Indivisibles,

So much can change in a week. 

We went into last week’s election with the feeling that, if we pulled out all of the stops in the final 24 hours, there was a chance we could prevent the so-called “red wave.” 

Turns out, we were right. 

In a precedent-breaking feat for an incumbent party in the midterms, we managed to turn that “red wave” into more of a leaky faucet -- retaining Democratic control of the Senate and stoking public infighting within MAGA Republican ranks. 

That is due to the work of Indivisibles all across the country getting activated and believing in our messaging. There was a great deal of talk surrounding Democratic messaging this cycle (Ezra has an in-depth thread on it here) and the ways in which our focus on MAGA extremism and abortion would doom our chances in the midterms. Turns out, our message strategy was the key to a strong performance for Democrats.

We didn’t win everything though. We have a runoff election in Georgia where we have an incredibly strong candidate in Rev. Raphael Warnock looking to defeat hypocritical MAGA extremist Herschel Walker. We know that we’ve won, at least, the status quo of a 50-50 split Senate, but if we win in Georgia, that will give us the buffer we need to move confirmations forward without having to waste extra time navigating Republican opposition. 

Lastly, we do not have final results on House races yet, but it is likely that Republicans will gain a slight majority there. The potential loss means that there would be no pathway for substantive progressive policy out of the House, but a small majority combined with a Democratic Senate also means that Republicans will have no chance at pushing forward any of their vile plans (the MAGA House can pass a national abortion ban if they want, there is no way it becomes law).

This may not turn out to be our dream scenario, but it is an incredible achievement nonetheless. We took what was almost guaranteed to be an overwhelming loss and flipped it, stymieing any possibility of extremist policy moving forward over the next two years. 

That was possible through your work! 
Thank you!

Now we continue the work to secure a 51-seat Senate and ensure our elected leaders don’t get complacent in victory.

With that, here are your weekly to-dos:

 Your 4 weekly to-dos 

1. RSVP for Strategy & Next Steps: Indivisible Post-Election Call, Round 2 this Wednesday, November 16 at 8pm ET/5pm PT. Here’s what we currently know: There is a runoff for the Georgia Senate seat and Trump is expected to announce his 2024 Presidential candidacy tomorrow. Join us to hear about our strategies moving forward and actions Indivisibles can take to make the most of this moment.
2. Sign up to volunteer to contact voters in Georgia. We did it in 2020, let’s do it again. We have a runoff election in Georgia and we need to do everything we can to ensure Rev. Raphael Warnock comes away with the win. MAGA Republicans put forward a candidate so extreme that he can’t even live up to his own positions, let’s make sure that Warnock makes it across the finish line. 
3. Sign up for the Indivisible Truth Brigade. Propaganda, false characterizations, intentionally misleading messages, and outright lies threaten our democracy and even our lives. We can effectively combat disinformation, despite the well-funded machines that drive it. People believe sources they trust! Sign up to learn how to fight disinformation in a way that drives change and protects our communities from the threat of extremism. 
4. Do you live in a rural area? Click here to join our National Rural Program. We have resources and calls specifically for our rural Indivisibles where you can learn more about strategies and issues specific to Indivisibles living in rural areas. If you want an idea of what that looks like, check out our agenda and notes from previous meetings. 

The midterm elections are not over. A runoff means an extended period where we need to support Rev. Warnock in his Senate bid. Donate to fund all of our phonebanking, textbanking, canvassing, and more.

Final Session

The “final session” or “final legislative session” is the period of time between an election and the inauguration of the new Congress. 

This year’s final session is critically important because it may be the last period where we will hold a Democratic trifecta for at least the next two years. If Republicans gain control of the House (which is looking increasingly likely) we know that they will block any attempt at substantive legislation Democrats push forward. We must do as much as possible in this time period to deliver the Democratic agenda. 

To achieve this, Congress must stay in session seven days a week until the new Congress is seated. If we can convince Congress to do this, we have the opportunity to achieve priorities such as: lifting the debt ceiling through reconciliation, passing viable bipartisan legislation like the Respect for Marriage Act and reforms to the Electoral Count Act, and securing progressive wins. 

We cannot let this crucial period of control go to waste. Here’s how you can help:

• Click here to call your Democratic representative and ask them to stay in session until their work is done. We must use every minute of our existing trifecta to achieve necessary legislative victories for the American people, and Congress has the ability to stay in session and do so. If you have a Republican representative, click here to call them and keep the pressure on them to pass popular legislation during the final session.
• Click here to call your Democratic senators and demand they stay in session until their work is done. So much about how much we can get done depends on the Senate. At the end of the day, raising the debt ceiling so that Republicans can't weaponize it against Social Security and Medicare next year is most time-consuming in the Senate because of arcane Senate procedure. Your Senator will need some cheerleading to stay at work seven days a week and get it done! If you have a Republican senator, click here to call them and keep the pressure on them to pass as many popular bills as possible during the final session.

 Protect Our Elections Movement Briefings 

In the 2020 election, our movement came together and we prevailed by speaking with one voice. So, we’re coming back in partnership with other movement organizations to once again hold continuous briefings to deliver the latest intel on election results, specific state challenges, opinion research and messaging guidance. RSVP for the Protect Our Elections Movement Briefings beginning this Wednesday, November 16 at 11:30am ET/8:30am PT where we’ll discuss how to successfully navigate the post-election period and provide the latest research and messaging guidance on election threats.

 IndivisiWin of the Week 

We usually use this space to highlight the local work of Indivisibles on the ground, but all of you contributed to our Give No Ground wins. Here are our current winning Give No Ground candidates:

Matt Cartwright

John Fetterman

Mark Kelly

Andy Kim

Mike Levin

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez

Kim Schrier

Lauren Underwood

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to keep up on the latest information, and text “INDIVISIBLE” to 59798 to opt-in to our text messaging program where we send rapid response actions a few times a month.

Last week’s election was a tremendous victory for democracy. When everyone thought MAGA would win, we rolled up our sleeves, got to work, and showed the country that extremism has no place here. 

Now we have a short window to increase our hold over the Senate and push our representatives through the final session. Let’s get to work!

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team