If we want to stop losing ground, we have to act like we know what time it is.

It is not enough to be right on the issues. It is not enough to be outraged. It is not enough to be loud. We need to be organized. We need to be strategic. And we need to win.

This November, voters in states like Virginia and New Jersey will have the chance to show it. Both states hold legislative elections, and both feature Republican incumbents whose extremism is badly out of step with the people they represent. In Virginia, Geary Higgins has built his career attacking LGBTQ+ rights and fueling culture-war fights. In New Jersey, Jay Webber has made opposition to equality and reproductive freedom central to his record. These are precisely the kinds of races where investing in Democratic challengers and getting the message out can flip seats and prove that extremism is not inevitable.

The elections happening in 2025 are a chance to prove that anti-LGBTQ extremism is not tolerated. They are a chance to show that when you engage the right voters with the right message, you can win in places nobody thought possible. At Agenda PAC, we see this through our 50-for-50 campaign, where we identify each state's "Most Beatable Bigot" and put them on notice. The idea is simple: every voter, donor, and activist can look up and know exactly who needs to be held accountable. It is a tool that turns outrage into a plan, and quiet races into opportunities to change the map.

They are a chance to put the far-right on defense, not just in presidential battlegrounds, but in suburban districts, small towns, and school boards where they have gotten away with winning quietly for years.

We need political operations that are lean, focused, and unafraid to take a stance. Operations that do not chase headlines but understand the value of

choosing the right fights and winning them.

Campaigns that do the deep research, expose incumbents where they are most vulnerable with their voters, and tell the truth that others are too cautious to say.

Because make no mistake: what we are watching is a slow-motion rollback of rights. It is happening one unchallenged race at a time. One extremist politician at a time. One culture-war victory at a time.

When we win in places nobody expects, it does more than protect people today. It changes what is possible tomorrow. It proves that LGBTQ political power is not just about national waves or celebrity endorsements. It demonstrates that power comes from strategy, not spectacle.

This is the kind of infrastructure we need now — not next year, not someday. Local races that build statewide strength. State races that change national outcomes. A movement that treats every election as a chance to push back and every win as a building block for the next fight.

Because while we wait for the next "big race," the far-right is already on the move. And if we are not fighting back with purpose, precision, and urgency, then we are letting them win. The good news is that the blueprint already exists. By focusing on beatable extremists like Higgins in Virginia and Webber in New Jersey, and by giving voters a straightforward way to engage through 50-for-50, we can prove what is possible when strategy replaces wishful thinking.