John, we wanted to update you on where things stand since we last wrote on Wednesday.
First up, in PA-12: With additional precincts reporting, Summer Lee has increased her lead, and has been called the winner of her primary by Dave Wasserman of Cook Political Report!
With her victory, the people will have defeated millions in special interest money — and we can’t wait to have her join our other WFP champions in Congress.
Now to OR-05: While votes are still being counted, things are still looking very good for Jamie McCleod-Skinner in her primary against Kurt Schrader, aka the "Joe Manchin of the House."
Jamie joined us on last night's WFP Welcome Gathering to thank the community and give supporters this update:
"A heartfelt thank you to Working Families Party. It was incredible support and just so much appreciated. We've got a phenomenal lead, we're up 61-39%. But we do have ballots still to count in Clackamas County, which is Kurt Schrader's home county… He would need to get about 2/3 of the vote in Clackamas County. We think that he won't do that — or the ballots won't represent that — but we want to make sure that whatever the ballots say, that that's what is counted in the final numbers."
And here's what’s next:
We’re preparing for runoff elections in Texas on Tuesday, where Jessica Cisneros (TX-28), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), and Michelle Vallejo (TX-15) are facing down well-funded opponents. In 2020, Jessica came just short of defeating Henry Cuellar, the last anti-abortion Democrat in the House. And in just four days, we have a real chance to make it happen.
We wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t urgent: Will you rush a $3 contribution to the Working Families Majority Fund to power our GOTV organizing in Texas and all across the country?
In solidarity,
All of us at the Working Families Party
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: WFP Election Alert
Date: Wed, May 18, 2022
Subject: A huge night
Yesterday was the biggest primary day of the year so far, John. In a moment, we're going to break it all down, but first we have to ask: can you chip in toward the Working Families Majority Fund to help keep our electoral organizing going through the Texas runoffs and other upcoming primaries?
Despite all the odds — and an unprecedented flood of right-wing and dark money — last night was a huge one for the Working Families Party and our candidates.
- In the 12th Congressional District in Pennsylvania, Summer Lee has declared victory in her primary! With a margin of just a few hundred votes separating her from her corporate opponent, every single voter that you helped us reach in this race will have ended up making a difference. And when we power her to victory in November, Summer will become the first ever Black woman to represent Pennsylvania and the next unapologetic Working Families Democrat in Congress fighting for working families who have been left behind.
- In Oregon's 5th Congressional District, Jamie McLeod-Skinner is out to an early lead in her uphill primary challenge against Rep. Kurt Schrader, one of the worst corporate Democrats in Congress. Early this morning, Jamie told supporters that things were "looking good." Due to a ballot printing error in one county, it may be a while before we know the official result here. And we still need to win a very competitive race in November. But a Democratic majority without Kurt Schrader in it would be one step closer to the Working Families majority we need to actually pass an agenda for working people.
- Other WFP champions running for Congress like Nida Allam and Erica Smith in North Carolina unfortunately came up short, as did Malcolm Kenyatta in Pennsylvania's Senate race. But we also saw victories for Charles Booker in his primary for Senate in Kentucky and WFP champions in key down-ballot races throughout PA and NC.
Right-wing and corporate-funded PACs spent millions of dollars to try and attack Summer, Jamie, and other WFP-endorsed candidates. In total, big money forces spent $15 million against our candidates in these May primary races alone. But working people overcame these stacked odds to provide the margin of victory for Working Families Democrats in several of these close races.
Yesterday proved that when we come together and fight for each other, we can defeat corporate special interests no matter how many millions they throw at us. But we don't have time to rest. Our next big tests are less than a week away in Texas and Georgia, where we have a chance to elect Jessica Cisneros and more WFP champions to Congress and send an even stronger message to those who would stand in our way. Can you contribute $3, or any amount, to the Working Families Majority Fund and help us power more WFP candidates to victory next week and all the way through to November?
Contribute $3 »
These wins are absolutely huge for our movement. But something else also happened across the country last night on the other side of the aisle.
Republicans nominated insurrectionist, extremist candidates who will pose a clear and present threat to our communities — and our entire democracy — when they appear on the ballot in November.
We have two priorities right now.
One is to make sure we get our candidates like Summer over the finish line in November in order to take on this threat.
The other is to continue to make sure all of our WFP champions have the people power they need through the rest of this primary season to win against even more right-wing and corporate money.
Our next big contests come in just six days, when Jessica Cisneros, Jasmine Crockett, and Michelle Vallejo face off against well-funded corporate Democratic opponents in the Texas runoffs — and when we'll be going all out to elect WFP champions in Georgia primaries the same day.
We can't sit back silently while groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Democratic Majority For Israel, and Mainstream Democrats PAC spend millions against progressive candidates just because they are standing up loudly and boldly for a country that works for all of us.
You can help us fight back and power our candidates to victory in November: Make a $3 contribution to the Working Families Majority Fund. With less than a week to go until key runoff elections in Texas, we can't afford to slow down now.
In solidarity,
Team WFP
