JVP Action Endorsements 2026
Our Congressional Candidates
Rev. Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes III, TX-30 — PRIMARY WINNER
Rev. Haynes is a longtime faith leader, community advocate, and coalition-builder committed to justice, opportunity, accountability, and working people. For more than forty years, Reverend Haynes has served as the Senior Pastor at Friendship-West Baptist Church. From his pulpit, he attracted national attention for speaking out against Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. Now, Rev. Haynes is running to bring the voices, values, and vision of those on the “outside” into Congress.
Chris Rabb, PA-03 — PRIMARY WINNER
Rep. Rabb is a five-term state representative for northwest Philadelphia. He has spent his career challenging corporate power, advancing social justice, and standing up for communities too often ignored by political insiders.
Rep. Rabb is an unwavering voice for Palestinian rights and in Congress he will work to end U.S. complicity in Israeli apartheid and genocide - including ending military funding to Israel, working toward an arms embargo, and supporting the Palestinian right of return.
In Congress, Rep. Rabb will merge the fight for a free Palestine with the fight to dismantle systems of oppression and fascism here at home.
Dr. Adam Hamawy, NJ-12 — PRIMARY WINNER
Dr. Hamawy is a surgeon who has operated in war zones and humanitarian crises around the world. In 2024 he went on medical missions to Gaza, where he treated patients who had been hit by Israeli bombs and shot by Israeli snipers. He came home and began telling everyone who would listen what he saw. Now he's running for Congress to force the people in power to hear it — and to be a leader with the courage to stand up to corruption and the competence to make life better for working families.
Darializa Avila Chevalier, NY-13
Darializa is a 32-year-old Afro-Latina organizer, UAW member, and daughter of Dominican immigrants who has been fighting for working class communities her entire life. She’s a fierce champion for Palestinian freedom who has been a longtime committee organizer in the Palestinian freedom movement.
Her unshakeable commitment to organizing for a more just, dignified, and affordable future for New Yorkers stems from seeing her own loved ones and community experience the struggles of the U.S. immigration system, structural racism, and socioeconomic inequality. In Congress, Darializa will merge the fight for a free Palestine with the fight for affordable lives here in the U.S. free of fascist repression against our communities.
Claire Valdez, NY-07
Claire is an NY State Assemblymember, union organizer and proud democratic socialist running for Congress to deliver for the working class.
Claire has been loudly and unapologetically outspoken for Palestinian freedom and an end to the U.S. backing of the Israeli government’s atrocities in Gaza. During her time in the state assembly, Claire has proven herself to be a leader in the fight to tax the rich, protect tenants, and empower working people. Now, she’ll bring the fight for justice from working class communities in her district to Palestine directly to Congress.
Melat Kiros, CO-01
Melat is an immigrant and lawyer, born in Ethiopia and raised in Denver. She believes a better world is possible and is fighting to deliver a government that works for working people. She knows what it costs to tell the truth about Palestine in this country — and she's done staying quiet about it.
Melat is running in Colorado's 1st Congressional District against a 30-year establishment Democrat. She's running for Medicare for All, to abolish ICE, to lift up working families, and to end U.S. military funding for Israel's genocide and apartheid.
Cori Bush, MO-01
Cori is a former nurse, a pastor, an activist, and a mother who served as the U.S. representative from Missouri's 1st congressional district from 2021 to 2025.
In Congress, she was one of the Palestine movement’s closest allies. JVP Action worked with Cori directly in October 2023 to introduce the historic Ceasefire Resolution, and partnered with her to work to block weapons sales, end military funding, and block repressive legislation. She fought for affordability, housing security, wrote public safety legislation and delivered millions in violence prevention funds for St. Louis. Cori was such an effective champion for our movements that AIPAC spent over $9 million to oust her in the last election cycle.
Saikat Chakrabarti, CA-11
Saikat has centered Palestinian rights, ending U.S. complicity in decades of Israeli apartheid, and holding Israel accountable for the ongoing genocide. He embraces the movement and wants to work together to increase our power in D.C. — just as he did with the climate justice movement and the Green New Deal while working with Justice Democrats and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
He is not afraid to fight back both against the Trump regime’s warmongering and the Democratic establishment leaders who try to silence those who speak out for Palestinian freedom.
