Blue Wave Incoming?

Unless you live in Texas Senate District 9, you might not have been paying attention to the special election there. But you should pay attention now. Because not only did the Democratic candidate, Taylor Rehmet, win the solidly red district, but the way he won tells a story.

It wasn’t about money. In fact, Rehmet was far outspent, with his Republican opponent, Leigh Wambsganss, reporting a whopping $736,000 in expenditures compared to Rehmet’s roughly $70,000, according to campaign finance filings.

It wasn’t about turnout either. Over half of the voters who participated in the election were GOP primary voters.

So why did Republicans lose? Because almost all of the independents and some of the Republicans voted for the Democrat. Only 35% of the voters were registered Democrats, but Rehmet won easily, with 57% of the vote.

That level of voter discontent is astonishing. It should put all Republicans on notice for November, and it should give Democrats a shot in the arm when we desperately need it. Now let’s build on it.

Amid the daily onslaught of infuriating news, we have to acknowledge the heroes among us. The list continues to grow, as more and more of us stand up to the tyrant and his fascist regime. Courage is infectious. Be brave!

1. MARIMAR MARTINEZ. After surviving being shot five times by ICE, Martinez is still fighting. The Department of Homeland Security accused her of ramming her car into the officers who shot her and has continued to refer to her as a “domestic terrorist,” despite all charges against her being dismissed. Now, she’s demanding that body camera footage of the incident be released to disprove the Trump Administration’s claims about her, Renee Good, and Alex Pretti. That’s the kind of bravery that will triumph over this administration’s cruelty.

2. JEFFREY EPSTEIN SURVIVORS. Also continuing their fight are the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his associates, potentially including Donald Trump. After the Justice Department said that its Friday release of documents related to the sex offender would be the last, a group of survivors called them out for failing to release the complete files. They also criticized the DOJ for failing to protect their identities in the release. “Once again, survivors are having their names and identifying information exposed, while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected,” they said, “That is outrageous.” Indeed.

3. THE JUDICIARY. The judiciary has spent yet another week protecting the rule of law. In Georgia, a federal judge dismissed the DOJ’s case demanding the state’s full voter registration list. And in Texas, another judge ordered the release of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who were detained by ICE. The detention, he said, was driven by a “perfidious lust for unbridled power.” And that’s exactly what these judges helped keep at bay.

4. JAMIE RASKIN. Rep. Raskin has joined an effort by House Democrats to impeach Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem following ICE’s latest murder of a U.S. citizen. Raskin is calling on the House Judiciary chair to initiate impeachment proceedings for Noem and is pledging his support to an inquiry into “all potential Constitutional crimes committed” by her. Damn straight, Congressman.

5. BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. The rocker has once again taken a stand against the Trump Administration. His newest release, “Streets of Minneapolis,” is dedicated to the people of the city. It calls out “King Trump” and his “thugs” for the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and for their lies about what really happened. Released on Wednesday, the song has already hit the No. 1 spot on iTunes in 19 countries. That’s what I call good music.

HONORABLE MENTION: Some Republicans are coming to their senses after the murder of Alex Pretti. A slew of Republican Congresspeople are pushing for a deeper investigation of his death, with House Homeland Security Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino seeking testimony from ICE and other officials, and others releasing statements calling for more information. In Minnesota, Republican Chris Madel has dropped out of the state’s race for governor in reaction to his party’s “stated retribution” on its citizens. These Republicans are waking up. We need the rest to rest to wake up, too.

Did we miss anyone? Send your heroes our way!

Good Reads for This Week

• LISTEN: The Killing of Alex Pretti—Letters from an American

• Why Wouldn’t They Shoot Somebody? —The Next Move

• It’s Well Past Time to Use the F-Word —With All Due Respect

• The Regime’s Mind-Bending Lies Are a Tactic —Public Notice

• Tread on Me —The Dispatch

• Local Prosecutors Around U.S. Join Forces to Charge Law-Breaking Federal Agents —Defiance.News

• When Will It Be Enough? —Ladyparts

• A Moral Surrender While ICE Kills Americans —Salty Politics

• An Open Letter to the Democrats —Alyssa Milano

• Wherefore Love, America? —Light Against Empire