Tim Cywinski is a grassroots advocate who’s spent over a decade fighting for a simple idea: power should come from people, not corporations, special interests and not bad-faith politicians.
Tim began his journey in politics working on electoral campaigns and interning for Senator Tim Kaine, but his career didn’t truly begin until he shifted to public advocacy. After college, Tim worked for the National Education Association, working with teachers and aspiring educators to restore Pell Grant funding and improve support programs for the teachers who shape our future. Tim then switched to a non-partisan policy organization called Virginia21, where he lobbied state government for policies that promote economic opportunity for young Virginians, fought to expand financial aid for underserved students, and pushed for stronger campus safety policies. During this time, Tim began training civic and community groups across the state on how to influence policy, lobby lawmakers, and bring attention to issues related to economic inequality, racial justice, and expanding medicaid for over 600,000 Virginians.
This experience taught Tim that politics works better when it’s people-driven, but it’s only possible when people become their own champions.
At the Sierra Club Virginia Chapter, Tim sees firsthand how big industry is so willing to sacrifice our air, water, and our communities in the name of profit. He dedicates his efforts to amplifying the voices of environmental justice communities. Beyond legislative work, Tim works directly with frontline communities fighting landfills, compressor stations, pollution intensive power plants, and reckless data center sprawl. These issues are not just about the environment – they're examples of how our system devalues the needs of people in order to prioritize the desires of special interests. Those same special interests inundate our political system with big campaign checks and armies of lobbyists. This imbalance of representation creates a chokehold on our ability to revitalize the American dream and allow people to live out their right to pursue a healthy, happy life.
While Tim has helped lead major environmental justice victories, he knows a deeper truth: people shouldn’t have to fight this hard just to protect their homes, their health, or their future.
Tim is running for Congress because he’s seen how the system is designed to exhaust us – how the odds are too often stacked in favor of the wealthy and well-connected. But he also knows that few things are more powerful than the audacity of the underdog. He’s spent his career helping everyday people build power—from teachers and students to justice forward advocates and communities left out in the cold— and he’s not done yet.