The Elections: Some Progressive Wins, But the Fight Ain’t Over

A huge part of America rose up on Nov. 8 and repudiated most of the “red wave” that was supposedly coming. At the local, state and national level, millions stood up for democracy, human rights, justice and equality, and millions voted for a government that guarantees the well-being of the people and not corporations and billionaires. The people suffered some losses, to be sure, and we still have a fight ahead of us, but there were a lot of victories as well.

While the right wing will control the U.S. House, at least 15 new progressives won election to the House in districts across the country, including in Texas, Illinois, Michigan, Florida, Hawaii, California, Pennsylvania and Vermont. John Fetterman, widely seen as a representative of the working class, was elected to the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania, defeating a right-wing candidate. Other right-wing Senate candidates were defeated in Nevada and Arizona. And Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia beat his right-wing opponent by some 36,000 votes in November, but Warnock must endure a Dec. 6 run-off election under Georgia rules because neither candidate got at least 50% of the vote.

Ballot measures raising the minimum wage passed in Nebraska, Nevada and Washington, DC. South Dakota voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment to expand Medicaid. Ballot measures supporting abortion rights passed in five states, and other proposals providing for more low-income housing were approved in Oakland, CA, and Kansas City, MO, where a proposed $50 million bond for affordable housing won. Voters in four states approved ballot proposals to change their state constitutions to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for crime. Alabama voted to erase racist wording from the state’s constitution, which still had Jim Crow-era language regarding segregated schools, poll taxes and bans on interracial marriage.

Black, Latinx, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ candidates were elected to a number of offices, some for the first time. Members of Gen Z won office, including seats in Congress.

Young people, women and Black Americans came out in significant numbers, as both voters and organizers, and played a crucial role in holding back the “red wave.”

People organized around campaigns to fight for their interests, and an awareness of how high the stakes are was reflected in the campaigns and the voting. Stacey Abrams – who ran a historically important campaign in the South on a program of Medicaid expansion, voting rights, free technical college, affordable housing and other necessities, sought to become governor of Georgia, but lost to the right-winger Brian Kemp. She said in her concession speech, “I got into this race for one reason and one reason only: to fight. And not just any fight. A fight to save Georgia. A fight on behalf of our children and generations to come. A fight on behalf of our people. A fight for basic human rights that we take for granted and a fight for the values that we hold dear….Righteous fights never end. Let’s keep getting it done.”

In a Nov. 10 webinar, Beth Howard of Kentucky, Appalachian organizing director for Showing Up for Racial Justice, talked about the victory in Kentucky where voters rejected a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the state constitution. She said the victory was “a great FU to those billionaires and crooked politicians who are trying to peel white working class people in Kentucky away from solidarity with working class people of color. And I know that my people are ready for the revolution, and that when we invest in them and we give them a chance we will prove it….Kentucky is a state where the ultra conservative wing of the GOP…has amassed a ton of power, which isn’t just bad for Kentuckians, it’s bad for everyone. And so we get to the place that we’re in right now, a country that is backsliding towards fascism because the radicalization of the far right goes unchecked in places like my home state. And that’s why winning on issues like abortion here is so important. And so we can do this across the south and across the nation just like we did here in Kentucky. I believe it. I know it.”

Summer Lee, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America who won election to represent Pennsylvania’s 12^th District in the U.S. House, will be the first Black congresswoman from Pennsylvania. She told a reporter that, regardless of ideology, people “care about how much their basic needs cost. Their groceries and their gas bills. They care about a living wage. These are things that truly connect us. And I believe that’s actually what makes progressives and our progressive messaging resonate.”

But be aware! Many of those who were victorious (including progressives) won by slim margins, and far right candidates won many elections. The right will control the U.S. House, and the Senate is still blocked by the filibuster. The Supreme Court has a right-wing majority, we still have no national voting rights law, and voter suppression laws enacted in a number of states are still there. Laws criminalizing women’s right to choose are alive and well. The country is divided and sliding into a deep economic crisis, which can be a prescription for further attacks on our rights. We, the people, must keep the pressure on at the polls and in the streets with continued people organization and voting, and demand a government that respects our rights and provides for our needs. Still, this election was positively a step forward in popular consciousness that will help prepare us for the coming fight for our rights and a real people’s democracy.