September 29th, 2016
Candidates in PA, UT, and WI Defend the Rights of Nonreligious Americans
For Immediate Release
Contact: Ron Millar, 202-238-9088 ext. 201, rmillar@cfequality.org
(Sept. 29, 2016)—The Freethought Equality Fund Political Action Committee is proud to announce its latest endorsements of secular candidates for public office. They include: secular humanist Patrick Edwards, Pennsylvania General Assembly candidate for District 62; nonreligious, transgender woman Misty K. Snow, US Senate candidate for Utah; and ally to the secular community Lisa Subeck, candidate for the Wisconsin State Assembly District 78.
“With one-quarter of Americans now identifying as nonreligious, it is crucial to the future of American politics to have candidates who advocate for nontheists’ interests,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the Freethought Equality Fund referring to research released last week by the Public Religion Research Institute. “By defending scientific integrity, civil liberties, and the rights of nonreligious Americans, these candidates serve as role models to politicians who wish to run as openly secular as well as to politicians who wish to represent all of their constituents, both religious and nonreligious.
The Freethought Equality Fund PAC is proud to endorse:
Patrick Edwards is seeking election to the Pennsylvania General Assembly in District 62. Edwards identifies as a secular humanist. He is one of three elected auditors for White Township in Indiana, Penn., and is a senior at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), where he is pursuing a double major in Political Science and Economics. Edwards is also president of the Secular Student Alliance of IUP. His campaign is focused on promoting accountability and restoring trust in the state government. Edwards advocates for policies that increase personal freedom, allowing people to make their own choices while ensuring that people have access to affordable and quality health care and universal pre-kindergarten education and tuition-free public college. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and will face the Republican incumbent, David Reed, in the general election.
Misty K. Snow is seeking election to the US Senate in Utah. She won a competitive Democratic primary on June 28 to become the first openly transgender nominee for federal office of a major party, along with US Representative candidate Misty Plowright of Colorado. Although raised Mormon, she now does not identify with any religion. Snow is an ardent progressive, dedicated to promoting public policy that will address climate change, provide full equality for the LGBTQ community, make higher education affordable, protect women’s reproductive rights and build an economy that benefits all Americans. In the general election, she faces Republican incumbent Mike Lee.
Lisa Subeck is seeking re-election to the Wisconsin State Assembly in District 78. Subeck is a strong supporter of the separation of government and religion and a proven ally of the secular community. When she served on the Madison City Council, she co-sponsored legislation to specifically include the nonreligious as a protected class under Madison’s Equal Opportunity Ordinance. Representing Madison, she has worked closely with the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), which is based there. This relationship began while Subeck was the director of NARAL Pro-Choice Wisconsin, which worked with FFRF Founder Anne Nichol Gaylor on reproductive rights. Subeck handily won her primary on August 9 and faces an independent candidate in the general election.
More information about the candidates endorsed by the Freethought Equality Fund PAC can be found here.
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The mission of the Freethought Equality Fund (FEF) is to change the face of American politics and to achieve equality by increasing the number of open humanist and atheists, and their allies, in public office at all levels of government. FEF supports progressive candidates who are strong advocates for the separation of religion and government and the protection of American’s civil liberties. FEF is affiliated with the Center for Freethought Equality, which is the advocacy and political arm of the American Humanist Association. To learn more about the Freethought Equality Fund, visit Facebook and Twitter.
