Republicans in Virginia used to be moderate, but in the last 25 years they have become reactionaries and taken positions on many social and fiscal issues that were anathema and outright cruel in the view of many moderate Virginian. The irony was that these Republicans knew that their extremist positions and announcements would one day comeback to haunt them and irreparably damaging to their brand of moderate politics. It was laughable to hear these Republicans desperately campaigning on issues like gun controls, healthcare and transportation. The lesson here is that the Republican Party in Virginia only cares about holding on to power. Virginian would do well to remember this fact in the next local elections.
113
An end to Republican gerrymandering will allow the true Democratic surge to manifest. That starts with taking control of the state legislatures, and when possible the governorships. Redrawing districts fairly will cost hundreds if not thousands of Republicans their seats - as it should. People feel their votes don't count when they live in gerrymandered districts engineered to guarantee their votes don't count.
44
"We didn't need to persuade voters to embrace our worldview - they were already there on the issues". With all due respect, Ms. Nguyen, baloney. Your column exudes victim identity politics - "legacy of oppression", "KKK", "blackface", "swastikas" - which the majority of Virginians reject. Your own column negates your argument when you note the 24% increase of Democrat voters in the suburbs was key to the Democrats win. Democrats need to learn the lesson of 2018 when they retook the House with overwhelmingly moderate candidates - many from here in Virginia. Please, Democrats, reject the suicidal obsession with victim identity politics or we'll be stuck with Trump for another four years.
1
Maybe Democrats have finally learned to stop being punching bags for trump, his party, Mitch McConnell and Fox. In reading the comments section in the NYT most of us have stopped taking "advice" on what we should do and how we should act from Brooks, Douthat and Stephens. Maybe Republicans will now have to answer for their own actions and inactions.
5
Yes, it takes years of transplants fleeing failed states like NY, NJ, MD, CT to turn a well run conservative state like Virginia into a future liberal bastion. Same phenomenon going in in Colorado, Arizona, etc as California residents flee in droves but fail to leave their voting practices behind.
The question of the hour is simple: Where will the children of these people flee once their liberal polices destroy Virginia?
1
Thanks for all your hard work and continuing commitment. Maybe, finally, southern states can return to basic, moral values and help their people. Born and reared in the South, I saw racism increase, white male supremacy always tolerated, and women treated as retarded children. You give me a tiny bit of hope that these characteristics will not always define the southern states.
10
Trump is alienating just about every group other than women hating, brown hating white males over 55.
3
After reading some of the comments I see people are all over the place on what happened. From trump did it to you just got lucky. What I got out of this article was engage the people and turn them into voters, registering voters where you can and stay engaged all the time.
23
I hope this will be true, someday in Florida. With almost half of our electorate registered as Democrats, Democrats have little representation in our state. The Republicans have had a strong-hold for 20+ years, and our state is now polluted beyond recognition and it's amazing beauty has been given up to concrete and traffic jams: all in the name of democracy.
7
Amazing to learn about Tram Nguyen and the New Virginia Majority. This looks like America's next source of inspiration and leadership. Tram, go for political office yourself when the time comes. And, I assume, you are a very proudly a second or maybe third generation Vietnamese-American, and it is especially inspiring that your very presence as an American citizen has to do with "Vietnam," the centerpiece of my own generation's engagement with the world fifty years ago. If it took that conflict to get you here, it was worth it!
3
This is why I repeatedly say that political scientists don't know anything. Ignore them!
This looks like hard-fought territory, and I congradulate those who did the hard work.
I also congradulate those who campaign against odds and try to form a new national narritive at the presidential level.
There is more than one way to skin a cat, to use an old saying.
I advise most people, don't ever believe that some analyst, pundit or columnist knows what is possible. They have no idea what is possible!
This can be fought on multiple levels. Unfortunately, I think we're all losing the battle on the Internet. It's a free-for-all wasteland for our country's politics. It has done a lot of harm. It could have done good, but it's done nothing but harm so far.
Minds can be changed. People change parties pretty easily in the proper circumstances.
The assumptions of political scientists need to be ignored. They help nothing.
2
My ancestral home state of Texas is teetering on being a competitive state between Democrats and Republicans. Having lived there and Oklahoma for more than half of my life until age 22 and having attended college and worked in the state for five years, why Texas is what it is politically is still something of a mystery to me.
One explanation is that the lower income groups defer to higher authority, the leadership structure. Those leaders went Republican so everyone else followed. Another is those on weekly wages, seeing their fate tied to that of the ruling elite, want to give the elite what they want to ensure employment for themselves, a go along to get along plan.
People make less on average in Texas than other states, particularly west and eastern coastal states. But, things are cheaper there, too, particularly housing. Someone who doesn't make a decent living, New York style, can have a big three bedroom house well equipped with all the modern stuff. Maybe even a pool out back and a couple of luxury cars.
There is a strong and undeniable independent streak in Texas minds and hearts, even though in the "frontier days", which only ended about 130 years ago, dependance on others, neighbors, was a common feature.
Texans are usually good, friendly people, but don't cross them or step on toes.
The legacy of having been a slave holding state in Civil War times surely explains a lot of generationally handed down attitudes but things, gradually, are changing...
In other words, be like US Grant who when defeated tried again and again until he won, and not like McClellan who turned tail back to Washington after a defeat or kept waiting for the right time which never came.
2
Thank you for your efforts in Virginia.
We are working on it here in Georgia. In 2018, every statewide Democratic candidate received at least 48.5% of the vote.
Furthermore, Lucy McBath is now the Democratic Rep for GA-6 (Newt Gingrich's former seat). And Carolyn Bourdeaux came within a few hundred votes of defeating incumbent Republican Rep. Rob Woodall in GA-7. She is running again in 2020, and Mr. Woodall announced his retirement.
Georgia is turning purple. But, as the author points out, it is a long-term process, not a one-time event in an election year.
8
It is of course a boost to be running against by far and away the least qualified and most shamefully disgraceful US president of all time.
4
A very good and timely article. Democrats have been writing off people who traditionally voted for them for many years now, and what has that gotten them? Defeats. The Democrats used to run with a heavy ground game and grass-roots organizations in cities, towns, and in the countryside. They often carried states all over the map. Obama carried Iowa, Virginia and North Carolina (in 2008), among other states. George McGovern was a Senator from South Dakota; Tom Harkin from Iowa, David Boren from Oklahoma; Dale Bumpers from Arkansas. The list of House members is longer than that. But too many people in the DNC and responding to articles in papers such as this one have had only contempt for those away from the coasts and a few states scattered around the country, and have made that known. Howard Deane had it right: Run hard campaigns all over the country; organize, get the vote out. That's how to win, and how to beat Trump and his cronies. For all of you writing off all those folks, I have one thing to say: You are enabling Trump.
5
The vote in Virginia shows how true grassroots organizing, from the bottom up, can generate results. For too long, the top-down takeover by zealous Koch-funded libertarian think tanks like the ones at George Mason were promoting a pseudo-populist message and seemingly getting results. I think the “both sides” spectacle at Charlottesville opened a lot of minds to a feature of Virginia politics that traces its history to James Buchanan and the closing of public schools to defy desegregation. I’m cautiously hopeful for Florida, now that Trump identifies with that state.
3
Yes, both now and last year, Virginia has set the standard in how to win up and down the ballot. A diverse group of democrats elected on the local, city and state levels.
1
You're next, Texas.
6
I've been working at the polls handing out Democratic sample ballots for many years. Each November I'd see my Republican counterpart in her red woolen socks. One year she didn't show up to hand out Republican sample ballots. When she showed up to vote, I asked he why she wasn't at her usual post. She replied, "the Republican Party left me." That was part of the story in Northern Virginia. The other part was the work we Democrats did over the years to improve the quality of life. Better schools, more good jobs, better representatives with good constituent service made my area more attractive to people who looked for those things when choosing where to live.
6
That is certainly the case. I for one am overjoyed with the result and am proud to be living in a blue state. I think the Virginia lesson must be applied to other States, West Virginia being one. The people in that State must be so worn down by the horrors that they have been through and frankly they need a better representative than Joe Manchin, even though he purports to be a democrat. The other State we need is Texas, and I hope the democratic party is working overtime there.
4
Thank you, Ms Nguyen, for your hard work and the work of everyone in your organization. I wish the Dems had a 50 state strategy, but they just don't.
