2025 Endorsements | CFE PAC

As a federal political action committee, the focus of the Center for Freethought Equality Political Action Committee is Congressional candidates; however, running for – and winning – state and local seats is essential to increasing the visibility and political clout of the humanist and atheist community.

This year there are several special Congressional elections, state legislative races in New Jersey and Virginia, and municipal elections across the country. See what is on your ballot using the League of Women Voter's Vote411.

Our PAC is proud to endorse the following candidates in Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin for the 2025 elections. In addition to your vote, you should invest in your preferred candidates with your financial support and volunteer time. You can make a donation to our PAC here.

Arizona

Daniel Hernandez ran for Congress in Arizona’s 7th District. In the special Democratic primary election on July 15, he earned 14% of the vote finishing 3rd of five candidates. This seat was vacant following the death of Raul Grijalva. Hernandez was a member of the Arizona State House (2017-2023) and prior to that a school board member. He is credited with saving the life of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords in the assassination attempt in 2011. Hernandez is nonreligious.

California

Paloma Aguirre won election to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors in District 1. She earned 54% of the vote in the July 1 special election runoff. The Democratic incumbent in this seat resigned in January. Ms. Aguirre is the current Mayor of Imperial Beach and a member of the California Coastal Commission. She was raised Catholic but is now an agnostic.

Florida

Vance Ahrens ran for the Florida State Senate in District 19. She earned 46% of the vote in the special election on June 10 to replace the seat vacated by Republican Congressman Randy Fine (FL-6). She ran against Fine in 2024 and earned 41% of the vote in the general election. Ms. Ahrens is an atheist.

Josh Weil ran for Congress in Florida's 6th District. This was a special election to replace Republican Mike Waltz, who left the seat to take a position in the Trump administration. Waltz won re-election in 2024 with 67% of the vote. The special election was on April 1 and Weil earned 43% of the vote. Mr. Weil won the Democratic primary with 61% of the vote. He is as a non-practicing Muslim.

Illinois

Dylan Parker won re-election as an Alderman for the City of Rock Island, IL (Ward 5) with 70% of the vote in the April 1 election. This will be his third four-year term in this office. Alderman Parker is a humanist.

Michigan

Randal Bruce ran for Mayor of Farmington Hills, MI. He earned 29% of the vote in the general election. He was elected in 2021 to a four-year term on the Farmington Hills City Council. He also served on the Council from 2003 to 2019 and has served as Mayor Pro Tem. Councilmember Bruce is an atheist.

New Jersey

Rosy Bagolie won re-election to the New Jersey General Assembly in District 27. She earned 35.7% of the vote in the four-person general election race. She won the Democratic primary on June 10 with 32% of the vote. This was a contested primary with four candidates running for two seats. Assemblymember Bagolie is Jewish and an ally of our community.

Debra Di Donato ran for the New Jersey General Assembly in District 10. She withdrew from the contest prior to the general election. She won the Democratic primary on June 10 with 42% of the vote. This was a contested primary with three candidates running for two seats. Both incumbents in this district are Republican. Ms. Di Donato was raised Christian but does not practice.

Mitchelle Drulis won re-election to the New Jersey General Assembly in District 16. She earned 29.4% of the vote in the four-person general election race. She won the Democratic primary on June 10 with 45% of the vote. This was a contested primary three candidates running for two seats. She was first elected to this seat in 2023. Assemblymember Drulis is Catholic and an ally of our community.

Roy Freiman won re-election to the New Jersey General Assembly in District 16. He earned 29.5% of the vote in the four-person general election race. He won the Democratic primary on June 10 with 44% of the vote. This was a contested primary with three candidates running for two seats. He was first elected to this seat in 2017. Assemblymember Freiman is Jewish and an ally of our community.

Steven Pylypchuk ran for the New Jersey General Assembly in District 25. He earned 24.1% of the vote in the four-person general election race. He and his running mate, Marisa Sweeney (see below), were unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 10. The incumbents in this district are both Republican. He is a current member of the Morristown Council. Councilman Pylypchuk is an atheist and a humanist.

Carolyn Rush ran for the New Jersey General Assembly in District 1. She earned 22.5% of the vote in the four-person general election race. She won the Democratic primary on June 10 with 41% of the vote. This was a contested primary with three candidates running for two seats. The incumbents in this district are both Republican. Ms. Rush is a non-affiliated Christian.

Brandon Saffold ran for the New Jersey General Assembly in District 1. He finished third of three candidates in the contested Democratic primary on June 10 earning 24% of the vote. The top two candidates moved on to the general election. The incumbents in this district are both Republican. Mr. Saffold is an agnostic.

Balvir Singh won re-election to the New Jersey General Assembly in District 7. He earned 32.7% of the vote in the four-person general election race. He was elected to this seat in a special replacement convention in January. He won the Democratic primary on June 10 with 28% of the vote. This was a contested primary with three candidates running for two seats. Assemblymember Singh is a Sikh and an ally of our community.

Marisa Sweeney won election to the New Jersey General Assembly in District 25. She earned 25.2% of the vote in the four-person general election race. She and her running mate, Steve Pylypchuk, were unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 10. The incumbents in this district are both Republican. She serves on the Morristown Planning Board and Grow It Green Morristown’s Board of Directors. Dr. Sweeney is an agnostic atheist.

New York

Alexander Caruso ran for the New York City Council in District 19. He earned 32% of the vote in the Democratic primary on June 24. The Republican incumbent in this seat is Vickie Paladino. Mr. Caruso is Roman Catholic and an ally of our community.

