“Sachs looks to turn conservative tide in US state governments”

Economist Jeffrey Sachs is joining with a scion of the wealthy Pritzker family and a former New York state legislator to fund candidates for local offices in the hope of reversing a conservative tide that has put Republicans in control of most US state governments.

Their group, called Future Now, was scheduled to announce its first donations on Monday — about $160,000 to be distributed to 10 Democratic candidates running this year for Republican-held seats in the Virginia state legislature.

…To qualify for Future Now’s funds, candidates must agree to pursue 21 objectives ranging from a “liveable” wage for all jobs to universal health coverage, an end to the mass incarceration of non-violent offenders and support for “clean, safe energy”.

Future Now’s founders say their goals are meant to be reached by 2030. In the meantime, they say they will measure progress through such means as the publication of state-by-state statistics.

Here is more from Gary Silverman at the FT.