3
The Democratic Governor of Virginia is going to take a zero sum game approach and jam an agenda through the state legislature that he could not with a Republican dominated legislature. That means that with a thin majority that could be reversed with the next election, he is going to implement laws and programs that could be reversed. It would be wise for him to keep the changes he wants to make moderate enough to keep the people in the middle in support of them. Otherwise, what he's doing will amount to no more than a victory dance without really advancing any sustainable policies.
You mean if we stop pandering to white men and their wives, we will have a chance at a just political system? Who woulda thunk?
4
Governor-elect of Kentucky who defeated the incumbent yesterday spoke a simple truth about human beings that high-price political operatives have forgotten at their clients's own peril. The simple truth is that his victory was not about Right or Left, Democrat or Republican; his is one of "Right over Wrong." Voters know in their gut that it is (1) WRONG to take away health care to the sick and poor, (2) WRONG to enable the medical-industrial complex to bankrupt even citizens with costly health-insurance policies, and WRONG to keep the minimum wage low at the expense of full-time workers for the benefit the political class's business lobby. Keep the message simple, stupid.
6
Onward! Georgia. Ohio. Michigan. Pennsylvania. Wisconsin. North AND South Carolina. TEXAS. FLORIDA. Yes. Texas and Florida. National Democrats have to stop giving up before they even fight. The Republicans spent decades organizing from the grass roots up. It's about time Democrats did the same.
Hey, DNC - are you listening yet?!?!?
5
Well done, Tram! For years, I was frustrated because there was usually no candidate for me to vote for in the state legislative elections--most of the time, the candidates ran unopposed. I was heartened to see that almost all of the seats were contested in yesterday's election. Since Democrats have been running challengers, they have started winning legislative seats. As the lottery likes to say, you can't win if you don't play!
4
I live in Hampton, VA, and this was the first non-national election I've voted in.
Why? Well part of it is the candidates themselves. BOTH candidates (the Dem and the Republican) actually acted like they gave a damn about my vote. BOTH candidates concentrated on the issues (bad infrastructure bridge tunnels and climate change), not stupid national politics drama, so I was able to actually compare viewpoints and choose the one who represented mine the most. The Dem won my district, but honestly I would have been fine with the Republican winning. She was respectful and wanted to tackle infrastructure and how to deal with climate change. Can't ask for more.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, good on the VA political machine. For the first time in awhile I didn't leave the voting booth with a sour taste in my mouth.
3
If you're not fighting for a vote, every vote...you're conceding.
Great article and analysis.
8
Terrific piece. It took Republicans years to convince ordinary Americans to champion less government and lower taxes despite the fact that the beneficiaries are the nation's wealthy and corporations. I ope that working locally and continually, as this piece suggests, it won't take progressives as long to persuade voters that their interests lie elsewere-- in clean air and water, a pleasant environment, affordable healthcare, a civil and civilized society. Back in 1975, Lewis Powell, later Justice Power, put out memo to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce outlining the fear that capitalism was under attack and what to do about it. Powell called for the creation of the conservative think tanks--the Heritage Foundation was founded- a push for rapid countering of mainstream media, backing business-oriented politicians, and controlling of the judiciary "the most important instrument for social, economic and political change."
It is what has brought us to where we are today. We're in need of a course readjustment, but it, too, will take time.
6
I am sorry to see Virginia turn blue. But our immigration policy coupled with the expansion of the federal government brought people to the state who had little interest in rural activities like horse racing, fox hunting etc. Leesburg and Warrenton used to be home to some great trainers. But urbanization destroyed that life. Virginia has lost its soul!
@Judy Weller,
Your are so wrong in your opinion. Virginia just gained its soul after years of holding people down and holding people back. Virginia is fighting back after more than 400 years of enslaving human beings. There is a new day in the Old Dominion, and this rural Virginian who lives in a hometown of 2,300 in the great Southside region is proud of what has happened.
7
I lived in Virginia from 78 to 95 and let's not forget that it has been turning blue for a while. Virginia elected the only African American governor in the country, L. Douglas Wilder, in 1990.
1
Tram Nguyen is 100% correct. After all, it was in Virginia that the very same strategy was born by the far right. In 1979, Jerry Falwell started the "Moral Majority" and poured money into local school board and town races, from chicken-scratch hamlets to small cities. Even when they lost they made "easy races" a thing of the past and Democrats were TOTALLY unprepared for this kind of all-out, totally political warfare.
Worse the DNC didn't learn from it, even after the 2016 catastrophe. Within weeks, Indivisible and The Resistance were organizing for 2017 and 2018, but the DNC was left far in their dust. The victories in 2017, 2018, and 2019 did NOT happen because of the DNC and its "wise leadership" yet they continually take the credit, unearned.
Just yesterday, before the returns were in, I heard Tom Perez on the radio, when asked about whether Dems should be focused on beating Trump or having a consistent message, he riffed off into gibberish about how we all want health care for all, that we all need to support each other, and don't all need to have exactly the same ideas, totally off topic.
He doesn't get it. Tram Nguyen and the Virginia party does. NOW the rest of the nation needs to.
We had to leave Virginia for work just as the GOP was making in-roads, in 1993. It's wonderful to see the Old Dominion forcefully take it back to sanity!
3
Great news from Va.
But it wasn’t all about organization.
It was also brought about by state court ordered end to extreme partisan gerrymandering.
This is precisely why the Roberts radical right cabal on SCOTUS refused to rule that such gerrymandering was a denial of the one man one vote rule of the Constitution.
It’s pitiful that state court jurists have more fealty to our Constitution than a majority of those on the Supreme Court.
7
Check out "The Powell Memo" (Powell Doctrine). Written in 1971 by Lewis Powell, then a U.S. Chamber of Commerce person. Soon after, Nixon appointed him to the Supreme Court. His "memo" laid out the long term strategy and plan for the Republican party to dominate the country. Not in 1972, 74, or 1980. This was long term thinking, it was "brilliant, the right wing elite wealthy families of the time pumped in 10s of millions of $ at the start and billions over the years. This was the beginning of FOX fakers, Cato, Heritage, American Enterprise Inst. ALEC, Federalist Society (all the right wing nut judges who bow to Republican orthodoxy, like kill Roe v Wade, keep American White and christian, women subservient to men, etc.). This was long term thinking and investing. Not about the next election. It worked. This is why the Repubs have been so dominant. They are not only ruthless thugs, they were long term in their strategy and investing. Reagan was their first President, Bushes, trump. Clearly, they have overplayed their hand and did not know where to draw the line. They let trump run wild and they are now paying a huge price.
Dems - INVEST heavily in the new world, new thinking, new economy, in our young people and in the future. Invest in politicians who care about the future for our children - education, and most of all - we must dal with the climate emergency. There is NO long term if we let the climate go.
9
If the Republican party had not gone completely nuts after the election of Barak Obama and conducted a very exclusionary hard move to the right, beginning with the Tea Party revolt movemment... Virginia probably would not have move so solidly toward Democrats as it has over the last decade.
I encourage the Republican party to continue to stick their party hard right and be very exclusionary... because it does more for voting Democrats into office then anything Democratic campaigns could do on their own.
7
Demographically, Virginia is not the State it was. A huge number of northerners and liberals have moved into the State because of the proximity of the Federal Government in DC and Federal offices in Virginia itself. Quite obviously of lot of this new demographic is antagonistic to Trump, who goes out of his way to trash career government workers.
6
Yet I'm beginning to think, per another article in this section, that we're probably seeing more and more voters in both parties holding their noses while they pull the levers. NO one seems to be happy with their party in the final analysis.
1
@JDStebley
I’m pretty happy with my party. Even at the national level, lots of ideas are getting vetted, and lots of candidates, too. Sour grapes from Gabi notwithstanding, 21 candidates have had a chance at a national audience. I like where we are going.
1
Congratulations to Ms. Nguyen and her team for this great victory. I'm not willing yet to put Virginia permanently in the blue column--there's still work to do--but empowering the people of the state itself is the best way to accomplish that work.
I would argue that making our case, even in states we can't win, has value. When we don't even show up we allow the Republican lie machine to work unfettered. The deep south has traditionally been a hotbed of Republican mytho/pathology.
And that pathology has a way of spreading. So it makes sense to make our case even in Mississippi, for example, if only to let the people know that we are on their side and that we are not the evil that Republicans (and profiteering preachers) claim we are.
Hearing all sides is what makes us American. It's a patriotic duty to talk even to those we think are unlikely to listen.
4
Would that this could happen in Georgia.
