largest progressive organization in
the state, on Thursday, December 5.
“Some 2020 Presidential candidates have been embracing or acknowledging
movement politics. But only one of them has been doing it for decades,
just like Iowa CCI Action and our sister organization Iowa CCI,” Iowa
CCI Action Board President Cherie Mortice wrote in an email to members.
“That's why Iowa CCI Action is endorsing Bernie Sanders. We’re standing
with Bernie because Bernie stands with us.”
“Iowa CCI is not only the largest progressive organization in Iowa,
they are the hardest working and know what it takes to win for working
people,” said Bernie 2020 Iowa State Director Misty Rebik. “The members
of Iowa CCI made this endorsement because they know that when Bernie
Sanders is in the White House, he will fight alongside us because he
always has.”
Iowa CCI members will formally announce the endorsement at a press
conference on Thursday at 11:30 AM CT at Iowa CCI headquarters in Des
Moines. Following the event, Iowa CCI members will board a bus to take
a direct action against corporate interests fighting against Medicare
for All.
The Iowa CCI endorsement process took 7 months as members met with
multiple presidential candidates. Sen. Sanders toured factory farms in
August and walked on picket lines and in workers’ rights marches across
the state with Iowa CCI members.
###
Bernie
2020
November 26, 2019
NEWS: Iowa DACA Recipient and Activist Endorses Sanders
DES MOINES – Iowa DACA recipient and community activist Kenia Calderón
Cerón on Tuesday endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders for president in a column
published in English in the Des Moines Register and Spanish on
HolaAmerica.
“I am one of the nearly 3,000 DACA recipients living in Iowa,” writes
Kenia Calderón Cerón. “Being visible and open about my DACA status has
come with great responsibility. I’ve spent months researching the
Democratic candidates because I know that on February 3rd, I will again
be inundated with texts and questions. After much consideration, I am
certain that Senator Bernie Sanders is the best candidate for
immigrants.”
Kenia Calderón Cerón’s endorsement follows the release of Sanders’
immigration policy, the most progressive immigration plan of any
presidential candidate. Sanders' Welcoming and Safe America for All
plan would dismantle cruel, inhumane deportation programs and detention
centers, and reunite families who have been separated.
Sanders’ campaign has worked to connect Latino voters across Iowa,
holding “Unidos con Bernie” organizing events and naming LULAC Iowa
State Director Nick Salazar as Bernie 2020 Iowa Co-Chair. The Sanders
campaign has announced over 20 endorsements from Latino leaders in
Iowa, including prominent community activists Maria Bribriesco, Manny
Galvez and Denise Diaz.
Calderón Cerón’s column is available in English here and Spanish here,
and pasted below:
Des Moines Register - Iowan who can't vote or caucus asks the rest of
us to think of immigrants
Participating in democracy is a way to stand up on behalf of vulnerable
people
By Kenia Calderón Cerón
For the last 14 years, Iowa has been my home. When people ask if I plan
to move away, I’m always shocked. Where else could I find such warmth
and generosity? When I was a little girl who didn’t know a word of
English, Iowans welcomed me. They taught me I had a voice — regardless
of my legal status.
I am one of the nearly 3,000 DACA recipients living in Iowa. Deferred
Action for Childhood Arrival is a status established by former
President Barack Obama that gave protection to immigrants who were
brought here as children.
We cannot participate in the Iowa caucus on February 3rd. But that
doesn’t mean we sit silent as presidential candidates pour attention on
Iowa. My fellow Iowans need to understand how their decisions affect
people they do not know.
The President of the United States has incredible power over my
community. I owe it to immigrants everywhere to get our presidential
candidates to see us, prioritize us and denounce the hate that
surrounds us.
We need others to keep us in mind when they caucus and vote, too.
Caucusing is a way to stand in solidarity with the most vulnerable
communities. Caucusing for the right candidate can save lives.
While I can’t caucus and vote, I make sure others do. Information about
how, when, and where to caucus has not always been accessible to Latino
Iowans. Yet we can be the difference between the top two candidates.
More than two-thirds of the estimated 194,432 Latinos in our state were
born in the United States.
During the 2016 caucus, I had entire families sending me pictures at
their precinct. Friends missed class to caucus on my behalf. I was
overwhelmed with text messages asking about the process and the
candidates. My community knew I needed to see them exercise their right
— a right I don’t have yet.
Being visible and open about my DACA status has come with great
responsibility. I’ve spent months researching the Democratic candidates
because I know that on February 3rd, I will again be inundated with
texts and questions.
After much consideration, I am certain that Senator Bernie Sanders is
the best candidate for immigrants. He’s not our savior; he’s our
fighter and advocate. He will end workplace raids like the one that
shook Postville in 2007, and end the detention of children and
separation of families.
As health care dominates this primary, undocumented immigrants are
often left out of the conversation. I have witnessed immigrants avoid
getting care due to fear and lack of resources. They see a doctor when
they can no longer endure the pain and end up in emergency rooms.
Iowans need health care, regardless of income or immigrant status.
