By and large the candidates Blue America has endorsed for Congress this cycle have told us that they’re campaigning on a combination of issues— from basic economic issues to the GOP trying to take away not just Social Security and Medicare but also our our rights, starting with the right to Choice.
With many states already in the thick of early voting we are now in crunch time. And huge early turnouts aren’t just happening in Georgia (up a whopping 70%) but also in North Carolina, where absentee ballot requests are up 114%, and Florida (up 50% compared to 2018). As of Friday, Michigan had received 1,765,000 ballot requests, of which 641,800 had already been returned. In 2018, just 346,000 voted by mail during the entire election. NY Times writer Nick Corasaniti reported on Saturday that “election experts say the signs suggest overall turnout will be strong… Election Day has become, and will most likely always be, election month.”
Nationally, 5.5 million voters had already cast their ballots by Thursday and that 51% are Democrats and 30% are Republicans. So what’s driving Democrats to the polls?
I asked Derek Marshall, the Blue America-backed progressive running in the San Bernardino suburbs.
He didn’t hesitate for a moment:
“We’ve heard it on the phones, at the doors, and in the community, voters of all parties are upset about Jay’s role in the attempted overthrow of our democracy.
Jay Obernolte voted against the certification of Pennsylvania and Arizona in the 2020 election, against the investigation of January 6th, and then even after hearing some of the findings of the January 6th investigation, he is still proud to have Donald Trump’s endorsement. Voters throughout CA-23 are upset, and no longer want a representative who doesn’t believe in democracy and the American voter.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the end of Jay Obernolte’s bad decisions as Congressman. Jay has put his party over his constituents as he continues to vote against protecting people and their rights when he voted against the Violence Against Women Act, the Paycheck Fairness Act, and continues to support the effort the ban abortions. In Washington, I will fight to ensure we have equity and equality in our community and across the country. We need to protect people’s right to vote, to their reproductive health, and we need representatives who are not bought and sold by corporations so we can end the price gouging and rein in corporate greed.”
One of the closest races in the country is in a newly re-drawn Oregon district that goes from the suburbs south of Portland all the way out to Bend. After handily beating a Blue Dog incumbent and corporate shill in the primary, Jamie McLeod-Skinner is taking on MAGA Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a wealthy self-funder.
Kevin McCarthy’s SuperPAC has spent an astronomical $4,383,975 smearing Jamie while the DCCC has spent less than half of that amount in the district.
“Across my district,” Jamie told me yesterday, “voters of all parties are upset with the DC Republican role in the attempted coup.
While we may disagree on some policy issues, we agree that we need to protect our democracy so we can address the challenges that we face— rebounding from the COVID-economy, protecting our reproductive and voting rights, and ensuring a livable planet. We need representatives who are not bought and paid for by corporate PACs so we can end the price gouging and rein in corporate greed.”
The U.S. never voted to make the country a democracy. But in 14 days we’ll be voting on whether we want to remain one or not.
These House candidates are all in on democracy. All of them have Get Out The Vote operations that last minute contributions will greatly benefit.
Thanks for always doing what you can to help make a better world,
Howie, for the entire Blue America team
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