Two years ago, we were celebrating our first election night victories together: We had just helped 11 no-corporate-cash, pro-labor candidates get elected. 

With the 2022 cycle ahead of us, we challenged ourselves to double that number, come today. We knew it would be hard: 2022 was a midterm election. Fewer people would be on the ballot, and we would no doubt lose some of that original group. 

But that was our ambitious goal going into last night: 22 elected officials by 2022. 

Not only did we hit that goal. We exceeded it. As of this morning, together we have elected 24 of our people to office. It’s a remarkable thing.

We wanted to send this message as a thank you to everyone who made this happen, and as a reason for hope. This progress belongs to hundreds of us: the candidates who won this cycle; the families who sacrificed; the volunteers who pounded the pavement; the WVCW staff and leadership team; and the donors who got us here one individual donation at a time (with an average donation of $33). We want to especially thank the candidates and teams who didn’t win their races. You did something truly remarkable in politics: you fought for the whole, not just for yourselves. Your courage and creativity will survive long past yesterday.

Thank you.

The last two years have been a nightmare for many of us. It can feel like there’s too much illness, isolation, and tragedy to bear. We remain the underdogs – getting outspent by corporate donors, getting attacked by the establishment of both parties, and losing more races than we win. Last night was no different. But here we are, taking risks together, sharpening one another. We are a damn long way from the promised land, but…

Our power is growing. 

There is of course much work to do. We’ll be convening our elected officials (new and old) at a Governance retreat in the coming months. We’ll launch a big evaluation process after that, to figure into the lessons we’ve learned these last 4 years. We will also take time to rest. 

Thanks again for getting us to this day.

In solidarity,

Katey 

PS We invite you to read the full WV Can’t Wait list of electeds and 2022 press release here. And you can donate for 2023 and beyond here.

WV Can't Wait is a movement to win a people's government in the Mountain State. For more information, visit wvcantwait.com.