What happened last night? Democrats overperformed 2020 in the NY19 special.
Why?
@patryanUC
ran on Roe. Democrats turned out in huge numbers.
What does this mean? Well, 222 House seats are better for Dems than NY19. This is not a red wave.
No
@DCCC
comms staff? Taking flak for House Dems’ extreme policies that lost the majority sounds tough.
So tough they couldn’t find anyone to take the job?
None of us took the job of fighting for the House because it was easy. We did it because we knew it would be hard. And because of the incredible team at the
@dccc
, we made history with the best midterm performance since JFK. I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of this team.
When I started as a researcher, it was so many white men… and me. I am so proud to have so many women on this team as the next generation of research directors.
This shouldn’t be normal. We should be able to keep kids safe from gun violence. We should be able to keep elders safe in grocery stores. We should be able to keep worshippers safe at their churches, synagogues, and gurdwaras.
Takeaways:
-democrats have momentum going into 2024
-choice is still a powerful message
-Dems have a massive pickup opportunity in New York to win back the House
NEW: WOODBURY, New York — Democrats flipped the battleground Long Island seat last held by ousted Rep. George Santos, narrowing the already razor-thin Republican majority in the House. w/
@JCColtin
via
@politico
As promised, here's my take on the
#takes
. Before
#ElectionDay
I saw a lot of takes doubting abortion would be an issue that drove people to the polls.
They were wrong. Our strategy paid off. 🧵
After two incredible years
@dccc
, today is my last day. Together, we achieved historic results and elected some incredible democrats across the country.
We succeeded because voters rejected MAGA extremism, but we could not have done it without this truly talented team.
BREAKING: Democrat Thomas Suozzi wins special election to U.S. House in New York's 3rd Congressional District, a seat once represented by George Santos before his expulsion from Congress.
#APRaceCall
at 10:03 p.m. EST.
First time I've seen a major party committee with ads specifically for our community. And the message is an important one: Republicans want to take away your freedom to make your own health care choices.
There's still a lot we don't know, but what we do know is that we have wildly exceeded expectations. There is still a path to the majority, and
@dccc
is working around the clock to get us there 💪
This thread is almost entirely garbage, but the kernel of truth is that dem orgs and campaigns should invest in research - early. The best CMs/executive directors/leaders know this.
2. In Democratic politics, research is considered an entry level job that you slog through on your way to something glitzier like press
It's a task delegated to the most inexperienced and lowest-paid staff
I met Rahul on the
@russfeingold
campaign back in 2016. I’ve always described him as a gem — for his incredible kindness, his ever-present wit, and his intelligence. It was a privilege to know him, and I’ll miss him every day.
Statement from the Chopra family: It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Rahul Chopra, on March 11, due to undiagnosed diabetes and the resulting complications. Rahul’s tenacity and passion to make the world a fairer and more just place led him to a
Also first in Sunday Sneak
@axios
: We’ve got the full list of senior NRSC staff for the 2024 (!) cycle — including deets that Steve Daines won’t be hands-off in primaries like Rick Scott:
Still not over how disgraceful it was to heckle the president while he was telling this tragic story and talking about the importance of tackling the opioid crisis.
Doug joined my State of the Union tonight.
He wrote Jill and me a letter about his daughter, Courtney. She had a contagious laugh and was only 20 years old when she lost her life from a fentanyl overdose.
Doug, we're with you in starting the journey towards America's recovery.
NEW: Matt Mowers, a Trump WH official now running for Congress in New Hampshire, voted twice during the 2016 primary season, potentially violating voting law and leaving him at odds with the GOP’s intense focus on “election integrity.” w/
@hramer
Statement from DCCC Executive Director Tim Persico:
“Unions built this country, and the DCCC supports the rights of all workers, including our employees, to join a union. We look forward to working together toward voluntary recognition.”
Reminder to non-organizing department heads to send your staff out to knock doors when time permits! My first research boss did this and I learned *so* much.
Re: McCarthy appearing to shush members heckling Biden - McCarthy promised reporters that members of his conference would not act "childish" this evening.
@dccc
@allenzchen
While too many people were quick to draw conclusions on Democrats’ messaging and the idea that people don’t care about reproductive freedom – this election showed that when you listen to people, use reliable data, and let voters vote, Democrats succeed.
I’m not shocked. Republicans have spent my entire lifetime (and longer) trying to take this right away. But I am horrified that women are going to have to sacrifice their jobs, lives, and economic security because of this radical decision.
The Supreme Court has voted to strike down Roe v. Wade, according to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito and obtained by POLITICO.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Alito writes.
Let’s be clear – it was sexist and wrong to claim that the Supreme Court’s decision to strip basic bodily autonomy and the freedom to make our own health choices wouldn’t be a motivator at the ballot box.
NEWS:
@maddow
has audio of Kevin McCarthy saying privately after Jan. 6 that he expects impeachment to pass and was considering asking Donald Trump to resign.
Here’s the tape 👇
Speaker Pelosi's decision to seek an 18th full term has added a new angle to GOP efforts to win back the House: tying swing-state Democrats to an even bigger bogeyman than Biden.
