WASHINGTON, D.C. — Candidates who committed to invest two percent of the federal budget in diplomacy and international assistance won some of the closest races in the country on Tuesday, after volunteers with the Alliance for American Leadership (A4AL) made 1,901,428 phone calls for its slate of 64 candidates across both parties. This total puts A4AL among the top phone bankers for the 2026 cycle.
A4AL-backed candidates won battleground races from coast to coast. In California, Derek Tran won reelection in a district which he won by 0.2% in 2024. In Arizona, Amish Shah won his race, flipping the First District. In Michigan, William Lawrence won the 7th District, a toss-up seat Republicans flipped in 2024. In Florida, Pia Dandiya won the 22nd District, a toss-up seat drawn this year to favor Republicans. In total, 58 of A4AL’s 64 endorsed candidates won on Tuesday, including 7 of the 8 who ran in races forecasters rated as competitive.
“I am signing the Two Penny Pledge because two percent is a concrete number to hold ourselves to,” Dandiya said in a statement. “America should be tough, trusted, and disciplined.”
The Two Penny Pledge asks Congress to dedicate two percent of the federal budget to diplomacy and international assistance. Candidates ran on the pledge because it’s popular: seven in ten Americans, Republicans and Democrats alike, support spending two percent of the budget on just international assistance alone, according to an independent survey by Echelon Insights.
The theory behind the pledge is that preventing crises is far cheaper than responding to them. COVID-19 cost the United States $16 trillion, and the War on Terror cost $8 trillion. Spending two cents of every federal dollar to prevent wars and pandemics would reduce the deficit while keeping Americans safe.
“When USAID was dismantled, young Americans decided they weren’t going to wait for someone else to fix it, and they made close to two million calls to prove that standing up for American leadership abroad is a winning issue,” said Asher Moss, founder and executive director of the Alliance for American Leadership. “Candidates in some of the toughest districts in the country ran on the Two Penny Pledge and won, and now we’re going to make sure the new Congress turns that commitment into a budget. A4AL is proud of every volunteer who picked up the phone.”
Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs, who won reelection on Tuesday, posted on Facebook: “I’m especially proud of this endorsement because the Alliance for American Leadership has done remarkable work bringing young people into this fight. Their volunteers made more than 100,000 calls to support my reelection. Our future lies with young Americans, and watching them mobilize for compassionate American leadership in the world gives me real hope.”
“The success of our endorsed candidates is a testament to the power of grassroots organizing and a new generation of Americans committed to global leadership,” said Vernessa Beharry, Managing Director of the Alliance for American Leadership. “When foreign assistance came under attack, our volunteers responded with action. We organized, mobilized, and made almost 2 million calls in support of candidates who understand that diplomacy and development are essential tools of American strength. These victories send a clear message that voters support strategic investments that advance our security, promote stability, and strengthen America’s standing in the world. This is only the beginning of what our movement can achieve.”
In the three months before the election, A4AL held 52 phonebanking sessions a week and mobilized volunteers and interns on a scale rarely seen before. Much of that capacity came from the Alliance’s internship program, which offers a new model for engaging young people through a chance to lead.
“At the end of the day, candidates supported us because we proposed common-sense principles that aligned with what America has always been about: principled leadership on the world stage. We’re proud that Americans across the country stood up for an America that believes in our better angels – America is the greatest country in the world, and part of why is precisely that we defend human dignity globally. Foreign assistance makes us more secure, promotes free and fair democracy, prevents famine, cures deadly disease, and protects human rights worldwide. We are grateful to every Member of the 120th Congress who signed the Two Penny Pledge, and we look forward to restoring and ensuring foreign assistance for years to come.” said Nikhil Manglik, Legislative Director of the Alliance.
“Sixty-five years ago, President Kennedy established USAID with a vision of an America actively engaged in the world. The agency may be gone, but its mission lives on in the people who served, the Americans who believe our country is stronger when we engage in the world, and a new generation determined to carry that mission forward” said Josh Richards, Policy Director of the Alliance for American Leadership. “This election marks an important step, but the real work lies ahead: building a durable bipartisan framework for American diplomacy and foreign assistance that reflects both our values and our national interests.”
“Humanitarian aid is the quiet strength of global diplomacy,” says Michael Belitzky, the Alliance’s Chief Strategy Officer,” and the U.S. ballot box is its steering wheel. Every election is a choice between retreating from the world stage or reaffirming our commitment to saving human lives wherever disaster strikes. A4AL endorsed candidates on a bipartisan basis, proving that foreign aid is a central component of our nation’s values regardless of political party. I am so honored to support a slate of candidates who are committed to preserving America’s leadership as a lifeline to the most vulnerable populations in times of need.”
About the Alliance for American Leadership
The Alliance for American Leadership is building a grassroots movement for global development. More than 130,000 Americans read its Substack, and over 2,000 have participated in its youth leadership program. In 2026, A4AL volunteers made more than 1,901,428 phone calls for endorsed candidates. Learn more at A4AL.org.
The full list of 64 endorsed candidates is available at: https://a4al.org/think-tank/a4al-announces-2026-endorsements-highlights-two-penny-pledge-signers
