Friends, you should be walking around town with smiles on your faces today. We still have a long road ahead, but we made major strides toward a progressive future yesterday. A list of outcomes to celebrate:
For Durham:
- While not unexpected, a long list of progressive candidates were elected to office up and down the ballot. Our city and county are moving forward in exciting ways.
- Turnout was great in Durham. We’ve added lots of new voters, engaged previously inactive voters, and laid the groundwork for a massive contribution to statewide races in 2020 (see Cooper, Roy and Tillis, Thom).
For North Carolina:
- We broke the supermajority in the State House, and pending provisional ballots and recounts may also have done so in the State Senate. Roy Cooper now has a working veto pen and a bully pulpit. This news cannot be overstated in importance. North Carolina has a functioning government again starting in January.
- We elected Anita Earls to the State Supreme Court. That’s now a 5-2 majority that will be a bulwark against legislative excesses and an opportunity to undo some of the worst legislation of the last couple years.
- We defeated the power-grabbing structural amendments that would have locked in conservative rule for years.
For the United States:
- In a massive rebuke to the President, we won a huge national vote margin and took back the House of Representatives. Accountability returns to Washington in January, accompanied by a host of young, exciting, progressive representatives.
- We flipped seven governorships, including several in key 2020 states like Wisconsin and Michigan.
Other Stuff:
- Progressive priorities won all across the country, with Medicaid expansion in deep red states, re-enfranchisement in Florida, voting reform in Michigan, etc.
Was it a perfect night? No. We will rue the U.S. Senate losses and their impact on the federal judiciary, and it remains clear that racism, xenophobia, sexism, and general hate have frightening and enduring power in this country. But we made a statement last night, and we have set the stage for another statement in two years.
So now we get back to work! Two years to register voters, build a more progressive and engaged community, and find the next generation of leaders who will leap from last night’s foundation to new heights of progress and hope for the future. Job well done, friends – take a breath and rest, then pick your next opportunity to engage and let’s get moving!
Durham Precinct 35.3 