On February 3, 2020, I am confident Latino Iowans will caucus in large
numbers for the best candidate, for Sanders. He will reverse the
policies that have harmed immigrants and restore and expand DACA,
allowing more people like me to continue to call Iowa my home — and to
call all Iowans my neighbors.
--
Hola America - No puedo votar, pero tomó en serio el Caucus de Iowa
Por Kenia Calderón Cerón
Durante los últimos 14 años, Iowa ha sido mi hogar. Cuando la gente
pregunta si planeo mudarme, siempre me sorprendo. ¿Dónde más podría
encontrar tanta calidez y generosidad? Cuando era una niña que no sabía
una palabra de inglés, las personas de Iowa me dieron la bienvenida. Me
enseñaron que tenía una voz, independientemente de mi estado legal.
Soy una de los casi 3,000 beneficiarios de DACA que viven en Iowa. No
podemos participar en el caucus de Iowa el 3 de febrero. Pero eso no
significa que nos quedemos callados mientras los candidatos
presidenciales prestan atención a Iowa. Mis compañeros de Iowa
necesitan entender cómo sus decisiones afectan a las personas que no
conocen.
El presidente tiene un poder increíble sobre mi comunidad. Se lo debo a
los inmigrantes de todas partes que nuestros candidatos
presidenciales nos vean, nos den prioridad y denuncien el odio que nos
rodea.
Necesitamos que otros nos tengan en cuenta cuando se reúnan y voten
también. El participar en un caucus es una forma de expresar
solidaridad con las comunidades más vulnerables. Participar en el
caucus para el candidato adecuado puede salvar vidas.
Aunque no puedo participar en el caucus y votar, me aseguro de que
otros lo hagan. La información sobre cómo, cuándo y dónde participar en
el caucus no siempre ha sido accesible para los habitantes latinos de
Iowa. Sin embargo, podemos ser la diferencia entre los dos principales
candidatos. Más de dos tercios de los 194,432 latinos en nuestro estado
nacieron en los Estados Unidos.
Durante el caucus del 2016, tuve familias enteras enviándome fotos en
su precinto electoral. Amigos faltaron a sus clases para participar en
el caucus en mi nombre. Estaba abrumada con mensajes de texto
preguntándome sobre el proceso y los candidatos. Mi comunidad sabía que
necesitaba verlos ejercer su derecho, un derecho que aún no tengo.
Ser visible y compartir sobre mi estado de DACA ha sido una gran
responsabilidad. He pasado meses investigando a los candidatos
demócratas porque sé que el 3 de febrero volveré a estar inundada con
textos y preguntas.
Después de mucha consideración, estoy segura de que el senador Bernie
Sanders es el mejor candidato para los inmigrantes. Él no es nuestro
salvador, es nuestro luchador y defensor. Terminará las redadas en el
lugar de trabajo como la que sacudió a Postville en 2007, y pondrá fin
a la detención de niños y la separación de familias.
A medida que la atención médica domina esta elección primaria, los
inmigrantes indocumentados a menudo quedan fuera de la conversación. He
sido testigo de cómo los inmigrantes evitan recibir atención debido al
miedo y la falta de recursos. Ven a un médico cuando ya no pueden
soportar el dolor y terminan en salas de emergencia. El senador Sanders
garantizará la atención médica para todos, independientemente de sus
ingresos o su estatus migratorio.
El 3 de febrero de 2020, estoy segura de que los habitantes latinos de
Iowa se reunirán en grandes cantidades para escoger al mejor candidato
para nuestra comunidad: Bernie Sanders. El revertirá las políticas que
han perjudicado a los inmigrantes y restaurará y ampliará DACA y TPS,
permitiendo que más personas como yo sigan llamando a Iowa mi hogar, y
llamar a todos los habitantes de Iowa mis vecinos.
###
Bernie
2020
November 15, 2019
Contact: Roger Ouellette
NEWS: Bernie 2020 Announces 11 New Endorsements from Latino Leaders
in Iowa
Endorsements
Build on Momentum Following Rallies with Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and Iowa
Campaign Co-Chair LULAC State Director Nick Salazar
DES MOINES -- Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign on Friday announced 11 new
endorsements from Latino workers, activists and small business owners
across Iowa. The endorsers include a DACA recipient, who has issued
their support for Sen. Sanders as the U.S. Supreme Court deliberates on
the fate of Dreamers and the DACA program.
“Across this state, Latino Iowans are standing up and fighting for
justice,” said Bernie 2020 Iowa Co-Chair Nick Salazar. “Bernie has the
most progressive immigration policy in presidential history. Bernie
knows where he came from, standing up for immigrant families like his.
Bernie will always fight for our health care, our families and our
fellow workers because our fight is his fight.”
Ahead of holding the largest rally in Iowa of any Democratic candidate
with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez last week, Sanders unveiled his
Welcoming and Safe America for All plan, the most comprehensive
immigration plan of any presidential candidate. Latino voters are a
core part of Sanders’ movement, with the campaign receiving more
contributions from Latino voters than any other candidate.