5
@ Autumn Leaf, are you out of touch or attempting to insult with an old saw like Prius? Heh heh. When you’re on I-81 or I-95 or I-66 and not run down by truck, then you’ll be left in the dust by a high-end Tesla. It’s Teslaville down here now, baby.
And 2 million white college graduates moved in.
2
I’ve been saying for years there are no signs of intelligent life at the DNC.
In 2016, the DNC let a lifelong Independent run as a Democrat. Running as the Independent he always was but using the DNC’s infrastructure for free, he split the vote. Duh.
Now a candidate gets a podium on the debate stage for $1 campaign contributions because it’s the number of contributions, not a contribution average amount threshold. Duh
Refusing to do an undercard debate wasted two debates not putting front runners against one another AND kept potential candidates off the stage entirely. Duh
Even Obama set up his own organization. Why I send my dollars either to Pelosi or the candidates directly.
1
@Citizen60
Hmmm... you’re not even in the Speaker’s district. And thank you for the bit about Bernie. How the Democratic National Committee ever got hoodwinked into letting someone who put not even ten minutes into the heavy lifting of party work run as a Democrat is beyond me.
1
Here is what most of the Democrats need to learn, instead of competing with the Republicans on who can tell lies the best so the mostly corrupt Democrats can fool voters into thinking they are voting for someone who will look out for them rather than the rich and powerful, they might try actually having policies that people want, and that Democrats will actually fight for. Novel I know. Populism works, but you have to mean it and fight for it. Trump won by terrible default. Voters so sick of promises never kept and being tricked one too many times rebelled.
I guess the DCCC laughs at the polls saying 95 percent of voters believe that politicians work for the rich and not for the rest of us. That means they have got to have some superior liars running or give way to Bernie and Warren who are the front runners. Ye Gods honest candidates who actually (gasp!) care about the tiny, little people! But of course the bubble the elite's live in is hard to crack. Corruption is the DCCC's drug of choice. Good luck with the centrist propaganda and saying , "people love their insurance and don't want to save thousands a year. And it is fine to have millions with no insurance. And we cannot bring back free public colleges, or have clean air and water and save the planet, as long as fossil fuel pays us so well," they mummer.. The polls show Americans want what Bernie and Warren honestly offer. The corrupt Dems have to go.
3
Hard work, organize, register voters, fill pot holes, listen, fill needs. It is the work of a social democracy. This was obviously a large part of the Democratic win.
However, I think another important factor is that after 40 years of elitist, greedy republican lies and corporate welfare to the parasitic oligopolies, the public is finally finding the fallacy of the 'job creators' vision of society. 'job creators' is just another word for royalty and serfs. The republicans have no intention of improving the lot of the working man.
Now that there is a glimmer of hope, it is time to full throttle ahead with a massive campaign to stomp out the last of the republican cultists. Don't let up. Work harder.
3
EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT. We need one more state to ratify. Virginia could be the state that adds the ERA to the Constitution. Did I get something wrong? Why isn't anyone mentioning this?
5
@Scott B didn’t it have to be all wrapped up in 35 years or some such?
1
The wisdom of this popular contact and interaction actually enables national parties to identify their likely supporters preferences, instead of relying only upon the preferences expressed by big contributors and well connected interest groups, and polls by third parties. It moves the focus of the party from satisfying a small but influential portion of the electorate to a more general and representative sample.
3
Thank you Tram! You are an inspiration!
5
Dump Trump!
Democrats in the South have been complaining that they have a hard time finding good candidates. The quality of the candidates matters. A candidate can't simply echo Democratic positions and expect to win outside of very liberal areas. Ther4e is a need to identify and develop good candidates throughout the South and other areas that lean toward the Republicans. And talented people who are Democrats need to step up and run.
2
We are not going to win next year by putting up a same old same old Democrat.
We need to do the hard work that the Democratic Party has been unwilling to do.
Hillary Clinton lost because she did not have a ground game.
We need to engage with voters on the ground. Find out what they care about by actually talking directly to them.
We need to get the non voter engaged. Then we will win and have a lasting majority.
3
This is simply nonsense.
Look it up; the DLCC alone put a million bucks into the Virginia elections, starting a year ago, and a ton of support.
I’m really, really tired of seeing self-anointed “progressives,” who didn’t get off their duff to so much as vote in 2016 scrabble around for scapegoats.
And I may get tireder, given that this sort of sanctimoniousness may just re-elect Trump.
4
Congrats to all of the volunteers at New Virginia Majority for helping make this happen! I also recommend checking out Sister District -- they are focused solely on flippable state legislature races like Virginia. https://sisterdistrict.com. Keep up the good work!
7
This is an excellent article on a big win; thanks.
Otherwise, it’s fairly hilarious to watch people who think they’re progressives try to mutate this into an attack on Hillary Clinton, and people who know they’re Trumpists try to pull the kivvers up over their weary heads and make the scary monsters go away.
3
Democrats winning in Virginia is a good thing but it just illustrates the basic divide in the country: the electoral college is dominated by red states while most of the population is in blue states.
As the urban population grows red may turn bluish. Who becomes President will be decided by trends in red states as long as it is the electoral college that picks him (or less likely her). It is now a pattern that Republican presidents consistently lose the popular vote but win the electoral college. Eventually disenfranchising an ever increasing majority will become unsustainable and something will have to give.
9
Great analysis. You got it right. The National Democratic Party looks at state's like Virginia, and dare I say Texas, as sources of money. Not places to invest. This destroys local efforts to turn a marginally red state purple or blue by staving off critical campaign funds. It is easy to look at a previously red state as Virginia, and a current red state as Texas, as a veritable dead zone for the Democratic Party. That ignores the significant fact that statewide the Democratic Party may garner 45 percent of the vote in statewide elections and hold the majority of seats in major urban areas. Go Virginia! Next on to Texas.
204
@f On the opposite side, Maryland elected it’s first Republican governor in a long time. Gov. Hogan is a centerist republican. He got elected on his economic beliefs. Thank God he stays out of women’s reproductive issues. I am sure Gov Hogan’s election and re-election did not happen in one election cycle either. Let’s face it, Gov Hogan would be a democrat in VA.
5
@f
Speaking as a life long Democrat I have reluctantly concluded that the DNC, especially under the current leadership and that of Wasserman-Schmitt, is our worst enemy. Thanks for calling them out.
29
@f "Next on to Texas" — For our group of activists in Sonoma, that'll be this afternoon! We're writing nonpartisan cards to (probably disenfranchised) Texans to tell them how to make sure that their voter registration is active. In Dallas County alone (our 1st target) there are 80000 African-American voters who have been placed in unregistered status. I mention this to show how easy it is for us all to help change things around.
13
"No place is unwinnable forever."
In the spirit of "all politics is local", we have the case of Delaware County, a suburban county bordering Philadelphia. The five member county council has been under Republican control since the Civil War. At no point have the Democrats occupied more than two seats. Last night, Democrats swept all five seats on the Council.
If you are looking for a bellwether, look no further.
11
> No place is unwinnable forever. <
A lot of us don't want to hear that, but it's absolutely a fact. We write off *way* too many people. It makes us feel good, but if you want to make positive changes in the lives of Americans it's disastrously counterproductive.
People think it's "either or": appeal to racists or appeal to the rising diverse majority. But it often isn't. Plenty of people voted for Andy Beshear who hold attitudes some of us would not like at all. *Because* they voted for him, it's more likely that more Kentuckians of all races and backgrounds will have better healthcare and better lives.
One other point should be made, though: Democrats' victory in Virginia was in some respects pretty narrow. They are certainly capable of losing again if they lose the confidence of the broad coalition that gave them this opportunity. No place is unloseable forever, either.
158
The hat trick that gave the majority in the State House to Republicans was overturned legitimately. Virginia has a Democratic Governor, 2 U.S. Democratic Senators and 7/11 Democratic House representatives. We are a blue state. Period.
68
@Bill Camarda
They do write off states far too often. In last years' governor's election in Georgia a black woman won nearly the half the votes, yet Democrats still label Georgia a "red state" that they have little chance of winning.
33
@Bill Camarda Virginia's Democrats certainly can't take their victory for granted, but this state is heavily gerrymandered to favor Republicans. Last night's wins represented not just the will of the majority, but of a significant majority. Hopefully, with fair redistricting, we can ensure that everyone's vote really does count equally, and Democrats finally will have a fair shot at advancing long overdue policies that most Virginians want enacted.
