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Most elected officials are still wealthy, white men. New Power Project is trying to change that.
Here's how a new Boston-based political organization is helping to elect more working class, BIPOC candidates.
Despite constituting a majority of the population, working class Americans hold only 10% of city council seats, 3% of state legislature seats, and 2% of congressional seats, according to a recent breakdown of elected legislator professions.
More than 76% of city councilors are white, most state legislatures lack diversity and are overwhelmingly male, and despite recent progress, members of Congress are most likely to be white men.
Political barriers to entry often prove impossible to scale, and a toxic political environment drives workers — specifically Black and brown people — away from elected office.
But a new Boston-based political organization is trying to change that.
The New Power Project, founded in 2021 by New Politics to help elect working class candidates, provides community leaders with cost-free resources, consulting, and connections to “revitalize democracy and to support new leaders who are running for down ballot races,” director of New Power Devon Myers told Boston.com.
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“We are really focused on Black and brown candidates running for down ballot races,” Myers said. “We know that there are unique and significant barriers when people of color enter the political arena.
“And moreover, we know that there are a lot of community servants that are doing great work, but they don’t have a traditional background, they don’t have the money to have access to those resources to make their campaign competitive when they run for office,” he said. “So, similar to our parent organization New Politics, our goal is to break down those barriers and provide a pathway.”
Advice for servant leaders
New Power offers candidates who have engaged in public service — known in the organization as servant leaders — free campaign training services and advisors, fundraising opportunities, mentorship from an already-elected official, and a network of political connections that most working class candidates would otherwise lack if they were to run for office.
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“All of our services are for no cost and we are not expecting them to support a partisan or policy agenda,” Myers said. “We are only looking at supporting leaders who want to put people before politics.”
In 2022, New Power’s first year offering support, the organization backed six candidates nationally. Four of those candidates, including two in Massachusetts’ Essex District, won their elections.
“As a dedicated committed leader with over a decade of service, I am honored to serve the people of Lawrence, and grateful for the support of New Power, an organization that was instrumental in helping me break down barriers and obstacles, ultimately leading to my successful election,” First Essex District state Sen. Pavel Payano said in a statement to Boston.com. “Through their program, I received invaluable mentorship and guidance, and it is a source of great pride for me to be among the first cycle of candidates in the New Power program.”
New Power raised nearly $12,000 in 2022, evenly dispersing $2,800 between Payano and the other five candidates, according to a New Politics Annual Report. And for the organization’s 2023 slate of nine candidates, New Power will look to “continue expanding pathways to public office for servant leaders.”
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New Power receives candidate referrals from community organizations, and if New Power and the candidate seem to share the same vision, the candidate will be set up with a campaign advisor. After the advisor works with the candidate and members from their community to confirm New Power and the candidate’s visions align, New Power’s advisory council — which includes Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell — determines whether to provide an endorsement.
“Other orgs will just endorse, on their website, a bunch of candidates and that’s fine,” Emily Cherniack, executive director and founder of New Politics, told Boston.com. “But we’re about, who are the exceptional, transformational leaders that we want to place bets on, and support, and really go all in on? So that’s our philosophy of political leadership … we vet you, we work with you, and then we’ll do a public endorsement, which basically means you are who we thought you were, and we are proud and excited to support you.”
From New Politics to New Power
Founded in 2013, New Politics, New Power’s parent organization, embraced the mission of providing military veterans and service leaders with the necessary resources to run for elected office. The organization has helped nearly 60 candidates win elections, including Massachusetts congressmen Jake Auchincloss and Seth Moulton, state reps. Shirley Arriaga, Jon Santiago, and Simon Cataldo, and state Sen. John Cronin.
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“We say the lack of political leadership in this country is not for a lack of leaders in this country,” Cherniack told Boston.com. “We know where they are, and there are talented and inspirational leaders from diverse backgrounds that have served in military and military programs, Peace Corps, public service oriented [programs]. And our goal is to recruit them and guide them along the political path.”
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“Our goal is to sort of be a political sherpa, if you will,” Cherniack added. “A lot of those candidates just don’t even know how to get started.”
And after nearly 10 years of working with military and servant leaders, New Politics created New Power to provide election resources to BIPOC and working class candidates.
“All the candidates that we have supported are really effective in bringing out voters and people who have not voted before,” Myers said. “They look like the community, they’ve invested in the community, and they know that, at least in their neighborhood, residents know that once they put them in halls of power, that whatever policies that they endorse or support, it will reflect what the community wants.”
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