I am now publishing Where To Give Now as a Substack newsletter. Read and subscribe!
Here’s a sneak peak:
The most frequent question I get these days is, “How are you feeling?” And my answer of late has been, “Not awesome.”
The gut punches of the last few weeks have hurt. The Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act and Southern states responded swiftly to eliminate majority-Black districts in the name of partisan (but definitely not at all racial, no sir-ree) gerrymandering. I likened this to the feelings we had after the Dobbs decision -- the highest court in the land said a huge segment of the country is less than. Sadly, it’s a feeling Black voters are all too familiar with.
Then the Virginia Supreme Court overruled the will of the voters and invalidated their new map and voters in Indiana supported Trump-backed five primary challengers to a handful of state legislators who dared to defy him on redistricting. It’s hard to rally in the face of these setbacks. I may have had a good cry over a few glasses of wine on Saturday night. But rally we must -- and we must keep the long game in perspective.
Democrats are in an excellent position for a blue wave in November. But blue waves do not just happen; they need to be nurtured and funded. The Democratic brand is still dismal with voters and leadership has yet to put forward a proactive agenda. But Trump’s declining poll numbers present an opportunity to reclaim power. As we saw with the primaries in Texas and North Carolina last week and with special elections since Trump 2.0, Democrats want to win and are willing to toss aside establishment candidates to do so. We need candidates who meet the moment.
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So much for summer doldrums. Between the Big, Terrible Bill over July 4th, the Alaska Summit, DC takeover, and more, there is a lot going on.
My social media was filled this week with clever Traylor memes and reposts, especially political ones. This one from the AFL-CIO is one of my favorites. Happy Labor Day, thank you unions.
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Don’t need to give today! But get ready for recounts at all levels and likely post-election protection, litigation, ballot curing, and messaging. Today is Election Hero Day. Please take a moment to thank election workers you come into contact with today, tomorrow, and always.
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If you’re in full freak out mode, get off the computer and DO SOMETHING. My family and I knocked doors in CO-8 last weekend and it felt wonderful to be out there (and not just because of the beautiful fall weather in Colorado). We’re heading to Las Vegas to canvass this weekend and have been doing postcards with MomsRising and letters with Vote Forward as well.
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Labor Day is the unofficial kickoff of campaign season. While Election Day is 61 days away, absentee ballots will be mailed out in North Carolina THIS Friday, 9/6, and early voting starts in Pennsylvania on 9/16. We cannot let our foot off the gas. This will be a very close election at the top of the ticket and down the ballot.
Annual polling reminder: Margin of error is real. Every battleground state is within the margin of error. They will all be close. Stop refreshing FiveThirtyEight and get to work.
Scroll down for how to help key candidates, battleground state GOTV efforts, and election administration and election protection efforts.
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