The 11 latest endorsers join 11 previously announced by the campaign,
including prominent community activists Maria Bribriesco, Manny Galvez
and Denise Diaz.
The newest endorsers include:
Kenia Calderón Cerón, Des Moines -- DACA recipient and activist
Karina Chávez, Des Moines -- Co-founder, Al Éxito
Ruben Chávez, Iowa City -- Immigration activist and youth athletics
coach
Maria Filippone, Des Moines -- Physician and small business owner
Araceli Lopez, Ames -- President, Iowa State University Students for
Bernie
Amner Martinez, Des Moines -- Co-founder, Latino Arts Initiative
Topiz Martinez, Storm Lake -- Owner, Better Day Cafe
Javier Miranda, Ames -- Chapter President, Ames Democratic
Socialists of America
Dominic Rodríguez, Storm Lake -- Youth activist for workers rights
Laura Rodríguez, Des Moines -- Creative Arts Chair, Latino Arts
Initiative
RosaIsela Salazar, Muscatine -- Immigration activist
###
Bernie
2020
November 7, 2019
Contact: Roger Ouelette
NEWS: LULAC Iowa State Director Nick Salazar Named Bernie 2020 Iowa
Campaign Co-Chair
Salazar Named Co-Chair
as Sanders Unveils Immigration Plan
DES MOINES -- Sen. Bernie Sanders’ campaign on Thursday named League of
United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Iowa State Director Nick Salazar
as a state campaign co-chair. The announcement follows the release of
Sanders’ immigration plan, A Welcoming and Safe America for All.
Salazar will make his first appearance as a campaign co-chair at
Saturday’s Coralville rally to introduce Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
“I personally endorsed Senator Bernie Sanders because he represents the
best opportunity for America to truly transform itself into the nation
that it can and should be,” said Salazar. “To win Iowa and build a
movement we are bringing together a diverse group of leaders, along
with millions of people, who are prepared to fight for justice and I am
ready to be a part of that fight as campaign co-chair here in Iowa.”
Salazar has a long history of activism in his eastern Iowa community of
Muscatine and serves as the Iowa Democratic Party 2nd Congressional
District Affirmative Action Chair. In May, Salazar was unanimously
elected as LULAC Iowa’s State Director and became the youngest person
to serve in the role in the 62-year history of the organization in
Iowa. Salazar has played an important leadership role in LULAC’s recent
successful efforts to strike down parts of Iowa’s voter ID laws and the
awarding of 62 scholarships to Quad City area students totaling over
$54,000 in an effort to help ease the burden of college tuition. In
October, Sen. Sanders participated in the LULAC presidential forum in
Des Moines, receiving an enthusiastic reception from the crowd.
Salazar joins Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker as a Bernie 2020
Iowa campaign co-chair.
###
Bernie
2020
November 5, 2019
Contact: Roger Ouellette
NEWS: Bernie 2020 Releases Digital Ad Featuring Iowa Campaign
Co-Chair Stacey Walker
New Digital Spot
Follows Announcement of Stacey Walker as Speaker at Des Moines Climate
Crisis Summit and Coralville Rally
DES MOINES -- Bernie 2020 on Tuesday released a
new digital ad in Iowa
highlighting Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker’s endorsement of Sen.
Bernie Sanders.
“We were raised on food stamps and lived in Section 8 housing. We lived
in a very precarious position … I was gonna have to work twice as hard,
be twice as good, in order to get ahead in this world. And it shouldn’t
be that hard for folks,” Walker says in the video. “I would say to
young folks out there, folks who are disaffected and are cynical about
their politics, right now is the opportunity to change it and we’ve got
to be a part of this movement to usher in a new era of progress.”
The video follows the announcement that Walker will join Sen. Sanders
and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the
Des Moines Climate Crisis Summit
and speak at their
rally in Coralville on Saturday.
Walker, who was named as the first Bernie 2020 Iowa Co-Chair, has
adopted a vigorous campaign schedule since endorsing Sen. Sanders.
Walker spoke to over 1,300 Iowans at an Iowa City rally, hosted an
education roundtable with National Campaign Co-Chair Sen. Nina Turner
in Cedar Rapids and helped lead over 1,500 supporters in last Friday’s
March to End Corporate Greed.
The video can be seen
here.
Bernie
2020
September
25, 2019
Contact: Roger Ouellette
NEWS: Progressive
Leaders In All 99 Iowa Counties Endorse Bernie Sanders
DES
MOINES -- Following the conclusion of the Iowa “Bernie Beats Trump”
tour, Bernie 2020 today announced endorsements from community leaders
and activists in all 99 Iowa counties. The group represents community
leaders and activists fighting for Medicare for All, tuition-free
college, a Green New Deal and repealing right to work in Iowa by
strengthening unions.
This
weekend, the Bernie 2020 Iowa field staff and volunteers hosted over
165 “Plan to Win” parties statewide where community leaders and party
activists were trained on how to organize their communities and expand
voter outreach.
