MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR
It’s Friday, Washington Democrats!
Happy 4th of July!
Big anniversaries are a time for reflection. It’s understandable to have complicated feelings about our nation right now as we near its 250th anniversary. But America has always been founded on renewal and self-improvement. This July 4, I am celebrating our nation’s independence by recommitting myself to making this country better. A version of our nation that lives up to its ideals of freedom and liberty for all, and a society that treats you based on your character and not your background or zip code. I invite you to join me.
Scheduling Note
In observance of Independence Day, Message from the Chair will be on hiatus until Friday, July 17. Follow our social media channels or website for any announcements. You can also find all our organizing events at wadems.org/events.
Democrats Fight Back
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right of states to count mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day in Watson v. RNC. This is a huge victory for vote-by-mail states, but our fight is not over. Sabotage of the U.S. Postal Service means that all mail, not just ballots, are slow to get processed. Washington Democrats encourage everyone to vote as early as possible if they must vote by mail, or to use an official, secure ballot drop box.
The Spokane 3 exercised their First Amendment rights to assembly and free speech and were convicted of crimes. It turns out, the FBI was secretly going through data extracted from the cellphones of ICE protesters. This chilling story is a must-read, and I am proud of Mayor Lisa Brown and everyone in the Spokane community who are bringing attention to the trampling of our civil rights under the lawless Trump-Vance administration.
Attorney General Nick Brown has joined other Democratic AGs in suing the Trump administration over its unlawful Medicaid (Apple Health in our state) work rules. Losing Medicaid benefits can literally mean the difference between life and death. Our laws should not punish people who get sick.
Attorney General Brown also helped secure a key victory in this week’s blockbuster Supreme Court decision upholding the 14th Amendment and Birthright Citizenship. Washington state played a key role in stopping Trump’s blatantly unconstitutional Executive Order attempting to end Birthright Citizenship. Despite many suspect rulings from this conservative-packed Supreme Court, even they did not buy Trump’s baloney attempting to subvert the plain text of the 14th Amendment.
Working for Washington
What a convention! Thank you everyone who attended. Your energy and passion allowed us to adopt a visionary platform and prepare to win elections up and down the ballot in this year’s midterms. It was a full weekend from start to finish in Spokane, but we showed up, showed out, and demonstrated exactly what Democrats are capable of when we’re all working together.
We became the first Democratic Party in the nation to include reparations for U.S. chattel slavery in our platform (and we did it unanimously), trained more than 1,000 delegates to activate their communities, and we earned a lot of media coverage, helping get our message out across the state. None of this would have been possible without the professionalism and dedication of Washington State Democrats staff, our State Committee Members, and the delegates who represented their communities with distinction.
I especially want to thank the many luminaries of the Democratic Party both in Washington state and nationally who joined us at convention. Special thanks to DNC Chair Ken Martin for being our keynote speaker and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal who rocked the house and got everyone on their feet. It was an incredible weekend and shows just how effective our State Party is at leading the Democratic movement nationally.
Last weekend was the Seattle Pride Parade, which drew hundreds of thousands of marchers to celebrate love and march in solidarity with our LGBTQIA+ loved ones and neighbors. WA Dems Field Organizers were on hand to celebrate, sign up volunteers, and organize to win elections up and down the ballot. This year, marchers felt a new sense of urgency to defend our communities from the hate and division spewing out of Washington, D.C. Here in our Washington, we know that love wins, and we are doing everything possible to protect our communities from hate in any form.
- Rally, Protest, and Gather
- Anytime – Sign up to receive ICE Mobilization Alerts for communities in Washington state. Sign up here.
- TODAY – Volunteer Coffee Hour, Puyallup, 1PM-2PM, sign up here.
- TODAY – Canvass with WA Dems, Everett, 4PM-7PM, sign up here.
- TODAY – CD 6 & 10 Phonebank, Tacoma, 5:30PM-7:30PM, sign up here.
- Sunday, July 5 – Deep Canvass with WA Dems, Puyallup, 10AM-1PM, sign up here.
- Sunday, July 5 – Deep Canvass with WA Dems, Spanaway, 1PM-4PM, sign up here.
- Tuesday, July 7 – Votebuilder and NTL Training, Mount Vernon, 4PM-7PM, sign up here.
- Tuesday, July 7 – How to Host a Canvass Training, Virtual, 6PM-7PM, sign up here.
- Wednesday, July 8 – Canvass with WA Dems, Camano Island, 4PM-7PM, 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
Gov. Ferguson hails Seattle as top World Cup host as two knockout matches loom, The National News Desk
Donald Trump, JD Vance won’t attend U.S.-Belgium World Cup match in Seattle, King County spokesperson says, The Seattle Times
Washington Democrats back reparations in party platform, The Spokesman-Review
Here’s where the Enchantments stand for WA summer hiking season, The Seattle Times
‘Relief’ for WA elections as Supreme Court leaves ballot deadline intact, The Seattle Times
Could initiative to kill WA ‘millionaires tax’ also kill capital gains tax, The Seattle Times
Hundreds of thousands rally, party, protest at 2026 Seattle Pride Parade, The Seattle Times
WHAT I’M WATCHING
Where testosterone and the Bible are the ‘new punk rock,’
The New York Times
While delegates gathered in Spokane to pass a progressive and forward-looking platform, white Christian nationalists were reveling in toxic masculinity and right-wing politics down the road at The Gorge. This was a chilling read and a good look at the type of society the right wants: one where women are silent, toxic masculinity is never questioned, and the foundational value of separating church and state is erased from our politics.
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