John -
I’m sure you’ve heard the talking heads call Virginia a “bellwether state” before. But is it really true? Let me get into the weeds for a quick minute:
In 2017, Democratic victories in the Virginia suburbs predicted the huge backlash against Trump’s hate and authoritarianism that we saw in the 2018 midterms, when Democrats took the House and made Nancy Pelosi Speaker once again.
In 2019, Democrats beat the GOP and won a trifecta in Virginia’s state elections, and the next year Biden beat Trump, flipped states like Arizona and Georgia blue, and helped Democrats win control of Congress along the way.
In 2021, the Virginia GOP flipped the state Senate and Governorship after stoking fears around “critical race theory” and LGBTQ+ people. It quickly became the playbook for far-right Republicans around the country for the next two years — something we’ve been fighting against with our Campaign for Democracy.
The point here is: Virginia matters. It’s a true bellwether.
Democrats, Republicans, journalists, organizers, pundits, donors, and most importantly swing voters across the country will be watching Virginia’s election on November 7th to see if the far-right will make more gains or if supporters of democracy will stop them in their tracks.
And if Republicans do take full control of the state house, I have no doubt they will work with Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin to enact a far-right agenda that will destroy the progress Democrats have made in the last four years.
Voting rights, LGBTQ+ rights, abortion rights, climate policies, worker protections — they’ll all be on the chopping block.
So please:
If you've stored your info with ActBlue, we'll instantly process your contribution to the Democratic Party of Virginia:
I hope we can count on your $3 today, John. Your help will make all the difference with just days to go.
- Gavin
