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John, it’s Brad here. Yesterday was New York’s Democratic primary. So today is the first day of the general election campaign. Some years, there’s a little time to rest between the primary and the general election. But not this year. We have just over four months to do all we can to save our democracy. To protect reproductive rights. To prevent a Trump presidency that promises mass deportations of our neighbors, giant tax breaks for the rich, devastating cuts to our public schools, jailing of political enemies, support for authoritarians around the world, and the utter erosion of our democratic rights and norms. We must do everything we can over the next four months to ensure that Democrats hold the Senate and take back the House. And that President Biden wins re-election. That’s why I’m focusing my Birthday Bash on getting organized for the fights this fall! We’ll hear from organizers working on battleground House seats in New York, on the fights in Pennsylvania and other Presidential swing states, on key Senate campaigns – and especially on WHAT WE CAN DO. Will you sign up now to join me on Tuesday, July 9 at Three’s Brewing in Gowanus at 6:00 pm? Look, I know some of you are a little tired coming out of the primary (I didn’t get home last night until after midnight myself, after a long couple weeks of campaigning and three election night victory parties). And there are, clearly, some real tensions within the Democratic Party itself. Last night’s Congressional race in NY-16 highlighted those. They are very real — but we just don’t have time to focus on them right now. We’ve got to form a big-tent coalition that can win this fall: suburban moderates, urban progressives, rural voters, young people passionate about climate change, older voters concerned most about public safety, and many others. We need them all. People who disagree about really big things – immigration, congestion pricing, the war in Gaza and other global conflicts – but who all know we must stop Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans if we’re going to have a chance to make progress on anything. A model for that coalition can be found in the three winning first-time New York State Assembly candidates whose wins I celebrated last night. Micah Lasher won on the West Side with an old-school liberalism combining compassion and competence. Jordan Wright is a fourth-generation Harlemite who worked his way up through Democratic politics to deliver for his neighbors. Claire Valdez is a Latina, a democratic socialist, and a union organizer who knows what it’s like to live paycheck-to-paycheck. Each of the three of them is great individually, and I was proud to support each one. Together, I think they represent the future of Democratic Party, and the core of the coalition we need this fall. So let’s build on their momentum to propel us forward — without delay — into the fierce fight for our democratic future. Brad |