“In
2016,
the political revolution was sparked here in Iowa when thousands
of working people came together in a show of grassroots strength to say
that we should create a government and an economy that works for all of
us and we’re happy to say that in 2019, our grassroots movement is
stronger than ever,” said
Iowa
Bernie
2020
State
Director
Misty
Rebik. “Taking
on
the
corporations
and
special interests that have a stranglehold on our
economy is tough work but I’m confident that the power of this
statewide network of grassroots organizers can defeat them and deliver
us a victory on caucus night.”
The
slate
of Iowa endorsements includes:
Adair
County
Carmen Hawley - Legal Secretary and Adair County Activist
Adams
County
Mike Miller - Labor Activist and Retired American Postal Workers Union
member
Allamakee
County
Irene Lewey - Retired Retail Worker Allamakee County Democratic
Activist
Appanoose
County
Karen Garland - Appanoose County Democratic Activist
Audubon
County
Nathaniel Stephens - Social Worker
Benton
County
Daniel McDonald - Benton County Democratic Activist
Black
Hawk
County
Laura and Daren Adams - Disability Activists
Boone
County
April Burch - Boone County Soil and Water Commissioner
Bremer
County
Teresa Meyer - Registered Nurse and Board of Trustees; Hawkeye
Community College
Buchanan
County
Kayla Norman - Community Activist and In-Home Caregiver
Buena
Vista
County
Topiz Martinez - Small Business Owner and Political Activist
Butler
County
Garry Krull - Retired Carpenter and Butler County Activist
Calhoun
County
Emma Schmidt - Democratic Party State Central Committee Member
Carroll
County
Troy Hofer - Carroll County Activist
Cass
County
Natalia Ramirez - Cass County Democratic Activist
Cedar
County
David Johnson - Former West Branch City Council Member
Cerro
Gordo
County
Chris Petersen - Farming and Agriculture Activist
Cherokee
County
Molly Stines - Student Activist
Chickasaw
County
Gatlin Anderson - Chickasaw County Activist and Bernie 2016 Delegate
Clarke
County
Donna Aschan - Right to a Secure Retirement Activist
Clay
County
Jay Lyon - Clay County Activist
Clayton
County
Jeremy Bergan - Clayton County Democratic Activist
Clinton
County
Jay Saxon - Retired Political Coordinator; Steelworkers Local 105
Crawford
County
Jessie Rasmussen - Student Activist
Dallas
County
Joseph Arceneaux - Dallas County Activist
Davis
County
Kevan Bogert - Township Clerk; Drakesville
Decatur
County
Stacey Ramsey - Information Security Analyst and Decatur County
Activist
Delaware
County
Brett Hutchinson - Delaware County Democratic Activist
Des
Moines
County
Ryan Rogers - Des Moines County Activist
Dickinson
County
William Froendt - Medicare for All Activist
Dubuque
County
Briana Moss - Dubuque County Democrats Central Committee
Member
Emmet
County
Sarah and Alan Morphew - Small Business Owners and Emmet County
Activists
Fayette
County
Hannah Frederick - Fayette County Democratic Activist
Floyd
County
Ethan Vorhes - Farming and Agriculture Activist
Franklin
County
Devin Brown - Foundry Specialist and Franklin County Activist
Fremont
County
Lauri Lincoln - Fremont County Democratic Activist
Greene
County
Bradley Tronchetti - Farmer and Activist
Grundy
County
Jill Stumberg - Social Worker
Guthrie
County
Amber Lopez - Guthrie County Activist
Hamilton
County
Steven Pahl - Former Chairman of United Auto Workers Local 442
Hancock
County
Patricia Frayne - Medicare for All Activist
Hardin
County
Nick Schutt - Farming and Agriculture Activist
Harrison
County
Heather Pearson - Climate Change Organizer
Henry
County
Daniel Clark - Henry County Activist
Howard
County
Sue George - Rural Activist
Humboldt
County
Betty Conlon - Democratic Party Activist
Ida
County
Allan Yeager - Ida County Democratic Activist
Iowa
County
McKenna McCaw - Iowa County Democratic Activist
Jackson
County
Sandra Gilliart - Jackson County Activist
Jasper
County
Linda Christenson -Jasper County Activist
Jefferson
County
Diane Rosenberg - Social Justice Activist Factory Farm Fighter
Johnson
County
Jon Green - Lone Tree Mayor
Tom Carsner - Union Steward American Federation of Teachers
Jones
County
Markie Camp - Jones County Community Activist
Keokuk
County
Melody Jarrard - Keokuk County Democratic Activist
Kossuth
County
Melissa Fox - Medicare for All Activist
Lee
County
Carrie Duncan - Labor Activist and member of IAMAW Local 1010
Linn
County
Eldon Wohlleben - Former School Board Member - Linn-Mar Community
School District
Louisa
County
Julie Briggs - Registered Nurse and Louisa County Activist
Lucas
County
Genasee Post - Hy-Vee Warehouse Worker and Lucas County Activist
Lyon
County
Lisa Stevens - Lyon County Democratic Activist
Madison
County
Wade Lester - Madison County Democratic Activist and IBEW Local 347
member
Mahaska
County
Kaitlin Trainer - Kindergarten Teacher and Mahaska County Activist
Marion
County
Heather Cadwell - Education Activist