Zeeshan Hafeez, TX-33
Zeeshan Hafeez is running for Congress to put people over profit. He has deep roots in his community, a record of service, and he is grounded in integrity and the desire to bring real results to working families across the district. His campaign is powered by local organizers, young people, working families, and a growing coalition of Latino, Black, Asian, and Muslim voters who want a representative who lives here, shows up here, and fights for the people who live here.
Robert Peters, IL-02
Robert is a member of the Illinois State Senate and has been a longtime trusted progressive organizer and leader in Illinois, including spearheading a successful fight to end cash bail across the state and fighting for racial and economic justice.
Robert was among the first Jewish elected officials calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire as Israel launched its genocidal assault on Gaza, including joining and speaking at a Jewish Voice for Peace protest in front of the Israeli consulate in November of 2023. He joined the Uncommitted Movement in August of 2024 to demand that the DNC platform a Palestinian speaker, and he is a proud sponsor of a bill in the State Senate to repeal the state’s unconstitutional anti-BDS law.
Our State-Level Candidates
Ruwa Romman, GA State Senate District 7 — PRIMARY WINNER
Ruwa is a Georgia State Representative, an organizer, and an unwavering fighter for justice. The granddaughter of Palestinian refugees, Ruwa moved to Georgia from Jordan when she was 8 years old. As a community organizer, policy strategist, and as a legislator, Ruwa has fought tirelessly to take homes back from corporate landlords, lower utility costs, raise the minimum wage, protect immigrants, and support Palestinian freedom.
Aber Kawas, NY State Senate, District 12
Aber is the daughter of Palestinian refugees, an anti-Zionist community organizer, and a socialist running for State Senate.
For more than 15 years, Aber has been at the front lines of the fight for working class New Yorkers — from the Fight for 15 to raise the minimum wage, to countering police surveillance and harassment, and organizing for immigration reform. She is a longtime leader in the Palestinian liberation movement, and was one of the core leaders who worked with now-mayor Zohran Mamdani to launch the Not On Our Dime campaign.
Conrad Blackburn, NY State Assembly, District 70
Conrad is a public defender, a labor organizer, and proud Democratic Socialist running to represent Harlem in the State Assembly. I've stood with and defended people who have suffered under state violence, and worked at the State and City level to write and change our criminal justice laws, including Local Law 42 which ended solitary confinement in New York City jails.
Conrad is an unapologetic and unwavering voice in the movement for Palestinian liberation and is ready to bring that movement to the halls of Albany.
Samantha Kattan, NY State Assembly, District 37
Samantha is the first-generation daughter of immigrants, a working parent, a tenant organizer, and a proud democratic socialist. She’s running for NY State Assembly because she’s seen firsthand the unaffordable and unlivable conditions too many New Yorkers are forced to endure — and she’s also seen how much power we have when we organize together.
In the NY State Assembly, she will fight for social housing, strong tenant protections, universal healthcare, free childcare, immigrant rights, and greener, healthier neighborhoods.
Diana Moreno, NY State Assembly, District 36
Diana is a Queens mom, an immigrant organizer, and a proud democratic socialist running in an upcoming special election for Assembly District 36. Born in Ecuador, her politics are informed by my immigration story, her working-class upbringing, and over a decade of organizing and advocacy unionizing faculty and graduate students. She’s fought to protect the rights of migrant farmworkers and their children, organized undocumented workers in Queens, and supported New York's union nurses and healthcare workers to win fair contracts and defend access to healthcare.
Since becoming a State Assembly member in February of 2026, Diana has become the lead sponsor of the Not On Our Dime Act - historic legislation to stop the flow of New York State tax dollars to groups that are funding Israeli war crimes against Palestinians.
David Orkin, NY State Assembly, District 38
David is an immigrant workers’ rights attorney, union organizer, and proud anti-Zionist Jewish New Yorker running for NY State Assembly.
David is a longtime JVP member and dedicated organizer in the struggle for Palestinian freedom.
He’s seen that his district is facing serious challenges, like rising rents, unaffordable healthcare and childcare, wage theft, and the terrifying threat of ICE raids. He’s running because he’s sick of watching our status quo politicians fail to stand up for everyday New Yorkers. He’s dedicated my life to defending workers and immigrants; now he’s ready to bring this fight to Albany.