19
I was born and raised in Virginia, as was my father, and generations before him. I grew up a conservative, and see my self as a moderate conservative. Honestly, the reason that the Democrats won isn't because of the groundwork that you've laid. It's because most moderates voted against the Republicans out of disgust for President Trump and the Republican representatives who have put party before country. That's it. You can thank President Trump for your victory.
147
It is heartening to know that values and integrity in government are important to some Republicans. The party of trump has turned many of them toward the Democratic Party and for that, I am grateful.
173
@Neal not entirely. Northern Virginia's proximity to Washington DC lends itself to a transient/military, educated and multi-cultural and diverse community that leans toward progressive and social ideals. We want clean air and water, an impartial social justice system, fair wages, top notch schools, etc. Yes, it is everything Trump rallies against but we are realists living in the 21st century - not the 1950's.
93
@Neal can we just say “all of the above.” The organization was there when the democrats time came. There were probably many votes against 45 and the cruel policies that have been put in place. The Democrats ran good candidates. There are probably other reasons too, but the important thing is that it all came together for the Democrats.
30
I do agree that we should not write off any community. However, at the national level there has to be decisions made about how to deploy a limited and way to small amount of resources. The money you invest in a 24% district is taken away from another district (a 52%, 48%, 45% district). You could easily end up losing a district in order to move a 24% to a 35% district - is that really smart? Is it smart given that the 2020 election will make or brake Gerry-mandering for the next decade?
2
@Ivan
That is exactly how Jerry Falwell and Ralph Reed did it for conservatives.
Oh and after McConnell is kicked to the curb he will pull down Graham and the Republic is back in baby’s arms again.
1
And yet HRC didn’t even visit all of the rust belt states. Further, she went out of her way to insult working people.
Warren seems to condescend in a similar way, saying her Dem colleagues support billionaires, and acting toward voters as though only she is smart enough to get it right, so they shouldn’t worry their ignorant little heads about it.
3
@Franco51 Sounds like you never listened to a word Sen. Warren says if you think she is condescending to working people. All she talks about is how Wall Street billionaires are screwing regular working people and she is absolutely right. How is that condescending or insulting to working people?
8
@Adam
Sounds like you didn’t bother actually to read what I wrote. Did you
Watch her roll her eyes when other candidates dared to suggest ideas that—gasp—differed from hers?
@Franco51
That’s it? An eye roll, real or imagined? Like Adam says, pay attention to what she says.
1
I wish the Kansas Democratic Party would learn this lesson! It has failed time and again to build a state wide presence by focusing on governor's races thinking the coat tails reach across the state. It's no wonder that the state legislature is dominated by the Republican Party despite its policies resembling those of the previous Republican dominated Virginia Assembly. Come on KDP, wake up!
9
I would say to Democrats that they cannot be complacent about the news out of VA, you won at your own house. This is far from a reflection of the country in general.
The NoVa area, the suburbs about DC, are all full of Liberals who despise the rest of the state, dismissing them all as rural bumpkins. They vote blue, drive Priuses and tell you all you want to hear about Global Warming, plus they really wanted Hillary as president.
So they voted blue, what a huge surprise to no one.
It was not by far a decisive win, this is not a ‘Blue Wave’; sorry but you squeaked a win. Take a good look, State Senate, up 21 to 19 with only 3 seats flipped, House of Delegates, had 6 seats flipped for each party. Otherwise the Incumbents won re-election.
If you take a look at the election map (CNN and NYT do not have it for some reason), the map colors remain the same as has for years, Blue and Red areas remain unchanged. Nothing changed, Bluer areas got more blue, Red areas remain red.
Enjoy the win, but please note you failed to change any one else’s mind.
This should be a huge alarm bell for 2020.
While we’re on the topic of smug complacency.....
8
@AutumnLeaf I don’t understand this persistent slam on Priuses that’s used as a lazy shorthand to mock people that you disagree with, politically. Prius drivers pay more to reduce air pollution, the air that we all breathe. This benefits everyone, even Republicans. Can’t we agree on this, that clean air is better than not? You’re welcome.
8
There is the question of the total amount of energy used to create a battery powered car and the true cost of the batteries. That said any reduction in emissions is good for all.
The question I have is why is Tesla the only manufacturer with a legitimate EV. I don’t count the Volt as it is not a car that most would want to drive no matter what the mpg is.
SUV’s and trucks are what people want and will buy.
1
Yeah, the lesson is that fake news works.
As a former canvasser, I agree with this strategy completely. Keep the dialogue open. Never stop working on some sort of issue. You'll see the dividends come election season. You won't even need to try. The network already exists. The conversation already happened.
One of my favorite practices for staying engaged with local communities is letter drives. This is when you choose topics specifically relevant to a community. For example, so-and-so politician wants to change zoning laws so a developer can build a high-rise in that field over there.
You then write-up talking points to reflect certain community attitudes. Do you want more housing? Should we make it low income? Do we want to preserve the field as part of the community landscape? Would the field make a better park? And so on.
Then you go knocking on doors. "I'm so-and-so with XYZ organization. I'd like to talk to you about this issue..." You carry a simple flyer explaining the issue and providing addresses for relevant political contacts.
"Would you be willing to write a letter to your representative tonight?"
The answer is almost always yes. People get really excited about participating. You just need to ask.
"I'll come back around [whatever] time and pick up your letter. If you want to donate a stamp, great! If not, we'll mail it for you."
Next door.
180
When I moved to VA in 1992, I felt like I was a lone progressive in a land of conservatives.
Yes, changing demographics have helped in statewide and local elections.
But what cannot be overlooked is what is described in this opinion piece. That change requires consistent dedicated voter outreach and genuinely listening to and investing in relationships with the people. During and throughout every year, not just swooping in for election season. Also, acceptance that there will be both victories and defeats, and the latter must not dissuade an ongoing commitment to change.
And probably most importantly, to never, ever become complacent.
296
@Voter I also moved from New England to Virginia in 1992. I was a registered Republican and felt the local Democrats were the equivalent of northern Republicans; while the Virginia Republicans were way out there in their own world. I have veered slightly to the left over the years, as has the state.
7
@Voter But who was the governor in 1992? Douglas Wilder, the state's first black governor. So not, in fact, the wasteland.
I lived in Virginia from 1987 to 2002 and then moved to South Carolina. It can get a lot more southern than Virginia.
4
It is funny - how in the midst of winning an overwhelming mandate - Mr. Nguyen whiffs at a softball.
The new leaders have to run the state reasonably and sustainably. They have to attract businesses - they have to manage taxes cautiously - they have to get things done as opposed to simply talking about them. And, finally, they have to resist the balkanization of their core - no special deals by race, gender, or your own special tribe.
But - we all know that is not going to happen in VA - too many promises to too many groups have been made and the average Virginian is gonna pay for all of them.
Pretty hilarious, considering Trump’s refusal to pander to ethnic and religious groups and exquisite financial management.
Oh, wait.
4
Being from NY, we've eliminated a number of no-change official. Who became so comfortable in their ways, they did nothing for change, unless they got the better end of the deal. When they lost they went out like cry babies, not getting their way.
Thank you not only for this important Opinion but for the work put in for more than a decade to achieve this progressive advance in Virginia. As a now several year resident and registered voter in Texas I am on a similar journey with fellow progressives here. We are making gradual progress. It requires dedication and focus year round, not only during election cycles. It also will likely require a sustained effort and investment not for a single election cycle but over many to achieve real change. We are encouraged to see the progress and change in Virginia and other localities, states, and regions and pledge to achieve similar progress here no matter the hurdles we will continue to face. Thanks for your model, work, and progress.
10
Ms. Nguyen is absolutely correct. This is how Republicans came to own so much power themselves. They spent years fighting to win the state and local races, which in turn allowed them to enact super-partisan gerrymandered districts, and voter suppression laws. Doing so allowed them to effectively leverage their natural minority into a majority-defying juggernaut.
And Ms. Nguyen touches on a very powerful dis-incentive for voters who hold progressive ideas, but who don't vote: given the Democratic Party's apparent writing off of their area or district or state, they just figure "Why bother? My vote won't make any difference." But it does! Maybe it's hard to see in the beginning where a Democratic candidate might only pull 10 or 15% of the vote (like in the area I live), but if resources are focused in fanning this small flame, each year the percentages grow, and at some point people start believing that their vote DOES count, and eventually this leads to victory as it did in Virginia.