Marshall
County
Ramona Chavez-Lopez - Immigration Activist
Mills
County
Trevor Yilk - Mills County Activist
Mitchell
County
Neil Miller - Medicare for All Activist
Monona
County
Jennifer Kennedy - Student Activist
Monroe
County
Riley Waters - Monroe County Activist and IBEW Local 13 member
Montgomery
County
Jennifer Horner - Montgomery County Democratic Activist
Muscatine
County
Alexis Huscko - Muscatine County Activist
O’Brien
County
Caleb Schreurs - Student Activist
Osceola
County
Scott Arneson - Osceola County Democratic Activist
Page
County
Laura Tumak-Hickey - Rural Activist
Palo
Alto
County
Jane Schnieders
-
Farming
Activist
Plymouth
County
Carson Reimenschneider - Plymouth County Activist
Pocahontas
County
Joseph Hereid - Pocahontas County Democratic Activist
Polk
County
Patrick Bourgeacq Pinzón - Academic Director and Community Leader
Pottawattamie
County
Pat Coffman - Nursing Home Program Coordinator and Health Care Activist
Poweshiek
County
Jamie Nelson - Community Education Activist and NEA member
Ringgold
County
Mark Edwards - Campaign Finance Reform Activist
Sac
County
Robert Theulen - Sac County Democratic Activist
Scott
County
Maria Bribriesco - Former Deputy State Director for LULAC-Iowa
Shelby
County
Laura Anderson - Workers Rights Activist
Sioux
County
Jessica Butler - Rural Activist
Story
County
Brenda Brink - Clean Water Activist
Tama
County
Margaret Rebik - Retired Vice President of UFCW 1149
Taylor
County
Lara Schenck - Community Organizer
Union
County
Deb Marlin - Small Business Owner and Health Care Activist
Van
Buren
County
Kurt Mielke - Van Buren County Democratic Activist
Wapello
County
Loma Benge - Health Care Activist
Warren
County
James Insley - Farming Activist
Washington
County
Gabrielle Frederick - Kalona School Board Member
Wayne
County
Dylan Jones - Teacher and Community Activist
Webster
County
Dave Haynes - Webster County Democratic Activist
Winnebago
County
Micah Heimdlal - Glass Installer and Winnebago County Activist
Winneshiek
County
Ellen Rockne - Small Business Owner and Arts Activist
Woodbury
County
Jacqueline Becke - Woodbury County Democratic Activist
Worth
County
Jim Berge - Former Worth County Democratic Party Chair
Wright
County
James Bird - Climate Change and Health Care Activist
###
Bernie
2020
August 27, 2019
Contact:
Roger Ouellette
Progressive Leaders Across Iowa Endorse Bernie Sanders
Endorsements from
Iowans fighting for our rural communities and health care for all
follow Sanders' recent visit
DES MOINES -- Bernie 2020 today announced endorsements from rural
leaders and health care advocates across Iowa, building on the largest
grassroots volunteer base in the state.
The latest endorsements follow Sen. Sanders’ visit to Iowa week, where
he held 10 events in three days and introduced at the Iowa AFL-CIO
Convention his comprehensive Workplace Democracy Plan to at least
double union membership in his first term as president and restore
workers’ rights. Sen. Sanders also announced last week the Green New
Deal to confront climate change and create 20 million jobs, and the
most comprehensive criminal justice reform plan.
“Our grassroots movement is built on the simple but profound idea that
if we let every day Iowans lead our campaign, we can transform this
state forever,” said Iowa Bernie 2020 State Director Misty Rebik. “This
slate of endorsers have decades of experience delivering real justice
for the working people of this state and we’re confident that their
leadership will drive us victory.”
Following a tour of factory farms in Iowa this month, Sanders received
endorsements from rural, agricultural and clean water leaders and
activists from across the state:
April Burch - Boone County Soil and
Water Commissioner
April Burch serves on the Boone County Soil and Water District
Conservation Commission where she supports landowners in their efforts
to protect water quality, soil health and animal habitat for future
generations.
"When Sen. Sanders talks about
greater civic engagement, that means the world to me because democracy
is not a spectator sport. It's going to take everyone pulling together
to build a better future and Sen. Sanders teaches that every chance he
gets. I'm all in with Sen. Sanders as we build a movement to make
government work for everyone, not just the ruling class."
Nick Schutt - Farmer and Agriculture
Justice Activist
Nick Schutt is a third-generation independent family farmer raising
corn, beans, and hogs on an 80-acre farm in Hardin County. Nick is a
longtime leader in his community and former candidate for Hardin County
Supervisor.
“Living in rural Iowa each one of
Sen. Sanders policies speak to me. He believes in the dignity of people
regardless of their backgrounds. There’s a lot of hopelessness in rural
communities, but I know under a Sanders administration our voices and
concerns will be heard.”
