Dear Arena Community,

Today is a good day for Democrats and a good day for democracy.

In races all across the country, and up and down the ballot, we defied expectations and won, proving that polls and pundits don’t decide elections – you do. Whether you worked as a campaign staffer, volunteered, donated money, or put your own name on the ballot, you made a difference. Our country and our communities are better for it.

While votes are still being counted in many races, here’s some of what we know:

Arena-trained staffers played a critical role in dozens of victories, from John Fetterman’s historic Senate flip in Pennsylvania to Representative Abigail Spanberger’s important hold in Virginia. Democratic control of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are within reach because of the work of Arena-trained staff.
Our Run Academy graduates won races around the country, from Nicole Mitchell’s victory in Minnesota, which helped flip the State Senate, to David O’Keefe’s victory in his race for Leon County Commissioner in Florida, which provided a bright spot in an otherwise dark night for the sunshine state.
Our Arena Staff Fellows were decisive for critical state legislative victories.
- In Pennsylvania, we’ve won three of the four House races where we placed fellows, and the fourth race is currently too close to call, with a margin of only 26 votes separating the candidates! These close victories are the reason Democrats won back the Pennsylvania House for the first time since 2008.
- In Michigan, our Arena Staff Fellow was instrumental to Kevin Hertel’s narrow victory in the Michigan State Senate, which enabled Democrats to win the chamber and gain trifecta control of Michigan State government for the first time since 1983.
- In Arizona, votes are still being counted, but candidates are leading in several of the races where we placed Arena Staff Fellows, putting state legislative control within reach and driving up vote tallies in the important Gubernatorial and Senate races.

The implications of these victories cannot be overstated. The leaders that were elected last night will be making decisions on issues from abortion access to voting rights to gun violence prevention and our lives and livelihoods will be better because they are in office.

That said, it’s not simply smooth sailing from here. Our rights and freedoms – and indeed our very democracy – remain in the balance. Election deniers won in more than 200 races yesterday, and we know that Democrats will continue to play on an uneven field, with gerrymandering and voter suppression continuing to dilute the power of our votes. We are going to have to fight tooth and nail in every election until we have fair districts and fair rules.

So, our work to win in 2024 and beyond begins today. We know from experience that early investment in recruitment, training, and power building is how you win elections. It’s what Arena does best, and it’s more important than ever.

We need you with us in the Arena as we gear up for the fights ahead. If you are interested in training with us this cycle, sign up here to learn about the Arena Academy and Run Academy events we’ve got planned for 2023 and 2024. Chip in here to help our work get off to a strong start. And tell your friends to follow us @arenasummit.

We’ve got big hills to climb, but we can build on this momentum to reach the summit of victory.

Onward,