The real problem with the Clinton Third Way philosophy is it abandoned the small voters and donors and went after the Big Fish. While this enabled the campaign coffers to to be filled, the Democrats became cash-rich and commitment-poor. Why should people remain loyal to a party that ignores them? Trump was the answer to that question.
Since 2016 however, grass roots focus has been the engine that fueled the return to the Dem's progressive, FDR roots. That effort needs to continue and grow.
13
I know my opinion is in the minority on this comment board, but It is a sad day for Americans. Virginia has leaned so far left that it is frightening. There are no moderates left and I wonder if there will be an exodus to more conservative states. The people better be prepared for higher taxes and continued liberal policies. This state is becoming more like California every day. How has that worked out for their citizens? They are fleeing as fast as they can and the same may happen here.
@KMW Weird comment. Calfornia is an example of what a state should not be like? I gather you prefer Kansas as an example. No moderates left in Virginia? I wonder what your definition of moderate is: one that loves reducing taxes on the wealthy, will not accept extension of Medicaid and is against free choice for women? People are not fleeing California, it still is and will remain the most populous state. It has a problem with affordable housing which is a problem in all prosperous regions of the country.
9
@KMW Let "the exodus" begin!
2
@KM people gonna flee to those states where they like their taxes low and their residents uneducated, unhealthy, segregated and addicted to Opioids. Take that Virginia!
5
I suspect if you look at the voting demographics for this election it will be clear you made no headway in the more conservative parts of the state. The victory is attributable more to a demographic shift in the counties around DC than to some mumbo jumbo about grassroots reach out. It is a great victory, but let's be honest about it.
4
@Maury why read the article when I can stick to my pre-conceived notion. The point, Maury, was not turning conservative Trumpsters in southwest Virginia, but getting those who seemed to be most disaffected from the system to believe that their votes could count. And it’s clear that strategy worked. If the Dems can duplicate this strategy in your state and a few others, they will win, and handily.
10
@Maury you miss the point, it's not about grassroots, it's about boots on the ground.
6
@Greg actually it is not clear, that is the point. The author can claim that it was his organization that caused it, but there is "actual evidence" that there has been a demographic shift in Virginia. Until there is actual data showing it was formerly disaffected voters that caused this change, you are just making unfounded assertions.
This is an excellent column. I do not understand why National Democrats are not making the case to rural voters that their anger is totally justified but misdirected. The GOP is not just not their friend, it is an active foe. Just showing them who is trying to take away their health care would be a good start.
21
@whaddoino I agree. National Democrats must also emphasize the progressive bills passed by the House but blocked by Moscow Mitch and other Trump minions.
5
This is an important article that sheds light on how and why Democrats won in Virginia. It takes lots of work and investment in voter who normally don't get involved. The lesson here is that when people turn out and vote their interests thing change for the better. Let's hope the Democrats can replicate this success story across the nation.
13
The latest Hampton University Center for Public Policy, conducted in June, showed: Biden 36%, Sanders 17%, Warren 13% and Buttigieg 11%.
The same persons who gave Joe Biden that 19 point spread are the ones who gave the state of Virginia its first Democratic governing trifecta since 1993.
Let’s continue with the winning formula as we head towards November 2020.
4
This was the approach Howard Dean championed during his chairmanship of the Democratic Party and he had similar success in electing Democrats in areas long neglected by the national party. His efforts contributed substantially to Obama's election.
Unfortunately, Obama replaced Dean with Virginian Tim Kaine, and together, Obama and Kaine abandoned Dean's approach which lead to tremendous losses for Democrats throughout the country, allowing Republicans to capture state legislatures and gerrymander commanding locks on Congressional districts in multiple states, including North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin among others.
11
I really hope the few dinosaurs of the Democratic party get this. If Bernie hadn't been crushed in the last election, we would have either gotten him or helped the party evolve in the process. The stakes have been raised higher because of the incredible damage T. and almost the whole senate have wrought could be described as complete abandonment of concern for the heath and well being of all Americans, to say nothing of the whole planet. For this planet to survive are we need those who work for the benefit of all, not just the elite. The Republicans are calling for an ice age. If they are successful, not only will all the dinosaurs die, but they will take most all the creatures great and small with them.
10
For some reason, I am reminded of those halcyon days when Pacifica News ran its daily Hour of the Loon, generally explaining why 9/11 was a CIA plot.
This Virginia surge was not surprising. This state has been leaning blue and now it is complete. This should be a wake up call for Republicans that they need to put together reliable candidates and get out the vote.
More like put forward better ideas. America should never be about doing anything ‘Again’.
We move forward or we fall behind, it’s that simple.
7
@KMW
'This state has been leaning blue and now it is complete'.
Go take a look at the electoral map, Red areas remain red, Blue areas remain blue.
No sir the state did not completely become Blue. In fact it is much more entrenched in their colors now.
Minor technical detail: Republicans don’t HAVE reliable candidates to put out there. They barely have sane ones, since Trump and Trumpists took charge.
But feel free to explain how you’re gonna foist the shabby likes of Gohmert, Gaetz, King and Jordan off on everybody.
3
The main thing that’s happened in Virginia is a demographic shift. It has become an increasingly blue state due to growth in population in its cities and more populated areas. Look at this elections electoral map and it is plain to see the democrat votes (blue) concentrated around urban areas.
6
Rural areas are Republican all over the US (and conservative politically everywhere in the world). But most people live in cities. That’s where the votes are. There’s no profit for Democrats in putting boots on the ground in rural areas, but hard work in cities pays off. This success in Virginia should inspire similarly intense efforts in many parts of the country where potential Democratic votes are going to waste for lack of attention.
So important! Your article gave me some hope, something I'm not having a lot lately regarding our elections. We have to reach out to people who think they're not important to let them know that they are very important, and their participation in elections is essential to changing the presumed power of the Electoral College.
3
Brilliant article. Get to work, Democrats. And Presidential candidates don’t mess it up by beating up on your opponents. Joe Biden, if you can get along with Republicans, show that you can get along with Liberal Democrats. As it is, you blew it in 2016 by not having the courage to run. The same goes for the progressives. Example - universal coverage. Getting to that objective is more important the method. Same for climate change, immigration and all the big issues. Debate policy, but observe Michelle Obama’s direction to “go high.” Trump owns the low road!
8
Movements take time and effort. Thank you, Ms. Nguyen, for your time and effort on this in Virginia.
Lest we forget, there are a lot of people who don't vote because they think their vote doesn't matter. We need to change this mindset--after all, a single vote more could have changed the outcome in 2017, both for one seat and for the balance of that chamber.
12
And meanwhile, over at the Daily, we continue to be fed the line that white working class voters will be the deciding factor in beating republicans. We also had Hilary hyper focused on winnkng over republicans who she thought would be too disgusted to vote for Trump thereby covering the upper income white folks. Surely their number is small compared to poc and other marginalized groups who feel disengaged but if courted in the same manner, could make a huge difference in voter turnout. They actually don't need as much convincing/arm twisting to support the ideas proposed by sanders and Warren.
6
Duh- the Democrats won’t pay anyone.
They act like jobs in democratic organizing and politics, are some sort of legacy appointments, strictly reserved for rich donor kids or those already from politically connected and wealthy families.
That’s why we are hollowed out.
Not because of Obama or nefarious republicans but because democrats won’t operate in all states and won’t pay anyone to do real organizing and local work.
They act like the new puritans of intersectionality- convinced that they alone may confer the magical label of, “ally”, instead of convincing, persuading and yes, paying workers who actually need those wages and those jobs.
They need those wages and jobs to support themselves and their families- not as affirming prestige jobs to brag to your friends about.
Do a story on that.
4
Very well articulated. Thank you!
@Daniella Courban
On the contrary, I thought it made no sense.
Congratulations to Ms Nguyen and the great state of Virginia.
Let this be a lesson for all states, Blue and Red alike. We must never overlook all peoples, no matter their color, race, or ethnicity, whether they are from the country, city, or suburbs. They all have needs. Yes, it takes time, perhaps years; but we must go to these folks not for votes or for Party, rather to let them know we care and understand. Virginia has given me the hope I have lost living under this relentless and egregious Trump machine. Let’s go for the gold now and make sure that this present Oval Office nightmare will not see another four years in Our House, our home.
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Yes but the evil malign spirit of the traitor enslaver loser Bobbie E. Lee is alive and well in the drawling drooling likes of the favored and favorite sons of Confederate Alabama aka Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr. and Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, III who are primarily focused on reversing the outcomes of the Civil War and Civil Rights eras.
