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There Are Still Elections! [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-02-12
Lest we forget amidst the chaos, there are elections this year; Democrats must win as many of them as they can. Below is a list of some of the big ones.
Before that, however, it is necessary to address something that always comes up, and that is the attitude of, “We can’t win in [insert district here] because [insert reason here]. We shouldn’t waste our time or money.” This attitude is incorrect for a number of reasons:
Just as an example, if the Civil Rights movement took that attitude, they may still be trying to elect the first black representatives to state legislatures since Reconstruction.
Saying “Don’t bother, it’s a loser,” smacks of privilege: the privilege of not having skin in that race, the privilege of not having to think about those who are detrimentally affected by that outcome, the privilege of knowing your life will continue on just fine. None of us actually have that privilege. Not anymore.
Democrats for far too long have been saying such things. The strategy of only playing if we’re relatively sure we can win, however, has not worked out well. At all. Not at the state level, and not at the federal level.
There are recent examples of campaigns where we knew we were going to lose but we worked hard. Then, two years later, the groundwork that we laid lead to victory for an underdog on our side. One will never build toward anything if one refuses to try.
Practically speaking, Rs could and should be forced to play some defense in these districts, to invest time, money, and people from elsewhere, making their job harder down the road somewhere else.
With that, one final note: if Ds win all three of the expected House races, below, they can regain a one-vote majority. A long shot, certainly, but these are crazy times.
Upcoming special elections in to fill empty seats in the House of Representatives
Florida’s 1st District - April 1st
This seat was vacated by Matt Gaetz. It’s a deeply red district in the panhandle. The D candidate is Gay Valimont. She ran in 2024 and lost to Gaetz, 66-34. She is running again, this time against Jimmy Patronis (R) and a collection of smaller party and write-in candidates.
Gay’s webpages: homepage; donations
Florida’s 6th district - April 1st
This seat was vacated by now-National Security Advisor Michael Waltz. Another deep red district running from south Jax to Daytona Beach, Waltz won by a similar margin to Gaetz in November, but down 10% from 2022. Interestingly, party ID in the district is almost equal, around 40% each for Ds and Rs. Current state senator Randy Fine is the R nominee. Josh Weil, a public school teacher, is the D nomine and just a good, big-hearted human.
Josh’s webpages: homepage; donations
New York’s 21st District - Date to be determined
Elise Stefanik is expected to resign from this seat when/if she is confirmed as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. On Jan. 30th, her nomination was voted out of committee for a full vote in the Senate, which was expected within a week, but nothing has happened since. Now, it seems it may wait until the Florida special elections mentioned above have concluded. Regardless, no date for a special election has been set yet. Ds have already picked a candidate, Blake Gendebien, a dairy farmer from New York’s North Country. Rs have yet to settle on a candidate.
Blake’s webpages: homepage; donations
Wisconsin Supreme Court Election - April 1st
A part of a full slate of Wisconsin state elections, Susan Crawford, a liberal and endorsed by the state D party, is running to replace another liberal judge who is retiring. A victory will cement a liberal majority on the court until 2028. In 2023, a liberal won to shift the balance to liberals, in what was the most expensive judicial election ever. This one is shaping up to be little different.
Susan’s webpages: homepage; donations
Important elections in the Fall
Virginia: Governor and House of Delegates
Virginia’s off-year elections have long been seen as a harbinger for what might happen the following year during mid-terms. Former House Representative Abigail Spanberger (D) is running for Governor and widely expected to be the D nominee. She is opposed, most likely, by current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. While some are disappointed in Spanberger’s centrism, Earle-Sears is, quite simply, an unacceptable hard-right reactionary.
Abigail’s websites: homepage; donations
In the House of Delegates, Ds currently hold a narrow 51-49 edge. At present, Ds already have approximately 85 candidates for the 100 districts, which isn’t bad for this time of year (and Rs only have 56 candidates thus far). Ds are already set to contest 31 of the 49 R incumbents, while Rs are only at 7 of 51 D incumbents. Recruitment of candidates is on-going and needed in: rural Va. Beach, eastern Chesapeake City, Gloucester Co., Mathews Co., Essex Co., Harrisonburg, Buena Vista, Wytheville, Bristol, Abington, Lebanon, Big Stone Gap, Floyd, Galax, Fluvanna Co., Goochland Co., and Buckingham Co. Vpap.org has the most recent list of candidates.
New Jersey: Governor and General Assembly
Typically, New Jersey is well-held by Ds, although recent elections show a trend toward greater competition at the gubernatorial level. With six Ds and four Rs in the primaries to be held in June, this race is yet to be determined. In the General Assembly, Ds enjoy a large majority, one that is not expected to shrink in November, but in this political climate, who knows.
Every election matters. “Every election is a dress rehearsal for the next.” — William Ferguson Reid, the first African-American elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, in 1968, since Reconsruction
[originally published here]
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