WSDCC – March 21, 2025

Posted on March 21, 2025

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Happy Friday, Washington Democrats!

Gov. Ferguson and Lt. Governor Denny Heck hand out crab at the Pacific County Crab Feed

Call to Action

  • Elect more Democrats to the U.S. House
    • There’s a Special Election for two seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida. We have the opportunity to use a low turnout election to cut into MAGA Mike Johnson’s majority, but we need everyone’s help. Write postcards, make phone calls, and more to help push the Democrats over the top in this April 1 election (no fooling!). Learn more on how to help Josh Weil and Gay Valimont here.
    • Phonebank from home on Sundays to recruit volunteers and turn out voters in FL-01, FL-06, and NY-21. Democrats are only three seats away from a House majority. It’s a longshot, but in special elections the electorate looks a LOT different – help us win these seats here!
  • Stop Elon Musk from Buying Wisconsin’s Supreme Court Seat
  • Protect Trans Passport Access
    • Submit comments to the U.S. Department of State on anti-trans changes to passport applications (e.g., no “X” gender marker). Make your voice heard!
    • Learn more.
    • Submit Comments.
  • Request Personal Data Obtained by DOGE
    • U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin is encouraging every U.S. citizen to file formal demands for access to the personal information obtained by the Department of Government Efficiency. You can find a fillable form here. Once you have filled out the form, please print it off and mail it in to DOGE at the address on the form.
  • Rally, Protest, and Gather
    • TOMORROW Saturday 3/22: Pancakes & Progress – Join Lewis County Democrats in Chehalis from 9 AM to Noon for a pancake breakfast and share your ideas for Lewis County’s future. Purchase tickets here.
    • Tuesday 3/25: Help us pack the Seattle Federal Courthouse at 10 AM as oral arguments are heard in the lawsuit seeking to overturn Trump’s Trans Military Ban.
    • Tuesday 3/25: (VIRTUAL) The SAVE Act: The Bill That Could Block Millions of Americans from Voting with Center for American Progress. 11 AM-Noon. 
      RSVP HERE.
    • Thursday 3/27: Street Rally to Defend Civil Rights in Redmond Downtown Park. 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM. 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
  • Follow us on social media for up-to-the-minute updates and actions that can benefit your communities:
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Storybanking

This week we feature Jerry Hebert in our storybanking project. Click the image above or go here to see the whole story. Jerry has a terminal illness and requires support through federal and state programs for the medications he needs to stay alive. Republican attacks against our social safety net are fundamentally risking the lives of everyone like Jerry. Thank you for sharing your powerful story with us, Jerry.

Are you a federal employee who received an email saying you could be offered a buyout or that you were terminated without notice? Do you work at a research institution or non-governmental organization and have had your federal funding yanked away?  Was someone in your family denied gender-affirming healthcare? We need your stories.

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 weekend, I had the joy of attending the 97th Annual Pacific County Crab Feed in South Bend, Washington. Attendees at this sold-out event heard from Governor Bob Ferguson, Congresswoman Marie Glusenkamp Perez, Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck, Washington State Treasurer Mike Pelliciotti, myself, and many other tremendous Democrats who are doing everything they can to support our rural and maritime communities.

Last week was also the legislative cutoff for bills to make it out of their house of origin, unless they are considered necessary to implement the budget. Here’s a brief update on some of the major pieces of legislation that have survived the session so far:

Rent – House Bill 1217, which would cap rent hikes at 7% in any 12-month period for tenants and prohibit increases of any amount in the first year of tenancy, passed out of the House of Representatives. 

Gun Control – House Bill 1163 would require a new state permit to purchase firearms and was passed out of the House of Representatives. Senators also passed legislation that expands the list of places where it’s illegal to carry a gun and other weapons. 

Parental Rights – Senators passed Senate Bill 5181 that fixes the Let’s Go Washington initiative which created conflicts with state and federal law. House members passed House Bill 1296 that lays out a set of students rights and contains everything included in Senate bill 5181 as well. 

Unemployment Benefits – The Senate passed legislation that would provide unemployment insurance to workers during a strike or when they are locked out by their employers. If passed, striking workers would be able to apply for unemployment insurance beginning the second Sunday after a strike begins, plus a one-week waiting period. The bill caps benefits at 12 weeks.

Recycling – Senate Bill 5284 improves the state’s recycling program, creating a uniform recycling system for the state that requires producers of consumer goods to fund statewide recycling services.

Public Safety – House Bill 2015 provides $100 million in grants to hire more police officers contingent on local governments implementing sales taxes focused on criminal justice. 

There are other important pieces of legislation still working their ways through the legislature. You can read more about all of them here.

I also want to keep you informed on Democratic overperformance across the country in special elections. Currently, Democrats have overperformed the top of the 2024 ticket in all but one of the 12 special elections held so far this year. Here’s a rundown of results from our friends at the DNC:

Last weekend, I had the joy of attending the 97th Annual Pacific County Crab Feed in South Bend, Washington. Attendees at this sold-out event heard from Governor Bob Ferguson, Congresswoman Marie Glusenkamp Perez, Lieutenant Governor Denny Heck, Washington State Treasurer Mike Pelliciotti, myself, and many other tremendous Democrats who are doing everything they can to support our rural and maritime communities.