Laura Tumec-Hickey - Rural Activist
Laura Tumec-Hickey moved to Iowa in 1999 to work with teens at a
residential school. She is active in her community and an advocate for
rural justice issues.
“I was pregnant with our third child
when I met Sen. Sanders at a parade in 2015. He was fighting then, as
he is now, for real family values such as Medicare-for-All, paid
maternity leave, and affordable education, which would improve the
lives of every Iowan. I support Sen. Sanders for president because he
is fighting for people like us, not just the privileged and wealthy.”
Ethan Vorhes - Farmer and Community
Activist
Ethan and his family raise beef and pork on a non-GMO grain farm in
Northern Iowa. Ethan is director and member of the Hemp Feed Coalition.
He worked the last three years to transplant his farming operation to a
hemp-legal state.
“I am proud to endorse Sen. Sanders
for president because he is treating our climate like the emergency
situation it is. Sen Sanders has made it clear that small family farms
are the front lines of this fight and they are. He is one of a handful
of politicians that have connected the dots and is listening to real
farmers and not the behemoth agribusinesses that are destroying our
planet. Because Sen. Sanders has a well-documented record of fighting
the good fight and not selling out, I support him for President.”
Jan Wann - Community Activist and
Factory Farm Fighter
Jan Wann is a resident of North Central Iowa who has been fighting the
expansion of factory farms in rural Iowa for over a decade. She is a
retired editor and mathematician.
“Sen. Sanders listens to our
communities and understands the need to get corporate greed off the
backs of Iowans. He has a long history of fighting for the rights of
those with few resources and that is why I support him for
President.”
After Sen. Sanders held health care town halls across the state, Iowans
who fight for health care justice endorsed the campaign:
Sue Baethke - IT Contractor and Warren
County Community Activist
Sue Baethke is a progressive activist from Indianola, Iowa. She is an
active member of the Warren County Democrats.
“I'm supporting Sen. Sanders because
I see someone who has been fighting his entire adult life to make life
better for people like me and my family. He has stood up for workers
over corporations. He’s been fighting to make sure healthcare is a
human right, not a commodity to be bought and sold for profit. While
most politicians say what’s popular, Bernie has always said what he
believes is morally right. He’s been steadfast to his message and
hasn’t changed his tune to be liked. That sort of authenticity and
integrity is what he will bring to the presidency.”
James Bird - Climate Change and Health
Care Activist
James Bird is a retired Maintenance Technician with over thirty years
of experience on the job. He is a proud member of Iowa Citizens for
Community Improvement and served as a state delegate for Sen. Sanders
in 2016.
“Sen. Sanders is consistent and
understands our dire situation here in Iowa. He’ll work to fight
back against factory farms and climate change.”
Pat Coffman - Nursing Home Program
Coordinator
Pat Coffman is a healthcare advocate and activities coordinator with
Northcrest Living Center. She has been working in the healthcare
industry her entire life and because of this experience believes
healthcare to be a human right, not a privilege.
“Many thought Sen. Sanders’ plans
were seen as impossible in the 2016 elections, but he persevered and
now his ideas are the gold standards that others are being graded upon.
I’ve never been a fan of half measures and band-aid policies. I want
bold progressive policies and a candidate that can deliver. Sen.
Sanders doesn’t sugarcoat or tell you what you want to hear; he tells
the truth. His realism is refreshing. His plans will make life better
for people like me, and millions of those left behind in this country.”
Alexis Huscko - Health Care Activist
Alexis Huscko is a lifelong Iowan and Medicare for All Activist from
Muscatine, Iowa.
“Sen. Sanders has my support because
he wants to better the lives of every American in this country by
lifting the financial burden that has been wrongfully placed on our
backs. He is the only candidate that has consistently been on the side
of people even in the face of controversy. I trust Bernie Sanders to
stand up for me and that is exactly why he is my candidate.”
Deb Marlin - Small Business Owner and
Health Care Activist
Deb Marlin is a Small Business Owner and Healthcare Activist in Union
County. She is the founder and president of Nodaway Valley Free
Clinic, a non-profit free health care clinic that assists the
underserved in southwest Iowa.
“As a rural Iowan, I've seen a lot of
economic injustices affecting Americans of every stripe. The first time
I heard someone actually speaking about these injustices in a concrete
way, was when Sen. Sanders gave a speech in the Senate laying out his
twelve-point economic agenda for America. I saw an individual who
understood the pain of my community and had a feasible plan to bring
immediate relief to the average person. When he announced that he was
running for President, I was immediately on board, because he gave me a
voice.”
###
Sanders
2020
August 10, 2019
Contact:
Roger Ouellette
ENDORSEMENTS: Latinx Community Leaders and
Activists Across Iowa Endorse Bernie Sanders
DES
MOINES -- Bernie 2020 today announced endorsements from Latinx community leaders and
activists across Iowa ahead of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ upcoming Unidos con
Bernie campaign event in Des Moines.
