Next Up Action Fund convenes an endorsement committee each election cycle to determine support for candidates.

Final decisions are evaluated based on questionnaire responses, interview responses, and the overarching goal to amplify and support young people in Oregon to be leaders in their community. We are particularly interested in races that include candidates and campaigns aligned with our values and people that are under 35 years old, are Black, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Latine, LGBTQIA+, disabled, women, low income, and immigrants.

Next Up Action Fund is a trusted messenger to young people who are deciding which candidates share their values around racial, gender and economic justice. An endorsement from us may also lead to contributions of staff and volunteer time to some campaigns. For example, in 2020 we made tens of thousands of calls for candidates in key races, significantly contributing to the field efforts of candidates for Representatives Wlnsvey Campos and Ricki Ruiz and helping elect them to their current seats.

In the past two years, our impactful candidate work has taken off. In 2020 Next Up Action Fund recruited Wlnsvey Campos to run for HD 28 becoming the youngest House Representative ever in Oregon. In that same year we worked to elect Ricki Ruiz and Khan Pham to the House. 

• 2020: Rep. Wlnsvey Campos: we did 100% of the texts and 33% of the calls
• 2020: Rep. Ricki Ruiz: we did 59% of the texts and 51% of the calls
• 2020: Rep. Khanh Pham: we did 14% of the calls

During each election season, we publish an endorsement questionnaire that candidates are welcome to complete. Please note the following guidelines:

1. Next Up Action Fund will only endorse in races that will directly impact our base, including campaigns at all levels of state and local government, from school boards to statewide offices.
2. Next Up Action Fund has a goal of supporting young Oregonians to be leaders in their community. Therefore, we are prioritizing candidates who are aligned with our values, and who are under 35 years old. We are also prioritizing candidates who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color, LGBTQIA+, people living with disabilities, women, people that are low income, and people from underserved communities regardless of age. We are also only considering endorsements in the following geographic regions: Multnomah County, Clackamas County, Washington County, and Marion County. We may proactively decide to engage with candidates who meet these criteria.
3. Next Up Action Fund will make our endorsement process public on our website and social media and will share it with partners, but we will not proactively send it out to all candidates.
4. Next Up Action Fund reserves the right to not endorse in any race because we are using our Mission, Vision, and Values to guide us toward any endorsements. We may decline to endorse in some races entirely.
5. Next Up Action Fund wants to stand behind candidates who are there for us, whether we have checkbooks or not. We believe in the power of our endorsement. However, we cannot guarantee any political contributions at this time. We are potentially able to offer other kinds of support, but cannot guarantee it as a consequence of endorsement.
6. Next Up Action Fund strives to be equal, accessible, and open in its endorsement process to all candidates who are serious about pursuing goals in alignment with Next Up’s mission, vision, and values. If any candidates or campaigns have questions or concerns, please reach out to Devin Ruiz with Next Up.

If you have additional questions, please contact Devin Ruiz at devin@nextuporegon.org

An endorsement means you share a similar vision and values as Next Up’s base. If an elected candidate is not able to align their advocacy, voting record, or efforts with what they expressed in seeking the organization’s support, we will rescind our endorsement for the elected candidate.