More Americans died in the Civil War than in all of America's other wars combined. In his 2nd Inaugural Address Abraham Lincoln noted that God had apparently only heard and answered the prayers of the 4 million enslaved Africans in a nation of 30 million. Those African slaves were worth more than all of the other capital assets in America combined except for the land.
While the Senate, the Electoral College, the Cabinet and the Supreme Court of the United States still stand tall and firm as bulwarks against any hint of democracy in our divided limited different power constitutional republic of united states.
3
Is Tom Perez listening?
7
You Can't Just Say Congratulations! And Leave it......
I'm black, a Democrat and I live in Virginia. I challenge the statement without proof that ex-felons were a key voting block in Clinton beating trump here. I particularly dislike the implication that focusing on ex-felons is how you reach the black community. Ex- felons have been excluded from voting in racist ways here. But the casual and oh so white assumption that this is where the black community lies, is wrong and insulting.
10
@Rhporter I didn't read it as the party focusing on ex-felons to reach the black community, but I'm am happy that they restored voting rights to ex-felons because black people are disproportionately negatively impacted by the criminal justice system in large part due to historical racism. The paragraph preceeding the one you are referring to is where she describes knocking on doors in communities of color and winning them over using policy changes. I too am black and am just so happy over the victory last night and think the Virginia Democratic party did a great job bringing us to this outcome
13
@Rhporter did you read this article. it says quite clearly that this one part of a new cohort of voters. there was nothing about that this group represented the black community. chill
3
Yes, how pragmatic of the party to ignore the scandals of past racist behavior of the top Democrats in the state and allow them to just continue in office despite that and sexual misconduct. In choosing between power and principles, the Democratic Party in Virginia showed they are just as unethical as the Republican Party. The best part of this essay is how it ignores these simple facts as if these scandals were done by the Republicans, not the Democrat leaders.
2
@michaelf Let it go. Virginians got over this months ago. Yes a lot of people did things in the past they're not proud of. The whole state is like that! It's complicated. Today and tomorrow are what matter most.
4
@Bill C. And the recent allegations of sexual assault? Should we just "let that go" too? This is exactly the sort of disgusting behavior that leads voters to think that there is no difference between the parties except that the Democrats are even bigger hypocrites when push comes to shove.
@michaelf aw, it's always sad when the other side plays by the same slanted rules you do. this is the world your crowd wanted so it's a little unseemly for you to be decrying the unfairness of it at his point.
2
“Part of the failure of the Democratic Party and many mainstream political organizations in the past has come out of their belief that these communities weren’t worth investing in. But trust is not built overnight.”
A thousand times every bit of that. In another post, I told the coastal elites to pay attention to Kentucky. I was immediately hit with a “wow I live on the coast but I’m not elite” and “calling me a coastal elite is the best way not not get me to read the rest of your comment.”
First of all, if you live on the coast but you’re not one who writes off middle America, I wasn’t talking to you. Chill.
Secondly, if you live on the coast and have no idea what’s happening in middle America, you’re what the right calls coastal elite. Yes, Trump is a coastal elite in terms of money. But this term means more than money.
Virginia has an elite coastal area as well as rural areas that look more like the Midwest and south. How did this organization bring everyone together? By getting out and talking to people. Not waging a comment war on the Internet.
So if people want to get mad about a blue dot in a red state calling them a coastal elite when they’ve already written off certain areas of the nation as illiterate or racist, and therefore solidly Republican, when that’s not the case, that’s proving the right’s talking point. Stop.
Realize that we may live differently, but we all want the same thing. There are more Democrats than Republicans, and Virginia proves it.
11
@Corrie
Good point. ALL of us too often use labels to define anyone 'not us'. There are members of both parties who understand little of people outside their own demographic group; that needs to stop. Nguyen's letter is about the effort in Virginia to improve communication and caring between us, all year round. How can that be a bad thing?
1
How could this op-ed fail to mention this:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/17/politics/supreme-court-racial-virginia-gerrymandering-case/index.html
The inability of the Republican led legislature to continue racial gerrymandering and the recent Supreme Court decision in this area?
6
Congrats to Loudoun Co. voters for electing Juli Briskman to the county board of supervisors.
Briskman was the woman on the bike whose picture went viral when she gave Trump and his motorcade the middle finger in 2017. She was fired as a result, doubtless due to Trumpanzee pressure.
Kudos also to those who encouraged Briskman to run in that election. The arc of justice and all that goes with. ;-)
20
Not just a Democratic Surge.
A Democratic TROUNCE.
Ah, it's a glorious day in America.
7
@Ken
'Not just a Democratic Surge.
A Democratic TROUNCE.'
Wins the Senate by 2 points, calls it a trounce.
Mitch McConnell are you getting a little sweaty, either you are going to loose the senate where the true power is at, or the presidency they come and they go, or your senate seat, how are you going to play this. Tick tock
4
I wouldn't count them chickens yet.
Democrats have yet to finish eating one another alive.
It might be that the GOP has lost a battle in Virginia; but like the extraterrestrials in Rod Serling's "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," all that Republicans need do is watch.
1
Let me rephrase that headline;
'Republicans Could Learn a Lot From What Happened In Virginia'.
There, fixed it.
@Chris Morris False. Republicans can't learn.
3
@Otis Tarnow-Loeffler
My point exactly. Not the Dems who are totally lacking. It' the GOP who needs to learn.
Great article. Well written, and ultimately inspiring.
2
National parties don't want to engage the locals, because there's a cost: an expectation that, when in power, the parties will serve ordinary people.
Nothing is worse for the party bosses than a perpetually engaged base. And nothing enrages the leadership like continuous public scrutiny.
The Democratic party needs to decide who it serves.
4
Quality comment.
Yes! The Democratic Party should not give up on any state, county, town, or precinct. Howard Dean was right to advocate a "fifty state strategy," rather than focus solely on "winnable" states.
12
Great, kid. Now don't get cocky.
Republicans built their dominance over decades of contesting every single race up and down the ballot. Nothing was too small because they knew every little local office has its own fiefdom that could play some part in the overall strategy.
Democrats cannot relent now, or ever, if they are to gain momentum.
8
There's a whole lot of people in these comments who didn't just win a state legislature insisting that actually they know the *real* reason why Virginia flipped, and of course it's their pet issue/petty gripe rather than the work of organizing a broad coalition of formerly disenfranchised or disaffected voters.
Typical internet commenter bluster from the sidelines.
3
Thank you for bringing me hope today. The shenanigans of Republicans from the Nixon Southern Strategy through The H.W. Bush Willie Horton ads, to the rampant voter suppression and gerrymandering programs of the last two decades, and recently the Trump white nationalism and "murderers and rapists" insults have left our electoral process in tatters. Your organization's thoughtful and dedicated outreach is a model for 50 states. Great job!
5
@Eero
Shenanigans are toilet papering a house on Halloween or getting a little rowdy at a kegger. Gerrymandering, racism, and voter suppression are far more heinous acts - I a totally different league.
2
Fewer purists, more realists. Democratic presence in red states is not a waste of time. Fix the voting system. Don't ignore off-year elections. When you get power, work to make things better, not try to remake the whole system. Remember that nothing is also "unloseable" forever, too.
8
Democratic surge is a wake up call to Republicans. Either you support common sense gun control laws or face losses. Also don't tinker with Roe versus wade and keep abortion legal and safe to keep the support of reasonable pro life supporters.
3
Thank you for your ray of hope in these dark times.
5
Debbie Wasserman Schultz: Please read this well-reasoned article.
And read it again.
And then read it again.
Be so advised over the next 362 days.
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@Observer
Spot on - she needs to be primaried...
2
Obsever: please observe that it’s easier to keep yelling at the same scapegoat than show up to vote.
@Robert Please know that my intent was not to make Wasserman Schultz a scapegoat of any sort. Instead, my intent is to highlight what may be a helpful strategy for the Democrats in preparation for the general election in 2020.
3
Re-districting played a huge role. Should not have been ignored in this essay.
2
@Paul and voter turnout played an even larger role. that's how you get redistricting.
Voters are finally seeing that the fake promises of the Republican party don’t add up. The voters really don’t trust anyone, but blatant Republican lies, especially from the Whitehouse, don’t work anymore with an electorate that needs government to “do something”.
2
I can only echo earlier comments: Congratulations on a smart and authentic effort. And... can you export your wisdom to FL and TX! asap
3
“The lesson here is that Democrats must not write off entire geographies or communities.”
