There were two things we knew about the Georgia special election from day one: First, that the race was always going to be a long shot, and second, that win or lose, we’d still have many, many more battles ahead of us. We didn’t get involved in Georgia because we thought it would be easy. We got involved because we have to seize every opportunity to resist Donald Trump and those who aid and abet him.
And while we came very close in a dark red district that should never have been competitive in the first place, we know that losing still sucks. But while it’s okay to be disappointed, we can't get discouraged, because Trump and his enablers haven’t gone away. These other fights still await.
So let’s get fighting.
Daily Kos is ramping up our engagement on several new fronts, with a wide-ranging batch of fresh endorsements. The Democrats we’re supporting are running in a variety of races across the country, and they all need our help. Here’s our new group:
- New Hampshire: Manchester Alderman Kevin Cavanaugh is running in a special election for the state Senate that is coming up very soon, on July 25. Not counting this vacant seat (which had been held by a Democrat), Republicans have a 14-to-nine advantage in the chamber, but Democrats will have a real chance to take it back next year—and break the GOP’s stranglehold on New Hampshire, which they’ve already used to pass laws suppressing the vote. However, they need to start by keeping this very swingy seat, which went 48-47 for Hillary Clinton and 50-49 for Mitt Romney.
- Washington: It all comes down to one seat: If Democrats can win this special election this November, they’ll retake Washington’s state Senate—and gain control of the entire state government, opening the door for all kinds of progressive legislation. Prosecutor Manka Dhingra, a mental health and anti-domestic violence advocate, is our candidate, and she has an excellent chance to win this seat, which voted 65-28 for Clinton but is currently held by the GOP.
- Illinois: Rep. Dan Lipinski is one of the worst Democrats in the House. He supports amending the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage; he voted to overturn a regulation preventing states from withholding funds for Planned Parenthood; and he even reportedly sent some of his precinct workers to help a vocal pro-Trump mayor win re-election earlier this year. Lipinski’s district in the Chicago suburbs voted 55-40 for Clinton, so it can do much better, and marketing consultant Marie Newman is that better choice in next year’s Democratic primary.
There will be many more endorsements to come, because Daily Kos remains committed to electing more and better Democrats everywhere—and to resisting Trump however we can.
So please do your part and give $1 to each of these Democrats to fight back against the forces of Trumpism.