“Even
in
the
face of President Trump’s xenophobia and racism, the Latinx community continues to
bravely stand up and fight for justice in our communities here in Iowa,” said
Bernie
2020
Iowa
State
Director
Misty
Rebik. “These
endorsers are on the front lines of that fight and our grassroots
movement stands inspired by their leadership and looks forward to
working with them to win the caucus in February.”
The
slate of Iowa endorsements includes:
Maria
Bribriesco
-
Former Deputy State Director - LULAC Iowa*
Maria Bribriesco is a community activist and Deputy State Director
for LULAC-Iowa. She is a former president of the Davenport-Bettendorf
American Association of University Women and has served on numerous
boards of not for profit organizations. She is currently on the boards
of Footbridge and Quad City Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees.
Jazmin
Devora
-
Community Activist and DACA Recipient
Jazmin Devora is a student and DACA beneficiary from North Iowa.
She is a community activist fighting for comprehensive immigration
reform.
Denise
Diaz
-
Small Business Owner
Denise Diaz is a community leader and a small business owner with
strong roots in community activism and social justice in Des Moines.
She is a proud Chicana, granddaughter of immigrants and lover of
justice.
Manny
Galvez
-
Owner, El Trueque
Manny Galvez is the founder of El Trueque, a Spanish language media
outlet based in North Liberty. He is a prominent activist and advocate
for the Latinx community
across
the
state
of
Iowa.
Claudio
Hidalgo
-
Activist and Professor
Claudio Hidalgo is a professor at The University of Iowa and
Kirkwood Community College. He is a Chilean immigrant, community
activist and a 2018 Diversity Catalyst Seed Grant Recipient.
Vanessa
Marcano-Kelly
-
Business Owner and Community Activist
Vanessa Marcano-Kelly is the owner of Caracas Language Solutions,
LLC in Des Moines. She is a community leader and proud immigrant from
Venezuela.
Patrick
Bourgeacq
Pinzón
- Academic Director and Community Leader
Patrick Bourgeacq Pinzón is the Assistant Director of International
Admission at Drake University and a long-time active community leader
in Des Moines.
Antonia
Rivera
-
Activist, Writer and DACA Recipient
Antonia Rivera was born in Distrito Federal, Mexico and at age six
crossed the border to the United State. She spent her youth in
California organizing for local and federal policies that would help
undocumented youth and their families. She is a recipient of the
Bicultural Iowa Writers’ Fellowship and a contributing author to “We
the Interwoven”, where she writes about migration and what it means to
be part of the 1.5 generation.
Maria
Romero
-
Community Activist
Maria Romero a Des Moines immigration activist, mother of five, and
community leader.
Reverend
Alejandro
Alfaro
Santiz - Pastor, Trinity Las Americas Methodist Church
Reverend Alejandro Alfaro Santiz is the Lead Pastor at Trinity Las
Americas in Des Moines. He is a community leader for many progressive
causes and is one of the leading organizers for the Iowa chapter of the
Poor People’s Campaign.
*Organization
listed
for
identification purposes only
###
DES MOINES – Bernie 2020 in Iowa today announces their first
endorsement from a State Legislator with Rep. Jeff Kurtz joining a
slate of progressive leaders across Iowa. Rep. Kurtz House represents
District 83 which includes Lee County and parts of Des Moines County.
“It's with great pleasure that I give my endorsement to Senator Bernie
Sanders for President of the United States,” said Rep. Jeff Kurtz.
“Bernie has been consistent through his entire career on the issues
that matter to the 99%. I am endorsing him because he doesn’t just talk
about the issues, he has worked to implement policies that ensure a
strong middle class and protect our most vulnerable citizens here in
Iowa.”
“Rep. Kurtz is a progressive leader in the Iowa Democratic Party
and our grassroots movement is happy to have his support,” said Misty
Rebik, Bernie 2020 Iowa State Director. “As a life-long union member,
Rep. Kurtz understands the true working class values of the Democratic
Party and we are proud to have a leader like him stand with us as we
fight for the issues Iowans care about like Medicare for All, a $15
wage and a union no matter where you work.”
Rep. Jeff Kurtz worked as an engineer with the Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), a Teamsters-affiliated union,
for 41 years. He was a union officer most of his career, including
stints as BLET Local 391 President for eight years and Chairman of the
BLET Iowa State Legislative Board for ten years. He resides in Ft.
Madison, Iowa.
DES MOINES – Bernie 2020 today announced endorsements from progressive
leaders across Iowa ahead of Senator Bernie Sanders’ upcoming visit
this week.
“This incredible group of endorsers are some of the most well-known
progressive voices that Iowa has to offer,” said Misty Rebik, Bernie
2020 Iowa State Director. “Together with our 25,000-strong volunteer
base in the state, these progressive Iowans will help us build on our
grassroots movement and win on caucus night.”
Jonathan Green is the Mayor of Lone Tree, a rural community in Johnson
County. Green has served on the Iowa Democratic Party State Central
Committee.