That is indeed so true. Banish terms like “ flyover country”. Realize that all politics begin as “ local”; make those connections and win minds and hearts on local levels.
Don’t be as arrogant as Hillary Clinton who didn’t even bother to visit a couple key states, so not surprisingly lost them.
And for heavens sake: When you win both the house and senate of a state, abolish the practice of Gerrymandering! It is nothing but theft of actual votes! Both parties are guilty of such theft.
If we are ever to correct/abolish the electoral college, we must first rid ourselves of gerrymandering in huge swaths of the nation.
14
You are so right and on target. Democrats across the country need to go out and get people registered. then go out and get them to the poling places to make sure they vote.
2
Virginia is finally for lovers of liberal and progressive policies! Go Bernie! Go Elizabeth!
1
@Zareen Yes -they will both be great senators someday
@Zareen
'Virginia is finally for lovers of liberal and progressive policies! '
OMG! so cool!
but wait, the elections map shows you that there was no change of hearts anywhere in the state. Blue is blue, Red is red.
Blue won the Senate by 2 points.
Nothing drastic changed here.
Like the other articles on Virginia this morning, the authors neglect the acknowledge the victory in the state court that undid the statewide Republican gerrymandering that previously allowed the GOP to maintain a majority in the State Congress, even as it lost the majority in total votes.
While the state court victory was not undone by the Supreme Court, SCOTUS refused to require that states refrain from “packing” and “cracking”, meaning it falls upon the states themselves to manage district boundaries fairly despite the fact that revising district maps is unlikely to be in the interest of the party in control.
In the beginning of the year, the House passed HR 1, For The People Act of 2019, a comprehensive federal bill to preserve fair elections. This bill, like so many others, lies dead in McConnell’s graveyard.
3
I am glad the author did not fall into the whole "message to Trump" pitfall. The way to win local and state elections is to do exactly what they did, keep the focus on state and local issues that matter to the people there. People do not vote, for the most part, for state legislators because the President tells them to or because they dislike the president; they vote for the person who has convinced them that he or she will do the best for them at that level.
3
This is an inspiring article, but the author is remiss not to acknowledge the work that Howard Dean did as Chairman of the Democratic National Party. His "fifty-state-strategy" was the beginning of the kind of broad and deep investment in every part of the country, regardless of the presumed odds. Congratulations to Mr. Nguyen! But also to the vision of Howard Dean.
12
sorry, Ms. Nguyen.
A thousand times yes. Focusing on local races matters. We've seen over the last several years the extent to which the Senate can facilitate or thwart national political concerns. If a Senator resigns or dies, then all of a sudden it matters who your State's governor is. It's worth going to the polls for reasons other than deciding who sits in the White House.
17
Fortunately, I live in a blue state. Unfortunately, I live in a rural area of the state - Republicans 2 to 1.
I a liberal, intellectual type, in the midst of loggers and fishermen - a poorly educated public.
I wonder what tools people with little education have to deal with the constant barrage of misinformation. And I don't mean from politicians. Our nation, probably more than any other, is set up with a strong one-way media that repeated endorses a Republican point of view without ever appearing political.
Every glowing ad with smiles all around about how wonderful it is to be insured by Humana, for instance, off the top.
COMMUNICATION - I've thought long and hard about it. I've studied Non-Violent Communication. I've read numerous articles on how to talk to Republicans. It looks bleak.
Talking to them in a rational way - if you can do it - fantastic, but it's just not easy for most of us.
MY POINT: I think even the communication of anger to a Republican is better than silence.
5
Bring back the Fairness Doctrine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairness_Doctrine
1
@Tracy Rupp Progressive policies need to be marketed for their success AFTER implementation too!
Promote the stories of individuals and communities that are beneficially changed, celebrate those victories and take control of the narrative. Educate so the soundbite vocabulary is not so effective.
In my experience, Democrats work so hard to solve problems, experience a win but won't spike in the end zone or say 'remember when we did that...?' Some people need the end zone dance for the emotion of the success to stick so it can feed the soul during times of struggle.
1
@Tracy Rupp I think that communition equals listening, listening, listening. No need to study for this gift we can all offer to others.
Thank you, Tram, for a very interesting and inspiring article. As a Vietnam Veteran, I am thrilled to find Vietnamese Americans taking such an active role in our Democracy. Don't ever forget your heritage. It is increased diversity and improved education that opens up insular areas of this country. You are a part of the solution. People need to know that persons with different backgrounds share their interest in a better future for their communities.
11
"We didn’t need to persuade voters to embrace our worldview — they were already there on the issues. They just needed to be convinced that their vote mattered." - beautiful.
37
@Jim indeed - these are the most important lines in this article
2
The thing is to win you need to work really hard for free. In many cases it is easier to elect a pot plant with a great GOTV volunteer team than to elect a great candidate without the labor intensive great GOTV.
The quiet secret about our current way of doing politics is that while huge sums of money can beat a weak grass roots effort, a maniacally committed grass roots team can beat great sums of money.
Democracy can still work if there is an abundance of well organized free labor ( are you listening fellow comfortably retired baby boomers?).
17
Hopefully, these wins will finally repudiate the ill-conceived DLC "blue islands" approach that dominated the DNC, where the Democrats abandoned most of the country.
The 50-state strategy of Howard Dean, which was kissed off by the DNC at a crucial time, is more relevant than ever. The Democrats need to treat every state as one they can win, versus abandoning blue voters in red states.
The fact is, the GOP is waging war on democracy, which is fundamentally anti-American. The Democrats (hello, DNC) need to go all-in for democracy. That's a path for victory for the Democrats, if they have the courage to take it. Virginia and Kentucky are hopefully the first signs of an impending Blue Wave that can wash away the GOP's Red Tide.
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@Daibhidh Good to see your reference to Howard Dean's 50-state policy. The DNC was nuts with its infighting when it rejected that plan. And I remember Sanders going to red states years ago and reminding us that not every person in a red state was a Republican. Dems will lose if they turn their backs on the voters that would usually be their supporters.
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Thank you for this extremely important column. I hope that every progressive reads it and takes the well thought out instructions to heart.
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@Mary Ann This article seems like a bit of a Rorschach: you're projecting a need for moderate worldviews onto a simple missive to reach out and listen to people. Others might project a need for more progressive views, which might be more favoured by those who often don't vote.
But neither of those arguments is contained within the article.
This piece needs to be read in the context of demographic realities that are the fundamental reason for the rise of Virginia’s Democratic Party.
In the 1970s, Virginia was Republican controlled. It had two main population centers, RIchmond in the south and metro DC in the North. Richmond was Republican and metro DC was Democrat. And between Richmond, rural areas and small cities, the Republicans controlled the state.
Since the seventies, young professionals and government workers have flooded into Northern Virginia while the rest of the state remained stagnant. Finally it appears, these new Democrat have tipped the balance.
Self-congratulatory party organizers succeeded mainly because they had a newfound majority. But the fact of the matter is that Northern Virginia’s gain is everybody else’s loss. The new Democratic population is made up of transplants. Democrats from Pennsylvania, Ohio and elsewhere. So Virginia’s transformation helped turn neighboring blue states to swing states.
Six of one, a half dozen of another.
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@michjas I did not see this article as self-congratulatory. I see it as an effort to let us know how long and hard the organizers worked to get where we now are in Virginia. I greatly appreciate the article pointing out that the parties, including the Democrat party, focus on certain states that can already be won and denying other states the support they need. I think it is very wise to educate, support and inform the electorate every year all year 'round. And most of all I see this as an invitation to call to ask the organizers to teach us to do the same in our states.
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@michjas You are assuming what lawyers call "facts not in evidence." If I understand you, liberals who move to virginia are replaced by Conservatives in the states they leave. But, where are the Conservatives coming from?
@michjas
New Democrats? Strange terms here; "new Democrats", "transplants". Strange terms and strange ideas.
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"We didn’t need to persuade voters to embrace our worldview — they were already there on the issues. They just needed to be convinced that their vote mattered."
I thought this was the most important lesson Democrats should heed nationally. Moral virtue-signaling and pushing "woke" worldviews instead of focusing on the every-day policy issues and voter engagement plays right into Trump's (liddle') hands!
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@Zack Belcher Amen and congrats to this group and others who see the long game and the need for an active organization. The Republicans saw this decades ago starting with the local school boards and town councils and moving to control the state legislatures to gerrymander like crazy. Meanwhile our Democrat heads were too much in the lofty clouds of diffident policy debates and desultory organizational efforts. Better late to the party than never, we are still playing catch-up.