Last week was also the legislative cutoff for bills to make it out of their house of origin, unless they are considered necessary to implement the budget. Here’s a brief update on some of the major pieces of legislation that have survived the session so far:

Rent – House Bill 1217, which would cap rent hikes at 7% in any 12-month period for tenants and prohibit increases of any amount in the first year of tenancy, passed out of the House of Representatives. 

Gun Control – House Bill 1163 would require a new state permit to purchase firearms and was passed out of the House of Representatives. Senators also passed legislation that expands the list of places where it’s illegal to carry a gun and other weapons. 

Parental Rights – Senators passed Senate Bill 5181 that fixes the Let’s Go Washington initiative which created conflicts with state and federal law. House members passed House Bill 1296 that lays out a set of students rights and contains everything included in Senate bill 5181 as well. 

Unemployment Benefits – The Senate passed legislation that would provide unemployment insurance to workers during a strike or when they are locked out by their employers. If passed, striking workers would be able to apply for unemployment insurance beginning the second Sunday after a strike begins, plus a one-week waiting period. The bill caps benefits at 12 weeks.

Recycling – Senate Bill 5284 improves the state’s recycling program, creating a uniform recycling system for the state that requires producers of consumer goods to fund statewide recycling services.

Public Safety – House Bill 2015 provides $100 million in grants to hire more police officers contingent on local governments implementing sales taxes focused on criminal justice. 

There are other important pieces of legislation still working their ways through the legislature. You can read more about all of them here.

I also want to keep you informed on Democratic overperformance across the country in special elections. Currently, Democrats have overperformed the top of the 2024 ticket in all but one of the 12 special elections held so far this year. Here’s a rundown of results from our friends at the DNC:

Virginia

  • In Virginia’s 10th state Senate district, Democrat Jack Trammell lost by 17, an overperformance of the top of the November ticket by 6 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, overperforming the top of the November ticket by 14 points.
  • In Minnesota’s House District 40B, DFL Candidate David Gottfried overperformed the top of the November ticket by nearly 2 points.

Iowa

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

Connecticut

  • In Connecticut’s House District 50 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 overperformed the top of the November ticket by over 20 points.

Delaware

  • In Delaware’s Senate District 1 special election, Democrat Dan Cruce overperformed the top of the November ticket by over 15 points.
  • In Delaware’s Senate District 5 special election, Democrat Raymond Siegfried overperformed the top of the November ticket by nearly 4 points.

Why this matters: The biggest special elections are in front of us, and on April 1, voters will decide two Florida congressional special elections and the pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court election — on which Elon Musk is spending millions to ensure that the MAGA, Trump-loyalist candidate wins. However, voters don’t like Elon Musk in our government and they don’t want him buying our elections. 

Republicans Behaving Badly

‘A nightmare for our farmers.’ Eastern WA growers could take big hits from tariffs, Tri-City Herald

Washington farmers are particularly dependent on trade with other countries – whether its apples, wheat, cherries, or asparagus that are about to be in season. Trump’s tariffs threaten their livelihoods. I encourage every Washington Democrats to seek out locally grown produce so we can support our farmers as they struggle against Trump’s harmful economic policies.

Trump says a recession might be worth the cost. Economists disagree., The New York Times

I think this sums it up best, “The idea of short-term pain for long-term gain is not a crazy idea in and of itself,” said Greg Mankiw, a Harvard economist who served as Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors under President George W. Bush. But Mr. Trump’s trade policies, he said, are “short-term pain to get more long-term pain.”

Baumgartner faces angry, disruptive town hall following two months of Trump’s presidency, The Spokesman-Review Thank you to everyone who turned out for the Spokane and Ritzville Town Halls. You ensured that Rep. Baumgartner heard from his constituents about the total lack of leadership from Congressional Republicans to check the worst impulses of the Trump administration.

Democrats in the News

NRCC names 26 House Democrats to initial targets list for 2026, including Perez, The Columbian

‘Tsunami of cuts’: Senators warn Washingtonians that Apple Health could be gutted, KIRO Newsradio

US judge blocks Trump’s ban on transgender troops – for now, USA Today

Washington Senate passes bill to speed up carbon emission data updates, The Center Square

Trump’s poll numbers are sagging. Here’s the key reason., The New York Times Even Republican pollsters are recognizing that Trump’s failure to do anything about bringing down the cost of living (the number one issue for most Americans) is weighing down his approval ratings.

What I’m Watching and Reading

The opposite of fascism, Anand Giridharadas
I found this Substack inspiring as we are all constantly on edge with whatever the latest developments out of D.C. are. Finding and celebrating community at this moment is more important than ever. I see it in the protests and rallies that are happening weekly (if not daily!) and the constant organizing that is going on to prevent harms to our communities.

Thanks for all you do,

Chair Shasti Conrad
Washington State Democratic Party

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We sincerely thank you for your help and support.

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