"Senator Sanders has been leading on the issues of our time since
before I was born. Often a lonely voice, he has nevertheless worked
tirelessly and consistently to hone his proposals. Bernie Sanders has
helped all of us to see half-measures are insufficient in the face of
the injustices and inequalities we face today."
Beverly Hannon is a former Iowa State Senator and an Iowa Democratic
Party Hall of Fame inductee. In the Senate, Hannon chaired the Human
Resources committee and served on the Education, Natural Resources,
Small Business/Economic Development, and Human Rights committees.
“One of the many reasons I support Bernie Sanders is that he is and has
been steadfast on the issues he champions. I am impressed that he
declines big contributions from industry or special interest groups,
which many presidential candidates accept, and instead depends
primarily on ordinary people to contribute. Bernie is not afraid to
stand in a protest line for better wages for workers; he adopts causes
which other candidates ignore. I consider Bernie to really be a man of
the people.”
Kate Larson was elected to the Dubuque City Council in 2017. She serves
the city’s 3rd Ward, which includes some of the community’s most
racially and economically diverse areas. Prior to serving on council,
Larson was a member of the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission for
four years. In 2016, she was elected as a national delegate for Senator
Sanders and attended the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
"Senator Sanders gained my respect and support in 2015 when I first
heard him speak in Dubuque. Oppressive student loan debt, climate
change, equal pay for women and criminal justice reform were just a few
of the many issues that resonated with me. While in Iowa last month, he
also addressed the affordable housing crisis, which greatly impacts our
community and many residents in the ward I represent. Sanders’ energy
and leadership, along with a lifelong track record of fighting for
what’s right, are why I’m proud to support Bernie Sanders for President
in 2020."
Patrick Morrissey has represented Ward 3 on the Waterloo City Council
since 2014. He is a retired child abuse investigator, union activist,
social and human rights activist.
"Bernie Sanders was, is and will always be the person to see people’s
progressive needs become reality. Bernie Sanders has said time and
again that this is not about him but about people and making things
right. I did, do and will endorse Bernie Sanders for President of the
United States of America.”
Chris Morse is a community activist who serves as the Polk County
Democrats Membership Committee Chair, as well as Des Moines Neighbors
Treasurer and Merle Hay Neighborhood Association President.
“Since the summer of 2015, I have been a strong supporter of Bernie
Sanders. His consistent call for us to be involved in our democracy is
exactly what our country needs. His leadership inspires me to do
everything I can to empower others to be active in their communities
and the Democratic party. When you combine his authentic passion for
helping others with his drive to fix our broken systems, take on the
major corporations and ensure healthcare is a human right, you find
someone who can lead our party into the future.”
A small-town business owner for over 25 years, Jason serves as a
Poweshiek County Supervisor. Roudabush also serves as President of his
hometown Chamber of Commerce.
“I have followed Bernie Sanders for over ten years and we have a lot in
common. We believe in a path to citizenship, clean air, clean water,
support for small farmers and businesses. We believe in health care for
all, affordable college for all, a living wage for all, campaign
finance reform and many other issues -- but it will take us all to make
a difference. Bernie Sanders fights every day for all of us. That's why
I'm supporting Bernie Sanders for President in 2020.”
Nick Salazar is the newly elected State Director of LULAC. An organizer
and activist, Nick also serves as the Iowa Democratic Party 2nd
Congressional District Affirmative Action Chair and Muscatine
Democratic Socialists of America Co-Chair:
“Bernie Sanders represents the best opportunity for America to truly
transform itself into the nation that we can and should be. The United
States has a long history of racist economic policies against
minorities including Latinos, the largest minority population. But we
can move the nation away from its racial economic inequalities of the
past and present, if we support Senator Sanders and his bold policies
that seek to bridge this racial wealth divide. A growing, economically
secure Latino population means a growing, economically secure United
States.”
Schmit is a community organizer working on agricultural policy and an
activist fighting for independent family farms, Medicare for All and
criminal justice reform. Schmit serves on the Iowa Democratic Party
State Central Committee representing the Democrats of Iowa’s rural 4th
District.
“Like many young people, I was inspired to get involved when Bernie ran
in 2016. As a single mother, he gave me hope for my child’s future and
a world not ravaged by climate change. As a college graduate with
$63,000 in student loan debt, he gave me hope that I might someday live
without such a financial burden looming over my future. As an employee
making less than a living wage, he gave me hope for a world that values
its workers. Bernie inspired me to become a Democrat and join the fight
for the values and policies he has been proposing his entire career.
Bernie continues to be the frontrunner on the issues that matter and I
look forward to continuing to fight alongside him for what is right and
just in this world.”
Kelly Scott is a Fairfield School Board Member and a teacher with 25
years of experience. He lives with his wife, a fellow educator with 30
years experience, and two sons.
“I have chosen to stand with Senator Sanders because of his
long-standing unchanging positions on education, health care, the
environment and forcing the top 1 % in America to finally pay a fair
share. I stood with him in 2016 and will again because his ‘radical’
ideas four years ago have become common place today. His vision and
leadership are exactly what we need.”