WSDCC – April 4, 2025

Posted on April 4, 2025

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Happy Friday, Washington Democrats!

Chair Conrad Addresses Spokane County Democrats at the Tom Foley Legacy Dinner.

Some Good News to Highlight
Wisconsin

  • Susan Crawford won her election to Wisconsin’s Supreme Court by 10 points, despite Elon Musk plowing millions of dollars into the race. Turnout was overwhelming for a special election, leading to some areas running out of ballots!

Florida

  • While Republicans won both of the U.S. House special elections, Democratic candidates cut Trump’s margin by 22 points in Matt Gaetz’s old seat, and 16 points in national security adviser (and emoji enthusiast) Mike Waltz’s district.

Pennsylvania

  • Dan Goughnour secured the Pennsylvania House majority for Democrats. Goughnour won by nearly 30 points, improving from Democrats’ performance in 2024.
  • In Pennsylvania’s Senate District 36, Democrat James Malone flipped a seat in a district that Trump won by 15 points in 2024 and has a 23-point Republican voter registration advantage.

Virginia

  • In Virginia’s 10th state Senate district, Democrat Jack Trammel overperformed the top of the November ticket by six points.
  • In Virginia’s 32nd state Senate district, Democrat Kannan Srinivasan overperformed the top of the November ticket and won his election by a 62-38 margin.
  • In Virginia’s 26th state House district, Democrat JJ Singh overperformed the top of the November ticket and won his election by a 62-38 margin.

Minnesota

  • In Minnesota’s Senate District 60 special election, DFL candidate Doron Clark won the election by a margin of 91-9 percent, outperforming the top of the November ticket by 14 points.
  • In Minnesota’s House District 40B, DFL Candidate David Gottfried outperformed the top of the November ticket by nearly two points.

Iowa

  • In the special election in Iowa’s Senate District 35, Democrat Mike Zimmer flipped a district Trump won by 21 points in November, overperforming the top of the November ticket by 14 points.
  • In Iowa’s House District 100 special election, Democrat Nannette Griffin outperformed the top of the November ticket by 24 points.

Connecticut

  • In Connecticut’s House District 40 special election, Democrat Dan Gaiewski overperformed the top of the November ticket by over 15 points.

Maine

  • In Maine’s House District 24 special election, Democrat Sean Faircloth outperformed the top of the November ticket by over 20 points.

Delaware

  • In Delaware’s Senate District 1 special election, Democrat Dan Cruce outperformed the top of the November ticket by over 15 points.
  • In Delaware’s Senate District 5 special election, Democrat Raymond Siegfried outperformed the top of the November ticket by nearly four points.

I also wanted to provide an update on Initiative 2066, the only conservative-backed initiative to narrowly pass in last year’s election. This initiative touched a variety of policies related to natural gas in new buildings among other laws. A King County Superior Court recently ruled that this ballot measure was unconstitutional, meaning that rate payers will see lower prices and our state can continue to make progress on meeting our climate goals and commitments.

Call to Action

  • Call the Attorney General to Demand the Release of Alfredo Juarez from ICE Detention
    • Call 360-753-6200 and tell the Washington Attorney General’s office that you are calling to demand the release of labor organizer and farmworker activist Alfredo Juarez. Please be polite, but firm. More details here.
  • Sign Up for The Blue Print
    • The DNC has launched a substack called The Blue Print that will provide a weekly update on how the DNC is fighting back against Trump and his allies while working to secure Democratic victories nationwide. It’s free and useful, sign up here.
  • Rally, Protest, and Gather
    • TODAY (and Every Friday) – Refuse Fascism Fridays – Americans Against Oligarchy. Sign waving 5PM-6:30PM. Multiple locations: Everett, Lynnwood, Marysville, Mill Creek
    • TOMORROW – ‘Hands Off!’ events are happening in every corner of the state to protest Trump administration policies gutting government services. Visit our events page to find the one nearest you!
    • Wednesday April 9 – The People’s Congressional District 4 Town Hall with Governor Inslee in Yakima from 6PM-8PM. If you live in CD4, this town hall with Gov. Inslee is open to the public. Please RSVP here.
    • Every Wednesday – Time to Act volunteer trainings organized by Swing Left are hosted virtually every Wednesday from 6:30PM-7:30PM. Sign up here
    • Every Wednesday – Musk or Us Protests in Redmond every Wednesday from 4PM-5PM. Sign up here
  • Send us details on rallies and protests in your communities 
  • Donate
    If you would like to see less Washington D.C. and more Washington state in your community, please DONATE to The Real Washington Fund – our rapid response account to counter MAGA’s chaos with real organizing, real solutions, and real results. We can’t do the work of holding Republicans accountable without your support.
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Storybanking

We’re checking back in with Andrew this week who gave his story about working in healthcare and the changes in immigration policy that are allowing ICE raids in clinics. You can click the image above or watch our conversation here.

The best way to persuade people about the horrible impacts of Trump’s chaos is to share real stories from real people in their communities. If you are interested in sharing your story of the direct impacts of Trump 2.0 on your life, please send an email to press@wa-democrats.org that includes your name, contact information, which Washington community you reside in, the story you would like to share, and permission to share your story with the public. 

