John,
First, we want to acknowledge what many of you are feeling. The first few weeks of Trump’s presidency have felt akin to a few years.
With the constant slate of negative headlines coming out of Washington D.C., it’s easy to feel pessimistic and demoralized. But there are signs of optimism at the state level and today we wanted to share them with you:
- Nearly two weeks ago, in an upset, Democrat and educator Mike Zimmer narrowly flipped a deeply Republican Iowa Senate seat in a district that voted for Trump by 21 points just a few months ago. Zimmer’s surprise victory cuts into the GOP’s majority in the state legislature.
- In Virginia, the state legislature remained blue after two special elections last month. Now Democrats are pushing forward to protect abortion access, marriage equality, voting rights, and more to safeguard the rights of everyday Virginians.
- And just last week, California passed a $50 million bill to help the state protect its policies from the inevitable challenges to come from the White House.
John, the importance of state legislatures over these next few years cannot be downplayed. Yet, oftentimes, they don’t receive the attention they should.
From protecting our rights and freedoms to defending our democracy from illegal right-wing power grabs to upholding the hard-fought progress we’ve made — defending the power we’ve built in state legislatures has proven to be an invaluable counterweight to Trump’s dangerous agenda. But this critical work takes a ton of resources to sustain.
Are you ready to make an impact, John? Chip in today to support The States Project's electoral work to win governing majorities in state legislatures across the country that are committed to improving lives.
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With gratitude,
LeftNet
