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HEADLINES: Why Dems Lost | Survey Results: Progressives Speak Out | Down-Ballot Success Stories | St. Louis: Building Power in the Heartland | Chicago School Board Wins | Worker Rights Victories | & MORE! ★ ★ ★ — How did we get here? —
“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” Sen. Bernie Sanders said the morning after the election. “First it was the white working class, and now it’s Latino and Black workers as well. While the Democratic Party leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right. “In the coming months, those of us concerned with grassroots democracy and economic justice need to have some very serious discussions. Stay tuned,” Bernie said. It’s time for the Democratic Party to take stock and heed the warnings that progressives and working class Americans have been raising for years. Bernie founded Our Revolution to take on corporate power, elect progressives, and transform the party — which is exactly what we’re going to do in 2025 as we fight back against Trump every step of the way. Chip in to the resistance here.
Our Revolution made more than 5,000,000 voter contacts into the battleground states — door knocking, calls, texts, emails, and more — flipping many folks who weren’t planning to vote for VP Harris — but it wasn’t enough. For weeks, Our Rev Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese spoke out to the AP and NPR about the campaign’s dangerous strategy to court Republicans at the expense of the base, as our surveys and voter conversations revealed a worrying motivation gap for Harris. “We were seeing clear evidence that buddying up with the Cheneys and parroting conservative talking points rather than leaning into a strong, populist economic message was turning off voters,” Joseph told the NYT.
"We sounded the alarm,” he said to Axios. “But the party wouldn’t listen. They took the base for granted. People were voting their self-interest, which is their pocketbooks. Trump had an economic story, though flawed, while Harris’ narrative was vague.” That’s why Our Revolution “aggressively worked to engage these voters on issues like job creation, wages, housing and health care to close the narrow margin,” Axios reported. In the end, just 5% of Republicans voted for Harris — less than voted for Joe Biden. The Times asked Joseph who the Democratic Party would blame if they lost, and we already knew the answer: “As they always do, the establishment will blame progressives instead of taking a serious look in the mirror and acknowledging their failure to lay out a clear vision for addressing the very real economic pain folks are feeling,” Joseph said. Like clockwork, Bernie is being attacked by corporate Democrats for pointing out the obvious. Joseph summarized it well when he told Axios: “Voters want a leader who will take on corporate interests to improve their standard of living. The struggle is real, whether you’re Gen Z or a laid-off factory worker.” Now, more than ever, we must transform the Party to be more democratic and responsive to the working class in order to beat back Trump and rising rightwing authoritarianism. Help us build our network of organizers and make sure we are prepared for 2025. Thank you. ★ ★ ★
In our post-election survey of more than 12,000 progressives, 85% told us they’re feeling Angry, Sad, and Depressed. The rest told us they’re Shocked or Confused. While some ranked misogyny, racism, and xenophobia as factors in the election, many pointed to the neglect of working people, the failure of the Democratic Party, the late switch from Biden to Harris, and the campaign’s misguided focus on Cheney Republicans and celebrities. 76% said they believe the Democratic Party has lost its way, and 91% said they believe the Party has long neglected the multiracial working class. ★ ★ ★
You’re not alone. The election results are devastating. This is a setback, but here’s the truth: we can’t let this defeat us. We’re going to do everything in our power to hold Trump and his fossil fuel cronies accountable — every step of the way. We're building a climate movement that is 365 days strong, and together, we can make a difference. Join us on Wednesday (Nov. 13) for a special virtual event Beyond the Ballot with Jane Fonda, Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese, and Sunrise Movement Executive Director Aru Shiney-Ajay. Be in good company as we break down the results and strategize our next steps to turn this moment into a powerful push for change. It’s time to turn our anger into action. Will you join us? RSVP HERE. ★ ★ ★
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Ballot measures were a critical part of our work because we knew we wanted to use this election to deliver real change for people’s lives and make our communities more resilient in case of a Trump victory. Here are just a couple of the winning propositions from Tuesday night: In Denver, all public workers will finally have union rights they’ve been denied for far too long thanks to passage of 2U. We were proud to phonebank, text, and email voters to help fix Denver’s broken laws so librarians, sanitation workers, and others could take their rightful seat at the table to advocate for their safety, pay, and benefits.
