Hello Democrats and Happy Friday!I don’t know about you, but watching the GOP struggle to govern has made me feel especially proud to be a member of a unified political party that is working hard to improve the lives of each and every American! It is abundantly clear that the GOP is in disarray and nothing made this clearer than their protracted conflict to elect a House Speaker. 

Speaker elect Kevin McCarthy following one of many failed attempts to secure the nomination.

Don’t forget that it took fifteen rounds of voting and dealmaking with the worst of the worst on the far right for conservative stooge Kevin McCarthy to carry the mantle of an anemic, weakened speakership. Even though they may have retaken the U.S. House, there is no doubt that the GOP is in disarray and that chaos will be the name of the game in Congress for the next two years. 

The silver lining is that a weak, divided GOP may struggle to roll back the progress Democrats have made since taking power in 2020. We can only hope that the Republicans will continue to choose infighting and inaction over the business of drafting and passing actual policy. 

But make no mistake, now that the GOP holds the House, they are already hard at work pushing laws to benefit a chosen few and hurt the rest of us. For example, the first piece of economic legislation they proposed in the new Congress was to rescind IRS funding. The White House Office of Management and Budget put it best when they said “House Republicans are making clear that their top economic priority is to allow the rich and multi-billion-dollar corporations to skip out on their taxes, while making life harder for ordinary, middle-class families that pay the taxes they owe.”

And that’s not all - the emboldened Republican majority has started putting forward anti-choice legislation that could impinge on reproductive rights nationwide. While these bills are unlikely to pass through the Senate, it’s a chilling reminder of what’s to come and just how much is on the line in this new legislative environment. 

Democrats must do everything in our power to fight back against the Republicans’ nefarious agenda and we’ve got our work cut out for us in the years to come. Thank you for standing with us as a proud Democrat and helping us make sure the far-right can never gain a foothold here in Washington State! 

The 2023 legislative session is in full swing and we’re so proud of everything Democrats in Olympia are doing to build a better Washington! 

Governor Inslee kicked off this year’s proceedings with a terrific “State of the State” address on Tuesday - which you can watch via the link below!

You can also read a summary and full transcript of the Governor’s speech here!

I’m so proud that our terrific Democratic leaders are working tirelessly on the problems that matter most to the people of Washington State like providing affordable housing, protecting reproductive freedom, preventing gun violence, and countering climate change, to name just a few!

You can read more about some of the top priorities for the coming legislative session here - there’s a ton of terrific legislation on deck and I’m excited to see just how much our powerful and diverse Democratic majorities can accomplish! 

Please join me in thanking Governor Inslee and our terrific Washington State Legislators for building a path forward toward meaningful progress! 

In case you missed it last week, I wanted to reiterate my announcement that I will not be seeking re-election as State Party Chair this January. This was not an easy decision, but I feel strongly that I have accomplished what I set out to do and it is now time to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders ready to light the fires of democracy, teamwork, and community around our state.

I will be serving out my term until a new Chair is elected on Saturday, January 28th at our State Committee Meeting in Olympia. Do stay tuned for more news on the meeting as well.

Please find a longer letter with additional details on my decision - as well as our achievements over the past six years, linked here.

Thank you again for your partnership and work for our Party. I look forward to seeing many of you in Olympia later this month and am excited for all that is to come for our terrific Democratic Party! 

Keep in touch, stay engaged, and as always, thank you for all you do!

With gratitude, 

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

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