John Deer won re-election for Manlius Town Supervisor. He earned 52.5% of the vote in the general election. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 24. He first won this seat in 2021. Deer is an atheist.

Harvey Epstein won election to the New York City Council in District 2. He earned 78% of the vote in the general election. He is a current member of the New York State Assembly in District 75. He won the crowded June 24 Democratic primary with 57% of the vote. Assemblymember Epstein is Jewish and agnostic.

Ohio

Kyle Herman won re-electon to the Stow (OH) City Council (At-Large). He earned 23% of the vote in the general election with five candidates running for three seats. He was first elected to this seat in 2023 for a two-year term. Councilmember Herman is a Christian humanist.  

Monica Wilson won re-election to the Parma (OH) City Council (Ward 1). She was unopposed in the general election. She was initially appointed to this seat and in 2023 she was elected to a two-year term. Councilmember Wilson is a humanist.   

Oklahoma

Amy Hossain ran for the Oklahoma State House in District 74. She earned 35% of the vote in the special election on June 10 to replace the Republican incumbent, Mark Vancuren, who resigned in January. As a mom, non-profit leader, and dedicated community advocate, Hossain is committed to making a positive impact in the lives of all Oklahomans. She is a Muslim.

Pennsylvania

Erica Deuso won election for Mayor of Downingtown in Pennsylvania. She earned 64% of the vote in the general election. She had the endorsement of the current mayor, who chose not to seek re-election. She won the Democratic primary on May 20 with 62% of the vote. Ms. Deuso was raised Catholic and now identifies as an atheist.

Daniel Miller ran for Mayor of Harrisburg in Pennsylvania. He finished second in a field of five candidates. Just 83 votes separated him from the winner. He is serving in his second term as the Harrisburg City Treasurer. He has also served as City Controller and Vice President of the Harrisburg City Council. The primary election was on May 20. Mr. Miller is an agnostic.

Texas

Jalen McKee-Rodriguez won re-election to the San Antonio, TX City Council (District 2) earning 61% of the vote in the May 3rd election. He will serve a third two-year term in this office. Councilmember McKee-Rodriguez is an agnostic.

Christian Menefee is running for Congress (TX-18) in a runoff election on January 31, 2026. In the November 4 special election, he came in first of 16 candidates with 29.4% of the vote. This is an open seat following the death of Sylvester Turner. Christian Menefee has served as the Harris County Attorney since 2021. He is a Christian and an ally of our community.

Virginia

Blaizen Bloom ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in District 89. They were a delegate to the 2024 Democratic Convention in Chicago. They earned 22% of the vote in the Democratic primary election on June 17. The Republican incumbent won the seat in 2023 with just 50.8% of the vote. Mx. Bloom is a humanist.

Melody Cartwright ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in District 48. She earned 35% of the vote in the general election. She ran for this seat in a special general election in this district in 2024 and earned 30% of the vote. She was unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 17. Melody's father, a Western Civilization and World History educator and confirmed Christian in the 1950s, taught that people need to be tolerant and supportive of all world religions and the right to non-denominational options. Ms. Cartwright is a Christian and ally of our community.

Mark Downey won election for the Virginia House of Delegates in District 69. In a very close race, he won with 50% of the vote to flip this district. This was his third effort to flip this district and our PAC endorsed him in each attempt. Raised in a Christian household and at a Lutheran church, Dr. Downey, a pediatrician, does not currently identify with any specific denomination.

Ghazala Hashmi won election for Virginia Lieutenant Governor. She earned 55.6% of the vote in the general election. She is currently a Virginia State Senator in District 15 and was first elected to this seat in 2019. She won the crowded Democratic primary on June 17 with 27% of the vote. The Republican incumbent, Winsome Earle-Sears, won this seat in 2021 with just 50.7% of the vote. Sen. Hashmi is a Muslim and ally of our community.

Sam Rasoul won re-election to the Virginia House of Delegates in District 38. He earned 70% of the vote in the general election. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary on June 17. In his eleven years in the General Assembly, Rasoul has worked to lower health care costs, pushed for intersectional justice through a Green New Deal, advanced the socio-emotional health of our children, fought to raise teacher pay to the national average, and advocated for good government in limiting the influence of special interests. He is a Muslim.

Dustin Wade ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in District 75. In the competitive three-person Democratic primary on June 17, he finished second earning 32% of the vote. The Republican incumbent, Carrie Coyner, won this seat in 2023 with just 52.8% of the vote. With regard to religion, Mr. Wade says, “I am spiritual, grounded in love, and guided by a belief in human dignity, compassion, and justice for all.”

Washington

Kevin Schilling ran for the Washington House of Representatives in District 33-Position 1. He earned 48% of the vote in the general election. This was a special election to fill and open seat. In the top-two primary on August 5, Schilling finished second with 31% of the vote and advanced to the general election. Schilling serves as Mayor of Burlen and is in his second term on the city council. Mayor Schilling is a humanist and a believer in omnism.

Katia Zakharoff ran for the Issaquah (WA) City Council, Position 6. She earned 31% of the vote in the general election. She currently serves on the city's Planning Policy Commission, Climate Action Plan Commission, and Commercial Property Standing Commission. Although she does not associate herself with any religion, she believes in the freedom of individuals to choose their own beliefs and respects their choices. Ms. Zakharoff is an atheist.

Wisconsin

Melissa Agard won re-election for County Executive for Dane County, WI with 81% of the vote in the April 1 election. She won a special election for this seat in 2024. She has previously served in the Wisconsin State Assembly and State Senate. County Executive Agard is an agnostic.