Mokah Jasmine Johnson is the Democratic candidate in Georgia’s House District 117, where Democrats lost by under 2,000 votes in 2018, after briefly taking the seat in a special election.
She’s endorsed by the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, Democracy for America, Our Revolution, NARAL, New Georgia, the Georgia Win List, and Georgia Conservation Voters, (and many more) and her roots are in activism directed at mobilizing her community to fight racism.
Sister District has a fantastic analysis of how Georgia’s House is within reach for Democrats, and making clear how supporting and energizing a local state legislative campaign can help the Biden/Harris campaign and two U.S. Senate races. In 2020, Mokah won her Democratic Primary to run for Republican-held Georgia HD-117 garnering 6,483 votes (108 votes more than the Republican incumbent.) Unfortunately and unsurprisingly, that incumbent is already up to dirty tricks and has launched a racist smear campaign falsely attacking Mokah and her record.
Her pivot was to put the focus squarely back on her Republican opponent, and in the process, to call out a deeply unfair system of racially targeted arrests:
My opponent built his political career on his grandfather’s work as a superior court judge. Yet, he fails to see that we have two justice systems in America: one that is deeply forgiving to wealthy, well-connected white people, and one that is brutal to poor people of color. As soon as it became politically advantageous, my opposition cynically leveraged the results of this systemic racism in an attempt to block me from yet another new job: State Representative.
-Mokah Jasmine Johnson
This is so on point for 2020. And this is exactly why focusing on a local race can move the needle for justice.
And I think our job, right now, as Democrats and activists centered at Dailykos, is to rally in support of Mokah by making a donation directly to her campaign.
(If you can’t do that, please follow and amplify her message on Twitter.)
I especially want to emphasize the importance of making a donation as a progressive.
If you come into this General Election as someone who wanted a more progressive candidate at the top of the ticket (raises hand) I think you should especially take a moment and learn about Mokah and donate to her campaign.
This is the most powerful way your small donor donation can support a candidate close to your values and still drive turnout for upballot races that matter. If that’s you, please give to Mokah today.
Rather than say anything more, I’d ask you to take one further moment and watch the video featuring Mokah Jasmine Johnson telling her own story for yourself:
Thank you for getting to know Mokah Jasmine Johnson. Whatever you do, please get involved supporting Democratic downballot candidates today. There are so many crucial races to support!
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Finally, please take a look at the other local candidates I’ve profiled in this diary series below. Trust me, this is how we win back power for Democrats, from the bottom up!
Akilah Bacy | Joanna Cattanach | Ricky Hurtado | Sara Rodriguez | State Level Impact 2020 ActBlue Page