In Massachusetts, Our Revolution worked to get out the vote for YES ON 3 which allows Uber and Lyft drivers to join a union in Massachusetts if they want to! This will now empower rideshare drivers with the option to form a union, while maintaining flexibility and independence. AND, it will help drivers negotiate for better pay, working conditions and job protections. Missouri voted for a handful progressive ballot measures - including a minimum wage increase and paid family leave. And Missouri joined 6 other states in passing abortion rights! ★ ★ ★
★ ★ ★ Silver linings this election come from crucial down ballot wins — which is why Our Revolution is dedicated to building progressive power from the bottom up! Here are just a few highlights from our many down ballot victories:
Lateefah Simon will be the next member of our growing Progressive Caucus in Congress — joining some of our top progressive leaders like Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Pramila Jayapal, all vocal advocates for peace who won their races by a wide margin. Our Revolution has been in Lateefah’s corner since she announced her run to replace retiring Congresswoman Barbara Lee in California’s 12th District. And she’s a strong voice for healthcare, worker rights, and housing. “These are local issues, but the federal government has an opportunity to bring back resources to the ground in our communities. The old party line isn’t working anymore,” Lateefah told us. “We don’t need to be scared of folks who are on the other side of our politics because we have been here before.” ★ ★ ★
Our Revolution is continuing to build progressive power in the heartland. Over multiple election cycles in St. Louis, we worked with President Megan Green of the Board of Alders to build a governing majority on the city council. This Election Day, we grew our influence by organizing to elect Marty Murray to the Missouri House and Alfred Montgomery as Sheriff of St. Louis City. ★ ★ ★
Our Revolution partnered with the Chicago Teachers Union to fight against the Charter School billionaires and elect a slate of 4 new members to the School Board. Our progressive voting bloc includes public education champions Jennifer Custer, Ebony Deberry, Jitu Brown, and Yesenia Lopez. “Project 2025-aligned billionaires lost big in Chicago. Despite all they invested to block our union's vision for public schools, they won’t be able to stop Chicago’s commitment to finally delivering for communities who have been told to go without for generations,” CTU president Stacy Davis Gates said. ★ ★ ★
Our Revolution endorsed candidate Jackie Fielder handily won her race to succeed San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen, also an Our Revolution ally. Our Revolution backed Jackie’s first run for state senate in 2020 which she lost to the establishment Dem. ★ ★ ★
There’s a special election in Virginia on Nov. 16, and Our Revolution is proud to endorse Ibraheem Samirah for VA State Senate District 32. Big problems require bold solutions like the ones Ibraheem championed in the Virginia House of Delegates — including state-level Medicare for All, a Virginia Green New Deal, and quality, affordable housing. The SD-32 primary is the national progressive movement’s opening salvo against Trump. We need to win elections by sending in a new generation of leaders who are unafraid to take the fight to MAGA extremists and will offer a bold vision for the future. ★ ★ ★
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In our post-election survey of more than 12,000 progressives, one of the top fears of progressives is that Trump will roll back climate protections and double down on his pledge to drill baby drill. We’re going to do everything in our power to hold Trump and his fossil fuel cronies accountable — every step of the way. We’re building a climate movement that is 365 days strong, and together, we can make a difference. Join us on Wednesday (Nov. 13) for a special virtual event Beyond the Ballot with Jane Fonda, Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese, and Sunrise Movement Executive Director Aru Shiney-Ajay. Be in good company as we break down the results and strategize our next steps to turn this moment into a powerful push for change. It’s time to turn our anger into action. Will you join us? RSVP HERE. ★ ★ ★
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