2022 Election Watch: Nebraska and West Virginia Primaries
Another Friday, another batch of RFS endorsed candidates heading into GOTV! On May 10th five of Run for Something candidates will appear on the ballot in West Virginia and Nebraska. Take a look below to learn if any of them are in your neck of the woods. Any extra support you can lend could make the difference between victory and defeat on Tuesday!
CANDIDATES
NEBRASKA
Kristen Dupree
Metropolitan Community College Board, At-Large
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Kristen is a community advocate, an actuary and a mom from Omaha, Nebraska. She’s running for Metro Community College Board of Governors because she believes higher education should be accessible to all.
She prioritizes ensuring MCC remains affordable and serves the diverse needs of its student population. When elected, she will work to identify new partnerships with non-profits and local businesses to provide hands on learning opportunities for students that also address needs in the community.
Sarah Slattery
Nebraska Legislature, District 2
Volunteer with Sarah
Chef Sarah Slattery was born and raised in Nebraska’s Legislative District 2. Sarah knows the community and its needs because she has been there her whole life. Philanthropy and community service are in Sarah’s blood. That’s why she has given so much of her time and talent over the years to lots of area nonprofit organizations, such as March of Dimes, Visiting Nurse Association, No Kid Hungry, the Nebraska Student Nutrition Action Committee, and St. John the Baptist School in Plattsmouth. Sarah even spent a year building Habitat for Humanity houses in Omaha as a member of the AmeriCorps National Service program.
Sarah is a single mother to Helen Rose, a 6th grader at St. John’s. Sarah is also currently the head of the school’s hot lunch program, where she has re-introduced fresh produce and scratch cookery with incredibly positive results. Sarah aspires to be the representative for ALL of District 2, and will work to fight for the rights of all its citizens. Sarah currently lives in Plattsmouth with her daughter Ellie, their dogs Alfred & Moxie, cats Pickles & Bean, and a whole lot of house plants.
John Frederickson
Nebraska Senate, District 20
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John Fredrickson is a father, husband, mental health professional and educator running to represent District 20 in the Nebraska Legislature. He has spent the last decade helping people overcome challenges through his work as a mental health provider and teaching the next generation of Social Workers as an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University. After growing up in Omaha, he returned from New York with his husband and son to grow his family in Omaha. He strongly believes that Nebraska is at its best when the Good Life is an opportunity for all Nebraskans — one that includes a strong, fully-funded public school system, quality, affordable mental health services and healthcare, and a strong local economy to support our community.
John’s career has centered around providing evidenced-based treatment to help those in need. He started his career at Callen-Lorde, a Federally Qualified Health Center that serves the LGBTQ community. He later served at NYU’s Student Health Center, and then opened his own private practice, where he currently works with people from all backgrounds. He has consulted businesses to bolster employee well-being and taught advanced graduate degree courses at Columbia University. In his line of work, success is determined by the ability to listen, develop trust, provide advice and drive change. This will be no different from the approach John will take in Lincoln — ensuring all Nebraskans grow and prosper from evidence-based policies.
WEST VIRGINIA
Joe Solomon
Charleston City Council, At-large
Volunteer with Joe
Joe Solomon is running for City Council (At-Large) in the country’s overdose capital — Charleston, West Virginia. Joe is running to decriminalize harm reduction, save lives, and build a city that isn’t rooted in so much pain.
Joe is a social worker and a public health advocate who has worked for the past four years to help build West Virginia’s largest overdose prevention group, SOAR. Joe worked with SOAR to distribute over 20,000 naloxone doses (aka Narcan) since COVID-19. Joe also worked with SOAR to triple the number of the city’s syringe disposal boxes.
Joe is also a used bookseller who sets up mini curated ‘book nooks’ inside cafes across Charleston and West Virginia. On an open evening, you can generally find Joe at the East End dog park playing fetch with his shelter pup.
Joe is running with a slate of other local candidates who are committed to a wide array of issues to make Charleston whole. This “Charleston Can’t Wait” slate is ready to decriminalize cannabis, provide a housing guarantee, build a citizen review board, and ensure paid sick leave for all.
Dr. Sydnee Smirl McElroy
West Virginia House, District 26
Volunteer with Sydnee
As a Family Physician and a lifelong West Virginian, Sydnee Smirl McElroy is running for the House of Delegates 26th district to serve her neighbors in the state she loves. After completing her undergraduate and medical training as a daughter of Marshall, she made the decision alongside her husband to stay and raise their children in their hometown. She is proud to have a job that allows her to care for the people of her district and also provide volunteer medical services through the Cabell Huntington Coalition for the Homeless. As a West Virginia delegate, she will work hard to protect the state’s most vulnerable citizens, improve healthcare access and affordability, invest in public education and teachers and support working families. Dr. McElroy hopes to ensure that her two children and all West Virginia children have the same amazing opportunities she had growing up in the Mountain State.