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@Zack Belcher "They were already there on the issues" does not equate to moderation. In fact this article is largely about convincing those who otherwise wouldn't vote, who are hardly the most moderate group.
Listening to people means just that: don't assume their politics. Ask.
@Nirbo I can tell you that most Virginia Democrats are firmly moderate. How many of those that won in VA and KY were far left? How many had messaging that echoed “the squad” et. Al.? People are motivated to vote by those that they can identify with and that care about the same issues.
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This is a victory for meeting voters where they are and offering pragmatic, left of center solutions to the real problems they face.
Warren and Sanders couldn't be further from this smart, simple, and winnable strategy that moves America along the continuum toward social justice.
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Democrats should not read into this too much. And let me add that Warren or Bernie will never win in Virginia. VA is still a moderate state but N VA and VA Beach, both bastions of Federal Government employees are protecting their own self-interest. The rural areas are still firmly entrenched in God and Guns. That has not changed. Let's hope that our taxes don't rise exponentially (but expect they will) but would like to see sensible gun control and do away with the gerrymandering.
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@Sarah99 Would you please provide data to back up your statements?
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We moved here from Michigan 22 years ago and my husband heard the term 'war of Northern aggression' to describe the civil war and said 'we must leave immediately'.
We raised two daughters here (one of whom is a field organizer for the Dems in Iowa right now). We are headed to Raleigh next year to once again start anew.
One reason for this turnabout to blue is most certainly because there is an election of some sort, small or large, every single year. Some folks find it exhausting, but it does force engagement on the part of both organizers and voters.
We also have one 4-year term limit for Governors and we also allow for split ticket Governor/Lt. governor.
Virginia has been our adopted home after living for 20 years in the industrial Midwest. We hope to repeat the same turnabout in NC over the next 20 years!
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@Lissa
Personally I think the Civil War should be renamed the Slavetraders' Rebellion. Just as British historians dubbed their nations' activities in China the "Opium War".
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Kudos to the voters in Va. When I left that state in the mid 90s, I hoped never to see another Oliver North bumper sticker again. The times they are a changin ...
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It is important to recognize from this article how the Democratic Party has been successful in Virginia.
It wasn’t by promising to blow up our private health case system. Or, vilifying financially successful people as the source of our country’s problems. Or, offering up Tea Party ideas such as breaking up our investment banks and large companies. It surely wasn't by offering up the same old tax and spend solutions that drove working class people into the arms of the Republicans in the first place.
People were given the opportunity to recognize that it is the Democratic Party, not the Republican Party, which supports their economic and quality of life needs. The fact that the previous Governor cut Medicaid spending and the National Republican Party remains committed to destroying the Affordable Health Care Act, not bolstering it, resonated with Virginians. So did the commitment to end voter suppression.
This approach coupled with voter disgust with the bile spilling from the White House (a return to normalcy, if you will) is what will win in 2020.
Democratic primary voters and 2020 candidates, please heed this message. Put the “revolution” on the back burner. Let’s just win this next one and relegate Trump to the scrapheap of history - by following the Virginia playbook...
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I don’t see that this author’s point is ‘be more moderate’ in your policy stances at all. But I guess establishment Dems will I miss no opportunity to tell progressives to ‘Shut up and wait’ for some tomorrow that never comes.
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@Marta - I don’t think anyone is saying “Shut up and wait.” Instead, they are saying, meet people where they are every day (not just when you want their vote in an upcoming election), care about their problems and concerns and convince them that together we can make a difference in our own neighborhoods, county, and state. It starts local.
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@Fred
Blow up" our private health care system? WHAT "system"? Seems like just a patchwork of profiteering pilferers to me.
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Not only are boots on the ground 365/year in non-election years great political strategy, it is the essence of democracy. Build voter input from the ground up. Engage others so they can become vested in the democracy that is their right, privilege and awesome responsibility to nurture. Drive bys by too tier candidates do not suffice.
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This is a great development but the main reason for it is that the nation's capital was placed right next to Virginia and eventually grew to be a major influence. This method isn't repeatable elsewhere.
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@Polaris
This "main reason," even if true, for one state becoming flippable, has no bearing on the proven soundness of dogged, 365 day/year organizing in nudging a tossup state into the "leaning" column. There are easily several other states, some of them momentously large, which are candidates for this approach.
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@Polaris Yes, demographics matter, but not without a ground game. If Texas mobilizes the Latino vote, it will turn blue. It will not turn blue until Democrats vote with the same dedication that Republicans do. Republicans in Texas vote in desperate fear of losing control, Democrats need to vote with the desperate desire to be recognized.
31
Amen!
Organizations like Sister District, which focuses on state legislatures and had an impact in Virginia, and Swing Left, which targeted and flipped seven California districts in 2018, understand this.
We must all work to make sure that Democratic Party leadership understands it too. As Howard Dean observed, we need a 50-state strategy, not a 17-state strategy.
The vast majority of Americans, who want worker protections, decent wages, medical care for their families and clean air to breathe and water to drink, agree with us on the issues. We just need to get out and reach them, 365 days per year - not a week before we need their votes in an election.
And, participating in democracy feels great. It builds community and a sense of shared purpose.
Organize, donate, volunteer and vote in 2020!
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@David
I agree with your views. We won in Virginia because we have waged a grass roots campaign with many volunteers to get out the vote for the values we are committed to. This is important to remember and repeat from now until the general election next November.
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The delay is quite understandable: it took a long time to hire enough government workers and get them ensconced in Northern Virginia.
But it's too bad that the Federal government workers are all centered around DC, Virginia and Maryland. If the Dems would de-centralize their workforce, they might be able to win back Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
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@Ulysses I don't think this is entirely accurate- government cutbacks have been a weight on our economy in recent years. It would be fair to say that government jobs insulated our stable middle class from the 2008 recession and that northern Virginia's proximity to DC's cultural diversity has made it a more appealing location for immigrants. The state Dems deserve credit for pushing a moderate "well run state" agenda for many years so that when Republicans like Corey Stewart decided to be "Trump before Trump was Trump", moderate Dems were able to win in a lot of reddish-purple districts.
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Har har har. There are federal employees, and Democrats, living all across the country. Many of them are in the military. And neither party is entitled to take their support as a given.
2
I was born and raised in Texas, and it is turning blue. We are going to win the Texas House in 2020, and will be poised to win the governorship in 2022.
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@Hector Let's get out and WORK FOR IT!!
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Democrat party would be super smart to put Beto o Rourke in charge of the get out the vote every vote counts effort. Beto gets it!
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Please come to Florida! There are so many parallels. I have so much hope that this could eventually happen here, too. Thank you for all of your hard work. And Congratulations!!
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@are you listening FL???
Please come to North Carolina too. Once a progressive state, we are now in the clutches of regressive madness.
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@are you listening FL???
Perhaps Tom Steyer could give up on a dead-end candidacy and pay off the outstanding fines of the Florida ex-felons whose newly-enacted right to vote is being unconscionably hijacked by the Republican legislature.
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Virginia is a state with some of the best colleges in the world and a robust, educated middle class. Virginia is Democrats for the taking.
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Fifth generation Virginian here.
"Part of the failure of the Democratic Party and many mainstream political organizations in the past has come out of their belief that these communities weren’t worth investing in. But trust is not built overnight. We don’t just sweep in and register voters before an election; we are registering people every day. That work is ingrained in our organization’s DNA. And we talk to people, all year, about issues that are important to them: affordable health care, access to a good education, reforming the criminal justice system, protecting voting rights and making sure our communities have clean air, water and public lands. That is what voters responded to this fall."
Memo to Ms. Nguyen:
Sounds good, but why has the Virginia Democratic Party written off voters in Trump Country, i.e., Southwest Virginia?
You have listed some very important issues; they matter throughout Virginia and not just in the Golden Crescent.
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@jbartelloni Trump has written off more than half the country. Does that bother you?
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@jbartelloni amen! 9th generation Virginian here and I agree with you. We should be campaigning all over this great state. Let's build on this success and expand the outreach. Virginians leading by example will add to our illustrious history.
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@jbartelloni
Another multi-generational Virginian here:
Southwest and rural Virginia? We are working on it! We ran values-based Democrats in almost every district in those deep-Red areas, and while they didn’t win, they gave an alternative where there had been none. And we are patient! We will be back again next year and every year as long as it takes.
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