MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
Washington Democrats, you have so much to be proud of!
A Personal Note
I want to start off by thanking you for everything you have done these past two years to support our Democratic party and for supporting our incredible candidates from the top of the ticket with President Biden, VP Harris, Gov. Tim Walz, Senator Cantwell, our next Governor Bob Ferguson- all the way down to our most local races and bond levies. You supported me in this role as we transitioned to a new Chair, and truly showed the country that it is possible to get big progressive wins!
While we have so much to be proud of here in Washington, certainly the national results are not what we wanted. I, like you, have been processing the results and trying to grapple with what has just happened. The grief and mourning we are all going through is natural.
As someone with an intimate relationship to grief, (my beloved mother passed away only 10 months before I took this job), I took to social media yesterday to share my thoughts in the hopes that it might help others process what they may be feeling. Now, don’t get me wrong, there will be plenty of time for righteous anger (maybe even rage), for collective action, for re-powering the resistance. But if we move too quickly through the period of grief and loss, we miss key wisdom as well.
So here’s what I wrote:
Here’s the other big thing I’ve learned about grief. Everyone thinks that you need to rush around to do something. That there is an urgency. But then they also think that there will just be a mourning period that will come to a definite end. It doesn’t. You’re forever changed by loss. So don’t succumb to overreactions of urgency. There is power in healing and moving at your own pace. Rest, recharge, and be ready to tackle a new world. The new world is there today, tomorrow, and the next. Protect yourself as you process. And eventually you will know when you’re ready to re-enter. There is wisdom in slowing down and not giving up. Burnout and exhaustion is a tool of fascism.
I know that nothing entirely makes sense, and there will be endless think pieces on what went wrong for Kamala, what went right for Trump, an endless blame game. But we have an opportunity to take care of ourselves, each other, and show the rest of the country that what we have going on here in WA, can lead us through the darkness.
I really loved VP Harris’ concession speech yesterday. If you haven’t watched it yet, you really should. I especially loved her line, “Only when it’s darkest, can you see the stars.”
It is an honor being your Chair.
In solidarity,
Shasti
Working for Washington
I know many of us are still reeling from the national results on Tuesday. At the time of this writing, votes are still being counted and control of the U.S. House of Representatives is unclear while we lost the White House and the U.S. Senate.
What is clear is that Washington Democrats delivered when it mattered most. We retained control of every statewide elected office. We grew our majorities in the legislature. We rejected misleading and dangerous initiatives sponsored by the GOP and their mega-millionaire backers. We made history, from electing our new Governor Bob Ferguson to electing Nick Brown as Attorney General, the first Black person to hold statewide office in Washington. We have lots to be proud of here in Washington! In fact, we are only one of two states that moved further Democratic in the entire country.
We are still counting votes, and we do believe in counting every vote, so we aren’t calling CD 3 just yet, but the good news is that Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was up on election day, and we feel optimistic about her re-election.
I want to share an email we sent out to our party leaders on election night with a round-up of the key races that we have been following:
Washington Voter Turnout:
Overall, 3,241,821 ballots have been returned as of tonight. As of right now, 2,610,598 ballots have been counted. This represents a current turnout rate of 64.6% that we anticipate will trend towards 80% or more in the coming days. But the work is not over yet, and we will be working tirelessly over the next several days to make sure every vote is counted and nothing is left on the field!
Washington State Election Results:
Washington Democrats had an amazing night, winning races up and down the ticket! Here are some of our highlights:
Maria Cantwell has won re-election with 60.1% of the vote and will continue to be our incredible U.S. Senator representing us in Washington D.C.!
Bob Ferguson has won the race for Governor and we couldn’t be more excited! He currently has 56.6% of the vote across the state.
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is ahead in one of the closest races in the state, leading by 4% to keep her seat in Congress! We’ll be watching this race closely, as voters are, as of this writing, still in line to register to vote and cast their ballot.
Dave Upthegrove has 53.1% of the vote in the race for Washington Public Lands Commissioner, and we’re optimistic that his margin will increase as more votes roll in!
Nick Brown is winning his race to be the next Attorney General of WA and will be the first Black man to win a statewide race in WA. Patty Kuderer is winning her race for State Insurance Commissioner with 57.4% of the vote, and our incumbent state officials—Denny Heck, Steve Hobbs, Mike Pellicciotti, Pat McCarthy, and Chris Reykdal—are all winning their re-election races by similar margins.
Central Washington
In one of the most-watched Legislative Districts in the state this cycle, the 14th LD State Senate and House of Representative races are close, had a large difference in trends of early and late votes being cast and still have voters in line and are still counting ballots. It is too early to call and we still feel optimistic about all three races.
Southwest Washington
Down in SW Washington, Terri Niles is winning her State Representative race with 50.25% of the vote, and the 18th LD is also looking good with Adrian Cortes winning with 50.91% of the vote.
North Puget Sound
Janet St. Clair in the 10th LD race for State Senate is close and leading by less than 1% of the vote! In the 42nd LD Alicia Rule and Joe Timmons are both winning their races for State Representative!
Kitsap County
The 26th LD has been a race to watch all cycle and Adison Richards currently has 52.25% of the vote.
National Results
As of tonight – the Presidential race is far too close to call in most critical swing states. We will monitor these results closely and continue to hope for the best.
We knew the possibility this race wouldn’t be called tonight – and we must keep doing the work, and remaining positive and engaged until every last vote is counted!
Next Steps
WA Dems will be sending out additional updates over the next few days as more ballots are received and counted by the Secretary of State’s office.
Scenes from Election Night
Notice – 11.9 Bounce Party Canceled
In light of the current political mood, we have made the decision to cancel this weekend’s Bounce Party. We want to encourage everyone to reflect, recharge and prepare for the fight ahead.
Please stay tuned for the announcement of future solidarity events in the coming days and weeks. We are all in this together – and we will continue to work every day to build a better future.
Democrats in the News
Democrats on cusp of expanding majorities in WA Legislature, Washington State Standard
Democratic incumbents sweep in Washington’s down ballot races, Washington State Standard
Washington state Democrats in one of the last deep blue strongholds brace for what’s next, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
What I’m Watching
Jon Stewart’s Election Night Takeaway,The Daily Show
Thanks for all you do,
Chair Shasti Conrad
Washington State Democratic Party
We sincerely thank you for your help and support.
Washington State Democrats PO Box 4027 Seattle, WA 98194 United States