(BSDMS) – TENNESSEE – Pro-environment progressive Marquita Bradshaw was outraised 250-1 by her opponent representing the establishment but managed to win her Tennessee Senate Democratic Primary in an astonishing upset on Thursday. Bradshaw ran on a progressive platform which includes supporting the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.
One of Bradshaws’ four primary opponents, James Mackler, had the endorsement of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. Mackler also raked in more than $2 million during his election campaign. In contrast, Bradshaw is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America’s Memphis-Midsouth chapter and was only able to raise a bit over $8,400.
“The progressive movement is undeniable! Thank you all so much for your support and this victory. It’s time to put hardworking people first. Onward,” Bradshaw said of her win and her campaign that was fully run by volunteers.
https://twitter.com/Rosemvmt/status/1291578063231127552
The environmental Sunrise Movement run by youths held a celebration for Bradshaw’s win, that it was a testament to her vision’s power of supporting a Green New Deal that “puts racial justice at its core.”
“She took down the party-backed candidate who raised millions of dollars. It’s 2020 and big things are happening y’all,” the Sunrise Movement tweeted.
Environmental justice is social justice. I've lived in Memphis for 46 years, and I am proud to call it home.
But let's face it– TN deserves better. Tomorrow, you get to decide which direction we're headed.
Let's move forward together! https://t.co/NefIL08FJj #GoVoteTN pic.twitter.com/d11DUhjAtN
— Marquita Bradshaw (@BradshawforTN) August 5, 2020
Bradshaw is set to face Bill Hagerty in November, who is a former U.S. Ambassador to Japan. On Thursday Hagerty squeezed out a win in a tight Republican primary race and is endorsed by President Donald Trump. A Democrat hasn’t won a Senate seat in Tennessee since 1990.
“This is a network that has reached across Tennessee. Now it’s time to move forward to flip this U.S. Senate seat. And we can do it by working together, by staying true to the principles… by listening to voters,” Bradshaw mentioned in describing her campaign.
“I don’t have an opponent. We have issues to solve. And that’s the reason why we’re leading in the state right now. And that’s how we’re going to flip this U.S. Senate seat,” Bradshaw concluded.
Kyle James Lee – BSDMS – This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