Our Communications team will be in touch within a few business days after you have reached out to help collect your story. 

Senator Cantwell and Murray have also asked for help finding stories like these. Please be sure to note that you want your story told and be as detailed as possible. You can share your stories with our U.S. Senators here:

Senator Patty Murray
Senator Maria Cantwell

Working for Washington

Last Saturday, I had the honor of joining Spokane Democrats for their Annual Tom Foley Legacy Dinner. Tom Foley was U.S. Speaker of the House from 1989 to 1995 and he left an enduring legacy in American politics and policy, including the grand compromise in the Farm Bill that marries agricultural subsidies to nutritional assistance for low-income families and children. That legacy is under assault by the Trump administration, but I was impressed and proud of the tremendous energy Spokane Democrats are harnessing to win back Speaker Foley’s former Congressional seat. You may have seen that energy on display at U.S. Representative Michael Baumgartner’s Town Hall in Spokane a couple weeks ago on national television.

This week, I had a couple of interviews on SiriusXM. I spoke to Clayton Clay about the DNC and how we are going to regain power at the national level. If you weren’t able to listen to the whole thing, you can find a clip of it here or click the image above. I also interviewed with Dean Obeidallah, and you can watch a clip here. I want to thank Clayton and Dean for the opportunity, and I look forward to continuing my work to get the word out about how we’re going to harness the power of people across the country to power Democratic victories every day through the end of President Trump’s final term.

Yakima Town Hall April 9

Next week, we invite everyone in Congressional District 4 to join Governor Jay Inslee, myself, and other special guests for a Town Hall that is free and open to the public! U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse hasn’t held a Town Hall this term, so we’re going to show him how it’s done. Spread the word and I hope to see everyone in CD4 on April 9!

Who: Fmr. Governor Jay Inslee, Community Leader Maria Beltran, WA Democrats Chair Shasti Conrad, and other special guests
What: Congressional District 4 Town Hall
Where: Yakima Convention Center
When: 6PM – 8PM
Register Here!

Republicans Behaving Badly

Farmers in Trump country were counting on clean energy grants. Then the government changed the rules., Barn Raiser
Thousands of farmers used funds they were promised would be matched by officially approved USDA grants to expand renewable energy. Then Trump’s policies overturned all their hard work and investments. Last week, we featured how Trump’s tariffs hurt Northwest farmers. Now his climate change denialism also hurts farmers who are only trying to reduce the cost of their energy bills using clean energy. Some of these farmers would be net producers of energy, helping their neighbors have lower energy bills too.

New Noem plan leaves FEMA on the chopping block, Politico
FEMA provides tens of billions of dollars a year to help states and individuals rebuild after devastating natural disasters, like the wildfires near Spokane in 2023. As climate impacts continue to grow, abolishing the agency in charge of helping communities rebuild will bring unimaginable pain to every region of the country.

U.S. has spent $40 million to jail about 400 migrants at Guantanamo, The New York Times
New reporting about an egregious waste of taxpayer dollars to incarcerate migrants in Guantanamo Bay with questionable legal authority that harms our military readiness. The Trump admin claims those being held are “violent criminals” but refuse to provide ANY evidence supporting these claims.

Apples, pears, cherries look for Trump’s help with trade, Capital Press
Our Northwest farmers of apples, pears, and cherries have lost approximately $700 million to $1.1 billion in exports to China alone since Trump’s first term because of retaliatory tariffs. For the China market: Apple exports are down 77%. Cherry exports are down 73%. Pear exports are down 99%! Trump’s trade war is hurting our family farms and Washington’s economy.

Apples, pears, cherries look for Trump’s help with trade, Capital Press Our Northwest farmers of apples, pears, and cherries have lost approximately $700 million to $1.1 billion in exports to China alone since Trump’s first term because of retaliatory tariffs. For the China market: Apple exports are down 77%. Cherry exports are down 73%. Pear exports are down 99%! Trump’s trade war is hurting our family farms and Washington’s economy.

Democrats in the News

Cantwell leads bipartisan push to give Congress control over tariffs, The Seattle Times

Trump administration closes regional HHS office in downtown Seattle, The Seattle Times

WA Sen. Patty Murray slams ‘Measles President’ Trump’s cuts to Department of Health, The News Tribune

Washington Senate Committee advances bill for fair wages in high-hazard industries, Hoodline

House Judiciary Committee investing WA sanctuary policy, The Seattle Times

How Democrats can win by organizing from the county up, Barn Raiser

What I’m Watching and Reading

Supporting Democrats is the most patriotic thing you can do right now – A Navy wife’s perspective, Christina Elliott
Christina is a lawyer married to an active duty Navy serviceman on Whidbey Island. She lays out the case that patriotism is a verb and the best way to support the people who put their lives on the line in service of our country is by helping Democrats regain control of our federal government. Special thanks to the Whidbey Island Democratic Club for uplifting Christine’s viewpoint.

Thanks for all you do,

Chair Shasti Conrad
Washington State Democratic Party

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Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States