We feel it — the Republicans are in trouble this year. The current projections (as of this diary) is a 95% chance of Hillary becoming our next President and a 64% chance of taking back the United States Senate. But what does that mean for Democratic candidates running for state legislatures?
I expect a similar surge for Democratic performance in state legislative races. 50/50 districts will be solidly blue and we will see Democrats over perform the baseline on election day, especially in suburban districts. However, to pull off additional victories, we must ensure that our Democratic candidates have the support they need to pull off victories.
In Washington State, the primary goal this year was to take back the Washington State Senate. The attention for much of the spring and fall has been on a handful of the most competitive races. If Republicans are collapsing as the latest projections (and early vote totals suggest), then the next tier of races become winnable — only if we can give them our support this week.
One of those candidates in Washington is Eric Holt who is running in a suburban district outside of Vancouver. His legislative district has been rough for Democrats in the past, as the Democratic Party invested few resources into the district or recruited strong candidates. Even without much investment, the 18th LD regularly provided Democrats with between 43-46% of the vote. This year, Eric and two candidates for the State House are running strong campaigns, assisted by the State’s coordinated campaign.
Eric’s district is a race that can be won — the campaign is meeting its goals at hitting the doors, he has a number of prominent endorsements, and he is a compelling candidate. Before running Eric was a Teamster driver and shop steward. His campaign is focused on fully funding public schools in Washington, rebuilding the district’s infrastructure, and has a passion for bringing campaign finance reform to the State.
But even the right candidate, the right game plan, will not lead to victory for Eric or other Democratic candidates across the country. Our down-ballot state legislative candidates need your support today to pick up seats in this coming Democratic landslide. For legislative races in Washington, each $5,000-$10,000 can mean an additional mailing to thousands of persuadable voters. For candidates across the country, these strategic decisions about last minute expenditures will be made by October 31. Depending on the district, the cost to mail, the cost of GOTV operations might be a little more or a little less, but these costs are small compared to the gain we all receive if we have more and better Democrats in office.
In Eric’s case, he is running against a conservative, anti-choice Republican, Ann Rivers, who cannot even get the support of the Clark County Republicans. Eric will be a huge improvement for the district and for all of Washington. So, please, help him win his seat, help Democrats take back the Washington State Senate, and make an $18 donation today and help him raise another $5000 to mail to another 12,000 voters. I know in other states there are Democratic candidates just like Eric. Their fortunes will rise in proportion with the collapse of Republicans at the top of the ticket. However, they all need our support now.
So please, donate and GOTV until election day — from the top of the ticket all the way down the ballot.
