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Gavin Bena 🗳

@gavinbena.bsky.social

1.1K followers 270 following 1.6K posts

your friendly local elections nerd & missouri young democrats representative for MO-02 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/gavinbena

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · Sep 2

Have my maps, graphics, and data helped you understand our political world? Please consider supporting my work at patreon.com/GavinBena by becoming a member!

Your help allows me to keep my work public rather than hiding democracy behind a paywall, and gives our local candidates-

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 23h

locals know the insider lore best

no further comment

Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 1d

Read into the crosstabs here: www.dataforprogress.org/datasets/oct...

Oct. 3-6 Polling on Government Shutdown (October 2025)

www.dataforprogress.org

Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 1d

By wide margins, likely voters-including most independents-agree that Trump and Republicans in Congress are responsible for the government shutdown - & that Democrats are in the right not to give Republicans a blank check and instead withhold support until they reverse the proposed healthcare cuts.

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 1d

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 1d

when whatever God there may be reads the story of our universe, I will be hiding from them between the pages of chapter 115 of the Missouri state statutes

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 3d

well I knew that already lol - though I think Sen. Williams would’ve retired to run for County Exec regardless

Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 3d

lack of a backbone isn’t the issue

it’s empty rhetoric, and lack of guts

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 3d

it's not a perfect guide but I think local legislators have a good mix of being caught up on The Lore, incentivized enough to think strategically, and mostly divorced from national interests like the DSCC or AIPAC

Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 3d

will say, all else being equal, I think it's usually best to defer to candidates with the most support from legislators

e.g.:
Peggy Flanagan > Angie Craig
Juliana Stratton > Raja Krishnamoorthi & Robin Kelly
Mallory McMorrow > Abdul El-Sayed & Haley Stevens

Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 3d

this primary has already brought on a couple headaches for me personally, but my only through line is-as it always is-that we need electoral reform.

Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 4d

🇺🇸

Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 5d

accomplished two things today:

getting petition sheets to block the 7-1 gerrymander of Missouri’s congressional districts

obliterating family members in Mariokart Wii, winning every single time despite not having played in years

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Reposted by Gavin Bena 🗳

Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 5d

In Missouri, House District2
38,000 are enrolled in ACA marketplace plans (8% of population)
33,000 received subsidies

if the Congress does not extend the enhanced subsidies set to expire, premiums will rise an estimated 75%
www.kff.org/affordable-c...

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 6d

If you agree with this change, likes and shares to spread awareness truly help, and are greatly appreciated. Let’s make our voices heard, and keep making good trouble!

Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 6d

You deserve to know that you can trust us to be focused on uplifting all voices and electing more Democrats, placing factional disagreements aside to do the hard work of organizing, building power, and fighting for your future.

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 6d

That’s why I’ll be proposing reforms that would raise our bar from 50% to 75%, matching the requirement set for Missouri Democratic Party State Committee endorsements and ensuring our interventions are limited only to cases where there is broad agreement in the best interest of our party as a whole.

Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 6d

I’ve had the opportunity to hear from my neighbors regarding the future of our party, I’ve seen the polling data, and I’ve read the news. At every level-local, state, and federal-we continue to face a crisis of trust at a time when our potential voters are desperate for a movement to believe in.

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 6d

Currently, the St. Louis County Democrats can endorse any candidate in a Democratic primary election by a simple majority vote.

I’m ready to change that:

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 9d

so disgusted and sad and angry with politics

enjoy creature

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 11d

I say “yeah I’m the youngest elected official in the state of Missouri that I’ve been able to find” and people look at me weird

then I say “oh and also one of my immediate predecessors was the mother of dylan brady of 100 gecs fame” and people lose their goddamn minds

Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 11d

gerrymandering should be an actual crime people can be convicted of and serve prison time for

this would send thousands of elected officials to prison but i do not care i think it is the right thing to do

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Reposted by Gavin Bena 🗳

John J @trianglman.johnnytproductions.com · 12d

Through spite and caffeine, all things are possible

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 12d

I’ve received a lot of questions recently from people overwhelmed and confused by the different initiatives circulating petitions for the 2026 ballot. I know it can be difficult to keep track, so I threw together a rough guide to the four major statewide campaigns to help us all stay on track!

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Gavin Bena 🗳 @gavinbena.bsky.social · 13d

thoroughly amused by the week’s local crime reports