February 18, 2022

PHILADELPHIA — Today, 314 Action Fund announced its endorsement of nineteen STEM candidates running for state legislative and municipal offices across the United States. From state senate to city council, these scientists and STEM professionals are campaigning on a commitment to make science central to policymaking in their communities. This slate of state legislative and municipal endorsements marks 314 Action Fund’s first of the 2022 cycle.

Among today’s endorsed candidates are Padma Kuppa (Michigan Senate District 9), a clean energy and public education advocate and the first woman to receive her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from NIT Warangal; Tarik Khan (Pennsylvania House District 194), an advanced nurse practitioner who was invited by the Biden administration to share with other states his model for providing COVID-19 vaccines to homebound patients; and neuroscientist Dr. Tiffany Boyd Hodgson (San Diego Board of Supervisors), who serves on the Vallecitos Water District’s board of directors and on the Association of California Water Agencies’ Groundwater and Energy Committees.

“Strong STEM candidates for state legislative and municipal offices are critical to ensuring that issues like criminal justice reform, climate change, and the pandemic recovery are addressed with evidence-based policies,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, president of 314 Action. “We’re proud to endorse this slate of incredible pro-science candidates and are eager to work alongside them to advance policies that put facts above politics.”

Today’s new slate of endorsements for state legislative and municipal races is as follows:

California

– Dr. Louis Abramson, State Assembly, District 51 (Astrophysicist)

– Tiffany Boyd-Hodgson, San Diego Board of Supervisors (Neuroscientist)

– Dr. Kathleen Treseder, Irvine City Council (Biology Professor)

Georgia

– Luisa Wakeman, State Senate, District 6 (Registered Nurse)

Michigan

– Padma Kuppa, State Senate, District 9 (Mechanical Engineer)

Missouri

– Dr. Sam Page, St. Louis County Executive (Anesthesiologist)

Ohio

– Dr. Gavi Begtrup, State House of Representatives, District 27 (Physicist)

Oregon

– Dr. Maxine Dexter, State House of Representatives, District 33 (Physician)

– Dr. Lisa Reynolds, State House of Representatives, District 34 (Pediatrician)

– Dr. Sharon Meieran, Multnomah County Chair (Emergency Room Doctor)

– Lynn Peterson, Metro Council President (Civil and Environmental Engineer)

Pennsylvania

– Rick Krajewski, State House of Representatives, District 188 (Electrical and Computer Engineer)

– Tarik Khan, State House of Representatives, District 194 (Advanced Nurse Practitioner)

Texas

– Madeline Eden, State House of Representatives, District 17 (Software Engineer)

– Lisa Weber, State House of Representatives, District 22 (Industrial Engineer)

– Erin Zwiener, State House of Representatives, District 45 (Forestry Degree)

– Dr. Suleman Lalani, State House of Representatives, District 76 (Doctor)

– Jon Rosenthal, State House of Representatives, District 135 (Mechanical Engineer)

West Virginia

– Evan Hansen, State House of Representatives, District 79 (Environmental Scientist)

314 Action Fund is committed to building a bench of strong STEM candidates at the statewide, state legislative, and municipal levels who may pursue higher office in the future. In 2020, 314 Action Fund committed $1 million to elect scientists running for state legislative offices across the country in a partnership with the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and Democratic legislative caucuses.

314 Action recently 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 base of six million grassroots members to push for pro-science legislation at the federal and state levels.

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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 in helping over 100 statewide, state legislative, and municipal candidates win their races. In 2022, 314 Action Fund will continue working to elect science leaders and defeat climate deniers in Congress and legislatures across the country.