John Avlon
Hello, I hope that your weekend was good.
Have you ever had a friend tell you that they’re running for office? I had that experience a few weeks ago – my friend John Avlon announced he is running for Congress in New York’s 1st district in Long Island.
If John seems familiar to you, he’s a journalist and author who has been a CNN anchor for years. He also was a guest on my podcast last year to talk about his latest book on Abraham Lincoln – he’s a massive history buff with a deep love of country.
“I talk about the importance of the time that we’re in, that democracy is at stake, and I felt like I shouldn’t just be talking, I should do something about it,” John said when I interviewed him on the podcast this week. “I thought that if I decided to run, I could make a seat competitive that otherwise wouldn’t be in play.”
From the early returns, he’s right. His announcement video has been watched 2.6 million times and he raised $400,000+ in his first week. “The reaction has been even better than I’d imagined,” John says. The local Democratic party helped enlist John in part because they thought he would inject some energy into the race.
“My opponent is endorsing Trump in a district that is a lot more middle-of-the-road. I’d like to provide a common sense alternative which is what most people seem to want.” John is focused on affordability. “When I talk to families, they are struggling to make ends meet. I want to bring back the child tax credit so families feel like they have a bit of support. I’ve got two young kids myself so I know how hard it can be.” He also wants to help address climate change in an area that has a lot of shoreline.
John is a longtime political reformer in favor of measures like Ranked Choice Voting. “We are rewarding the wrong behavior. I want to improve the incentives so that leaders feel like they can do the right thing without getting singled out or punished. A lot of that is about getting beyond the toxic partisanship that is so dominant right now.” John presented me an award at the Fairvote Gala last year and has been a friend to reform efforts for years. He would make a phenomenal ally in Congress – I can imagine some very smart reform bills getting a lot more energy with John as a co-sponsor.
I’m excited about John’s candidacy in large part because he’s genuine. You know when you see someone on TV and then wonder if they’re actually that sincere and patriotic in real life? Having known John for years, he’s the real thing. He cares. He’s stepping up to run because his country needs people like him to do just that. It’s what you want to see. Let’s help him win.
For my interview of John click here. To support his campaign click here. To check out the Forward chapter in your area click here.
