Progressive Democrat Issue 51: THOUGHTS

Election 2005 is mostly over (see below for the races yet to come). And all in all, Democrats did quite well! Here is a Daily Kos roundup of how we did.


But let me cover some of the races that I highlighted last issue. First off, the two biggest races of the season, the Governor’s races in NJ and VA, were clear wins for Democrats. The NJ race looked like it was tightening up near the end, with big name Republicans coming to push for Forrester. But in the end, Democrat Corzine handily beat the far right wing Forrester and all the efforts from Karl Rove and George Bush to make NJ competitive failed. Democrats also gained seats in the NJ state legislature. Virginia was even better. Democrat Kaine beat the very right wing Kilgore by an unexpectedly large amount. Even a visit from George Bush himself campaigning for Kilgore didn’t seem to help and may even have hurt! And, as in NJ, Democrats gained seats in the VA state legislature. We kept a blue state blue and made a reddish state less red. I know many of my readers participated in these victories. I want to thank you for your hard work and congratulate you on a job very well done. I am proud at the activism of my readership and I can actually say, with the arrest of Tom DeLay, the publicity other Republican scandals are getting, and the victories this week, our activism really is having an effect. We were all PART of these wins.


Now on to some of the other races.


The Democracy for America endorsed races were mixed. With two yet undecided, DFA won 19 out of 35 races. About 54%. Honestly, I wish DFA had done better, but remember that they are willing to get more risky in their support of progressive candidates than many groups are. Given that, 54% isn’t too bad. I should also point out that this includes races from earlier in 2005 including primary endorsements. And I should note that DFA candidates did particularly well in places like Ohio, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. You can see a break down of who won and lost here.


The Progressive Majority endorsed candidates did even better with 69% of their candidates (many of whom were RECRUITED by Progressive Majority) winning in Washington, Arizona, and (in an earlier election this year) Colorado.


I am impressed with Progressive Majority. They are a group I have paid attention to before, but hadn’t yet been convinced that they were succeeding. This election shows that Progressive Majority is emerging as yet another excellent progressive organization that is changing the nation. Please see their candidate recruitment page and see their strategy and, if you like what you see, help them in any way you can. Donate, volunteer or (why not!) run for office.


There were also some great things happening in states that I haven’t covered. In Pennsylvania eight progressive challengers for Dover School Board swept the election, defeating all eight extreme conservative incumbents. In essence, a creationist-focused school board was swept out of existence. In Minnesota progressive candidate Chris Coleman got 70% in his race for Mayor of St. Paul, defeating Bush-endorsing Democrat Randy Kelly. In short, this election shows that the tide is turning and that our efforts and the efforts of thousands of people like us are having an effect.


New York City and Ohio were the dark spots on the agenda. In Ohio election reform was solidly defeated. Thanks to all who did phone banking to help those excellent initiatives. Sadly, corruption and unfair elections are accepted in Ohio. And as for NYC, well, all I can say is that those who feel that NYC is safely blue, let me tell you that I am seeing a sharp drift to the right in NYC, particularly in Brooklyn. A Republican mayor who has cracked down hard on civil rights won with nearly 60% of the vote. Many Democrats jumped on that Republican mayor’s bandwagon despite the support given to the Democratic candidate by John Kerry, Howard Dean, John Edwards, Barak Obama and others. Simply put, Republican Mike Bloomberg used his personal wealth to buy NYC. The cost of America’s largest city? A little more than $74 million. That is how much Bloomberg spent on this election from his own pocket. Anyone who has an extra $74 million can buy NYC, I guess. We have work to do building up the progressives in NYC and it will be a hard fight. The best I can say is that from what I saw, we progressives were far more together in this general election than we were in the primaries. But we were fighting for a candidate with a poorly funded and hence poorly organized campaign who was up against a billionaire who spared no expense to win. Money still dominates over grassroots in NYC.


On the up side, Democrat Vince Gentile, a candidate that some of my readers worked hard for at the last minute push, won with room to spare. Another candidate, Tony Avella, also won in a race that turned out not to be close at all. We did well on those races, folks, even if the city as a whole is favoring Republicans and right-ward looking Democrats.


NY State was also a resounding victory for Democrats. A reader pointed out this article from the NY State Democratic Committee:

One excerpt:

Following the national trend that saw Democrats affirmed throughout the country, the New York State Democratic Party enjoyed a virtual sweep last night of all major races in the state, sending a clear sign that the Democratic Party in New York is stronger than ever. Democrats swept every major upstate Mayor’s race, every competitive New York City council race, and key legislatures and upsets throughout the state.

So NYC and Ohio aside, we have done well, folks!