Arena Powered Victories in 2024

The results of the 2024 elections were not what we had hoped for, and for many of us, the painful specter of another Trump presidency is all consuming. But the results at the top of the ticket do not – and should not – diminish the incredible work we did this cycle and the many victories we notched this year.

Arena-trained staff powered more than 600 races this election cycle, leaving Arena’s fingerprints up and down the ballot and across the country.

We’re proud of the work they did on all of these races, and especially proud, in this challenging political environment, of the many races they won.

This year, the Arena community drove victories at the federal, state, and local level, and these victories will be more important than ever in a new Trump era. Here are just some of the critical victories secured by graduates of Arena Academy (“Academy”), Arena Academy 201 (“201”), and Arena’s various fellowship programs:

A cohort of Arena-trained staff ended the GOP’s dangerous supermajority in North Carolina’s state legislature and elected Democratic Governor Josh Stein. They include Arena graduates James Phillips (Academy), Dan Larsen (Academy and 201), Samuel Zuniga (Academy and 201), Andrew Richards (Academy and 201), Vivienne Maxwell (Academy), Justin Cundall (201), and Mackenzie Reedybacon (201).
Three Arena-trained staff powered Pat Ryan’s commanding U.S. House victory in New York: Campaign Manager Cade Leebron (201), Finance Director Kevin Ralph (201), and Field Director Tori Stowell (Academy and 201). Pat Ryan’s 13-point margin more than quadrupled his razor-thin election margin in 2022.
Angie Craig’s definitive U.S. House victory in Minnesota was led by two Arena-trained staff: Campaign Manager Rachel Rothman (Academy and 201) and Field Director Jessica Barloga (Academy). Rachel and Jessica powered the campaign to a 13.5% victory in what was widely seen as one of the most competitive frontline congressional races in the midwest.
Arena-trained staffers powered two key U.S. Senate wins: Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland and Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin. Alsobrooks’ historic victory makes her only the third Black female Senator in history, while Baldwin edged-out a victory in a state Trump won, retaining her seat in the U.S. Senate, where she is now the only openly LGBTQ+ member of the chamber.
Andrea Salinas’s winning U.S. House race in Oregon was led by Campaign Manager Simone Archer-Krauss (Academy 201), who was also an Arena Staff Fellow on a Virginia General Assembly race in 2021. Simone helped power Congresswoman Salinas to an 8% victory in the state’s second most competitive congressional district.
Newly elected Texas State Senator Molly Cook is a former ER Nurse who attended Arena Academy in 2019, leveraged the training to switch careers, and went on to work as a community organizer. Now she’s the first openly LGBTQ+ member of the Texas State Senate.
Andy Kim became the first Korean American U.S. Senator after winning his race in New Jersey. In 2018, Andy was one of Arena’s original candidate fellows in his first U.S. Congressional run, where he flipped a key New Jersey House seat from red to blue and began a legacy of bold leadership.
Elissa Slotkin won the U.S. Senate race in Michigan by a razor-thin margin of less than one half of a percentage point. In 2018, Elissa was one of Arena’s original candidate fellows in her first U.S. Congressional run, when she flipped a key Michigan House seat from red to blue. She was supported in her Senate run by several Arena-trained staff who powered her to victory despite Trump winning the state.
In a challenging electoral environment for ballot initiatives, Arena-trained staff drove victories on several key efforts. In Colorado, Arena-trained staff helped drive the passage of Amendment 79, which enshrined the right to abortion into the state constitution. Meanwhile, in Missouri, two Arena-trained staff secured a $15-an-hour minimum wage and guaranteed paid sick leave, Missouri Democratic Party Data Manager Alexander Sun (Academy) and Missouri Jobs with Justice Base Building Organizer Bea Hemmelgarn (201).
Anne Douglas defeated a Mom’s Demand Liberty candidate in her race for the Orange County, Florida School Board. Campaign Manager Jeremy Rodriguez (Arena Academy) helped this 25-year veteran educator come out on top in this highly competitive race.

Results are still rolling in, and over the next few days, we’ll continue to share stories about the ways that members of the Arena Community stood up for our shared values, our democracy, and our future.

We’ll also share stories about the impact of the people they’ve elected, because preserving our rights, our freedoms, and our democracy will require bold leadership, not just in the halls of Congress, but in Governor’s mansions and statehouses, on city councils and on school boards.

Even in these dark moments, we can celebrate Arena-trained staff as a beacon of light, and know that our country is stronger thanks to their incredible work.