Democrats, Democracy Emerge as Election Winners
Congratulations to 21 NewDEALers who won their elections.
Americans across the nation spent the last few weeks casting ballots for a range of candidates for state and local office. And though some votes are still being tallied, the trend after Election Day is clear: Democrats and democracy emerged victorious.
First and foremost, congratulations to 21 NewDEALers who won elections in 10 states for positions ranging from city council to mayor to state legislator. We know these policymakers will continue the NewDEAL tradition of working toward pragmatic solutions to issues ranging from housing to childcare to climate change.
And in Virginia, NewDEAL celebrates state Sen. Aaron Rouse’s victory, which helped preserve the Democratic Senate majority, as well as four NewDEALers who won reelection to be part of the new Democratic majority in the state’s House of Delegates: Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Irene Shin, Mark Sickles, and Kathy Tran.
Across the country, Americans resoundingly voted to protect freedom and democracy. In Ohio, voters overwhelmingly supported an initiative to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. And in Pennsylvania, voters elected a pro-democracy justice to the state Supreme Court, while Kentucky re-elected a pro-choice, pro-LQBTQ governor in a traditionally conservative state.
And most importantly, citizens everywhere participated in free, fair, and safe elections. Despite the lies and misinformation from extremist Republicans about the integrity of American elections, officials and volunteers in large and small precincts did a phenomenal job administering this election.
While NewDEAL joins others in celebrating these victories, we know that protecting our democratic institutions takes year-round work. There is no time to waste in preparing for next year’s pivotal presidential election.
Therefore, NewDEAL calls on state and local leaders to double-down on initiatives to protect and strengthen our democracy. The NewDEAL Forum recently released “12 Priorities over 12 Months to Protect Democracy,” containing a dozen priorities, ranging from voter registration drives to increasing access to poll locations.
As defenders of democracy, we cannot rest on our laurels. We must continue to fight efforts to undermine our institutions. And based on this year’s election results, voters agree.
