Gretchen's List: Georgia Redux

Nov 16, 2022

Dear Friends,

We had a good night last Tuesday — a very good night.

We won the Senate majority already, and we have a chance to increase that majority by re-electing Senator Raphael Warnock in the run-off in Georgia on December 6th. (See below for where to give.)
The House of Representatives will be very, very close, probably with a 221-214 Republican majority. We can certainly regain the House in 2024.
We held the governorships in critical swing states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, as well as Minnesota, Kansas, Oregon and other competitive races.
We gained the governorship in Arizona, which is huge and honestly not a victory I was expecting. We gained Democratic governors in Maryland and Massachusetts.
We held every Democrat-held Secretary of State in the country and gained Nevada, defeating Trump-backed election-denying candidates in Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and New Mexico.
We held critical Attorney General seats in Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin. (The AG race in Arizona is still too close to call.)
We flipped state legislatures in Michigan (House and Senate, giving Governor Gretchen Whitmer a trifecta) and Minnesota (another trifecta), and will likely flip the Pennsylvania House. We also held off Republican supermajorities in North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Every abortion ballot measure in the country came down on the side of reproductive choice and justice. We protected abortion access in California, Michigan, and Vermont, and defeated anti-abortion ballot initiatives in Kentucky and Montana. It’s almost like abortion is a winning issue.

Democrats had a good night, but more importantly: democracy had a good night. These victories build a strong foundation for fair and secure elections in 2024, a strong pipeline of elected officials for future office, and a strong position to secure legislation that serves us all.

To all of you who gave generously and worked diligently for these victories, I am grateful. (As a measure of this work, subscribers to this list have given over $900k this cycle through my slates alone — I know many of you have given in other ways, too — and I know that number represents a massive investment from many, many people.) You all are part of that: part of creating high standard for engagement and thoughtful investment. I hope that I have been helpful to you this cycle, and I hope that you feel excellent about what we have been able to accomplish.

Onwards to Georgia,
Gretchen

Where to Send Money Right Now: Georgia, Obviously

Here’s your one-stop-shop slate for Georgia giving.

This cycle the Georgia run-off slate includes Raphael Warnock’s election campaign (max: $2,900), the Warnock Victory Fund, and the Georgia Investor Action Fund. The GIAF is the political funding arm of the Georgia Alliance for Progress, which is coordinating a massive effort around canvassing and mobilization, mail, texting, digital and radio advertising, and media outreach. Having spoken with my Georgia giving expert and WDN sister Krista Brewer, I feel extremely confident in this recommendation. (Organizations included in the Georgia Investor Action Fund plan: Black PAC, New Georgia Project Action Fund, Unite Here, Working America, League of Conservation Voters, CFFE, We Vote We Win, Working Families Party, Black Male Initiative Fund, Black Male Voter Project, Asian American Advocacy Fund, Mijente, Planned Parenthood Votes, Casa, SEIU, Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, Mi Familia Vota, Care in Action.)

Winning this seat is critical. It will allow the Senate much more power to quickly approve appointments to the federal judiciary, and it leaves us better positioned to minimize losses to the Senate in 2024 (and buckle up because the 2024 Senate map is brutal and we’re really, really going to want to have both seats in Georgia).

You can also support Senator Warnock by joining at upcoming virtual event hosted by Manny’s with Senator Jon Ossoff. The event will be this Sunday, November 20th at 5pm PT. All money raised will go to the Warnock Victory Fund. Join here.

Donor, sociologist, researcher. Board member at WDN Action and Emerge America, and steering committee member at Electing Women Bay Area -- but all content here is mine alone and not on behalf of any organization. My goals are to help others find their networks and feel more comfortable and informed participating in the political giving space.

Currently reading: Bury My Heart at Chuck E. Cheese’s by Tiffany Midge