@dccc
@allenzchen
After the Dobbs decision, Democrats overperformed 2020 data & expectations in *five* special elections & a referendum in Kansas.
This week, voters from Michigan to California, Kentucky to Montana turned out in droves and successfully protected abortion rights in their state.
Asked about DCCC's recent ad on abortion, Steel said:
“My record is very, very clear. I am pro-life, exception of three things: the mother's health, and what is that? The other one? The—”
She paused. “Rape and incest,” her spokesman chimed in.
“Yeah, yeah. Yeah, those three.”
@dccc
After Dobbs, our data continued to show that we needed to communicate the stakes on abortion rights if Republicans took control of the House – and we were relentless and disciplined in this message across our battlefield.
Biden inflation is a disaster for hard-working Americans…!
✳️Chips in May: $4.79
✳️Chips in July: $5.59
80¢ more for the same bag of chips a few months apart is ridiculous! At this rate I may be buying potatoes and making them from scratch! Anyone have any good chip recipes?!😡
As
@POTUS
highlights the extremism that led to the January 6th insurrection, a reminder that *way too many* Republican congressional candidates were complicit in or even participated in 1/6. Take a look here:
The official position of the Republican Party is that a violent insurrection on the Capitol and attacking Capitol police officers is “legitimate political discourse.” Got it.
At least nine Republican congressional candidates have scrubbed or amended references to former president Donald Trump or abortion from their online profiles in recent months ahead of the post-Labor Day sprint to Election Day.
Arizona now has a ban on abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest. It would jail doctors. This is exactly what Republicans have wanted for the last 50 years.
After the
#SCOTUS
leak and before the Dobbs decision, the
@DCCC
had a strategy and message guidance already in place so that when and if the decision to overturn Roe came, Democrats could communicate effectively from the very beginning. And that is exactly what we did.
But we knew from the very beginning that we could walk and chew gum at the same time.
We talked about real challenges like the economy AND reproductive freedom.
SO BASICALLY, HOUSE REPUBLICANS CALL THEMSELVES THE PARTY OF FREEDOM BUT HAVE VOTED AGAINST CODIFYING ROE V WADE INTO FEDERAL LAW, KEEPING BIRTH CONTROL LEGAL AND PROTECTING INTERSTATE TRAVEL FOR ABORTIONS
@dccc
@allenzchen
Democrats’ coalition and commitment to strong, consistent messaging made this election historic and as close as it currently is.
So proud to be in this fight with
@PPFA
@emilyslist
,
@NARAL
and other allies + the best comms/research team in the biz. United together, we can win.
@dccc
@allenzchen
And we did not allow ourselves to get bogged down by the GOP’s lies and distortion on the issue. We drew a contrast and made it clear that we would stand up for freedom.
@dccc
@allenzchen
Abortion as a negative was salient enough against Republicans to keep many competitive races in play and allowed Democrats to fight to a draw against environmental and structural headwinds.
Every single Republican must own up to their role in dismantling the right to choose. Let’s start with the 210 House Republicans who voted AGAINST codifying Roe v Wade into law.
Every single Republican must own up to their role in dismantling the right to choose. Let’s start with the 210 House Republicans who voted AGAINST codifying Roe v Wade into law.
I've seen enough: Pat Ryan (D) defeats Marc Molinaro (R) in the
#NY19
special election. This is a huge victory for Dems in a bellwether, Biden +1.5 district.
@dccc
Democrats hammered Republicans in paid communications on abortion – making Republicans’ positions clear – even while Republicans ran from their own records.
@dccc
Communities of color – AAPI, Black, Latino – all overwhelmingly support reproductive freedom.
Democrats ran culturally competent ads that would resonate. An example that is particularly close to my heart (h/t
@allenzchen
)
The Republican agenda poses a threat to people nationwide and especially women and families within the
#AAPI
community. Watch our latest ad calling out the GOP's dangerous government overreach:
75-21: Senate confirmed Sasha Baker as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. She currently serves on the WH National Security Council and was national security adviser to Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
To be completely clear, Mazi Melesa Pilip is running as the NY Conservative Party’s candidate — which means she’s running on a platform of banning abortion with no exceptions for rape and incest.
It’s not just bad policy. It’s terrible politics. This is a gift to Democratic challengers across the country.
Vulnerable republicans are now on the record voting to increase unemployment, increase taxes on working families, and slash health care for veterans.
🚨 217-215, House Republicans pass Kevin McCarthy’s debt limit bill.
Four GOP no votes.
This bill now heads to the Democratic-led Senate, where it will die.
Path to US averting default: Unclear.
NEW: AZ Supreme Court rules that a 160-year-old near-total abortion ban still on the books in the state is enforceable, a bombshell decision that adds the state to the growing lists of places where abortion care is effectively banned.
First CBO score of the new Congress is here.
Says that the GOP IRS funding bill would reduce spending by $71.5B and reduce revenue by $185.8B.
Net deficit increase of $114B.