Democrats are building from the bottom up, and it has been a fantastic day for great candidates in State House races in both Virginia and now Wisconsin!
As a Virginian, I was so excited to see the results of the recount in the Virginia House of Delegates. ONE VOTE. Just one vote means that the Democrats now have 50 votes in the House of Delegates vs. the 50 the GOP has. A year ago, the split was 66-34.
Remember this: Virginia is the froth of any wave — and this one looks like a tsunami! Congratulations, Shelly Simonds.
And tonight, progressive environmentalist Greta Neubauer — in her first election — won the primary in the 66th Assembly District in Wisconsin!
Candidates like Greta are our future.
I was alerted to Greta’s campaign by my niece, who was in her class at Middlebury College. My niece told me that she had worked with Bill McKibben on the 350.org project at Middlebury. I sent an email to Bill and asked him about her. This is what he wrote:
Greta is a remarkable woman — the perfect combination of idealist and realist, as level-headed as she is passionate about protecting the future. Her ability to connect with many different kinds of people makes her a natural for bringing about change from inside the halls of power.
This is what she stands for:
“I am running for State Assembly because we need the next generation of leaders to stand up to the powerful special interests that buy our politicians and corrupt our democracy. Together we can enact a green New Deal that provides living wage jobs and protects our environment. We can embrace our diversity and ensure every person has the opportunity to live up to their potential.
“Growing up in Racine, I saw how difficult it was for many families to make ends meet. I joined the 2008 Obama campaign because, like Barack Obama, I believe this country can do better. I became active in the environmental movement when I saw politicians mortgaging my generation’s future because they were afraid to stand up to the fossil fuel industry. I have been fighting for an economy based in the principles of resilience and equity, an economy for all of us, ever since.
“For far too long, Scott Walker and his billionaire backers have been using our state and our community as a testing ground for their most extreme right-wing policies. They continue to gut workers’ rights, demonize immigrants, and lock-up people of color at unacceptable rates. We need leaders who will stand up to bad ideas, such as tax breaks for the wealthy, resegregating our public schools or using our tax dollars for an unnecessary arena.”
No GOP candidate entered the race. Greta will now be in the Wisconsin Assembly. She will speak for us.
Despite all the deadwood in our current Congress, I take heart from the wins tonight. We can never give up. We absolutely CANNOT.