MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
It’s Friday, Washington Democrats!
Working for Washington
This week, Washington Democrats partnered with ¡Votamos Ganamos! to host ¡Presente! ¡Somos Demócratas! This event honored the legacies of Sen. Bill Ramos, Sen. Margarita Prentice, and Rep. Phyllis Gutiérrez Kenney while celebrating Washington’s vibrant Latino community and change makers.
I want to recognize the incredible contributions of our award recipients: Nina Martinez, Alicia Spinner, David Perez, and Alma Chacon have spent years, and in some cases decades, improving their communities and fighting for civil rights. Thank you to everyone who came out to support our award winners and building Democratic power around the state!
Delegate Election Process for 2026 State Convention
Every two years, Washington Democrats host a state convention for delegates across the state to vote on amendments to the party platform, resolutions, and charter and bylaw amendments. Any self-identified Democrat in Washington state may run to be elected as a delegate to the state convention. I encourage you to run!
Delegates impact our official positions on today’s biggest policy issues, represent their community’s needs and values, connect with leaders from around the state, and teach and learn more about the Washington Democrats alongside other activists and party members.
Anyone willing to publicly identify as a Democrat may run to be a delegate. There is no age limit, but candidates must reside in the legislative district for which they are running to be a delegate in. 1,171 state delegates will be elected alongside 490 alternates from Washington’s 49 legislative districts. State delegates will be elected by their Legislative District Party Organizations (LPOs) to represent their district at the 2026 Washington State Democratic Convention. The Online Delegate Self-Nomination Portal opens on January 1, 2026 at this link. Those with questions should email partyaffairs@wa-democrats.org.
Democrats Fight Back
On Tuesday, Democrat Aftyn Behn in Tennessee massively overperformed in the special election for the TN-7 congressional seat. Donald Trump won this district by 22 points just last year. This year, Republicans only squeaked out a slim, single-digit margin. Republicans around the country are already panicking – if every House district in the country shifted left by the same margin as TN-07, Democrats would flip 43 seats next year. 40+ Republicans currently hold seats that Trump won by 12 points or less. Tennessee is just the latest state to see massive Democratic overperformance – Democratic candidates have won or overperformed in 220 out of 248 key and special elections this year, a rate of nearly 90%.
Republicans and Democrats agree U.S. health care costs too much. Will they do anything about it?,
The Spokesman Review
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell continues to bang the drum for more affordable health care, emphasizing how little time remains for Congress to act before a December 15 deadline when Americans must choose a marketplace insurance plan. She is arguing that more states should adopt “basic health programs” as alternatives to private health insurance for low-income families and individuals. While Republicans continue to flail and fail to put forward any coherent plan to lower health insurance costs for Americans, Senator Cantwell continues to champion straightforward solutions that already exist under the original Affordable Care Act policies.
Democrats plan a new investment in winning rural voters who’ve fled the party,
OPB
U.S. Representative Suzan DelBene announced a new initiative to win back rural voters. She’s making the case that Democratic policies rather than reckless trade wars will better serve rural communities, not just in Washington state, but around the country. Make no mistake, this will be an uphill battle, but these investments are required right now to regain the trust of rural voters and make the case that our Party’s big tent not only has room for them, but will welcome them in and improve their lives and livelihoods. Thank you, Rep. DelBene for leading this effort to expand the electoral map and create momentum for Democrats around the country running in red and purple districts.
WA sues over Trump’s SNAP cuts targeting refugees, other immigrants, The Bellingham Herald
Attorney General Nick Brown joined 20 other states and the other Washington to sue the Trump administration over their cruel decision to deny food assistance to lawful permanent residents. SNAP helps 930,000 people in Washington get the food they need, including seniors, children, and people with disabilities. AG Nick Brown is fighting for their rights and their ability to put food on the table.
AG Brown secures order blocking attempt to defund Planned Parenthood, other health centers,
Office of the Attorney General
AG Nick Brown also secured a key victory for public health by securing a preliminary injunction that blocks an illegal provision in the Republican’s Congressional Budget. This victory ensures patients can get the care they need and that health centers that provide reproductive care will not be singled out for illegal funding cuts. This is not the end of the road, but an encouraging sign for the rule of law and Washington’s support for bodily autonomy!
DOJ sues WA Secretary of State, demanding info on all state voters, The Seattle Times
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs championed the privacy rights of Washington voters by refusing to hand over all voter data to Trump’s DOJ. He stood strong for the laws of our state and against the lies and conspiracy theories of Trump. To underscore how unserious this administration is, they went to the press before checking their own paperwork – “a notation in the federal court docket said the DOJ complaint had been filed ‘incorrectly/improperly[…]’” Thank you, Secretary Hobbs for protecting our constitutional rights to privacy!
- Rally, Protest, and Gather
- Anytime – Sign up to receive ICE Mobilization Alerts for communities in Washington state. Sign up here.
- Monday, December 8 – Grow, Win, Lead: Field Plans that Drive Your Party’s Goals. 10AM-11AM. Virtual. Sign up here.
- Tuesday, December 16 – DNC National Training Team 2026 State of the Race. 1PM-2:30PM. Virtual. Register here.
- Wednesday, December 17 – Run for Something: Candidate Introduction Call. 5PM-6PM. Virtual. Register here.
- Thursday, December 18 – Starbucks Workers United Action and Rally. Noon-2PM. Seattle. Sign up here.
- Send us details on rallies and protests in your communities
- Email details to press@wa-democrats.org
- 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.
- Follow us on social media
DEMOCRATS IN THE NEWS
| Washington’s 2025 general election is officially in the books, Washington State Standard WA state Sen. Sharon Shewmake not running for reelection next year, Washington State Standard – A HUGE thank you to Sen. Shewmake on her many years of service to the people of Whatcom County and Washington state. ICYMI: Donald Trump’s gerrymandering scheme is backfiring, National Democratic Redistricting Committee Hanford begins turning nuclear waste into glass more than 60 years after pioneering the process, Inlander Jayapal introduces bill to dismantle the ‘horrifying’ immigration detention system, Lynnwood Times |
Washington’s 2025 general election is officially in the books, Washington State Standard
WA state Sen. Sharon Shewmake not running for reelection next year, Washington State Standard – A HUGE thank you to Sen. Shewmake on her many years of service to the people of Whatcom County and Washington state.
ICYMI: Donald Trump’s gerrymandering scheme is backfiring,
National Democratic Redistricting Committee
Hanford begins turning nuclear waste into glass more than 60 years after pioneering the process,
Inlander
Jayapal introduces bill to dismantle the ‘horrifying’ immigration detention system,
Lynnwood Times
WHAT I’M READING
When participating in politics puts your life at risk,
The New Yorker (requires subscription)
This long-form article covers the increasing acts of political violence and the toll it is taking on elected officials and candidates running for office. As someone who has also received death threats, it is clear that we must focus on solutions that build community ties. And, of course, limiting how easily accessible guns are.
Thanks for all you do,
Chair Shasti Conrad
Washington State Democratic Party
In 2024, Washington Democrats led the nation with sweeping electoral victories. Now, we’re fighting to elect a supermajority in Olympia, protect our swing seats in the House, and stand up to MAGA extremism across the country.
WA Dems empowers grassroots organizing and elects Democrats up and down the ballot. Your support fuels our fight to stop Trump and defend our democracy.
We sincerely thank you for your help and support.
Washington State Democrats PO Box 4027 Seattle, WA 98194 United States