Kitsap 23rd LD Democrats News

Friday News & Action Wa Dems

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 22:03:28 GMT

Hello Democrats and Happy September!

I don’t know about you – but this time of year reminds me of new beginnings. Between the start of the school year and campaign season ramp-up there’s a sense of energy and purpose in the air and I can’t wait to get to work helping great candidates in the weeks to come!

Don’t forget, we have just 61 days until Election Day 2023 (and 425 days until Election Day 2024!!) and we can’t afford to let a single moment go to waste! I’ll be traveling across Washington between now and November 7th and I look forward to seeing many of you out in the field!

If you’re not already volunteering for your local Democratic candidates – now is a great time to get involved! Please don’t delay and reach out to your local Party organization as soon as you can to help us get out the Democratic vote statewide. Without everyone on board, we risk leaving valuable votes and victories on the table – I hope you will help us maximize our opportunities statewide!

On Monday, I was proud to join the Snohomish and Island County Labor Council in celebrating our 129th Labor Day!

Here at the State Party, we firmly believe every worker deserves a union, and Democrats are fighting alongside our allies to guarantee that freedom is protected, and we can continue making meaningful progress, together, for workers across the country.

We are one of the longest-running unionized state parties in the country, having signed our first collective bargaining agreement in 2018. We are proud to nurture strong partnerships with so many allied organizations, so we can help fight for our shared, worker-forward, values every single day!

I was also thrilled to join Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and WA Senator Manka Dhingra as a speaker at the Seattle-SETU Conference hosted by Seattle University’s RoundGlass India Center.

It was an inspiring opportunity to come together with our allies from India and discuss how greater collaboration can benefit both of our countries – a powerful reminder that we are stronger together, as states and as individuals!

Last but not least - I was delighted to address a wide range of Democratic Partners and stakeholders last night via Zoom for a “6-Month Progress Report” detailing my accomplishments as Chair and roadmap for the work to come. If you weren’t able to make it and would like to view a recording - please let us know and we will be happy to send it over!

Cantwell preps AI education bill

A key senator is preparing to field input on a bill that would replicate a transformative post-World War II education and training effort.

Senator Murray Announces Nearly $6 Million for Rural Business Owners, Farmers and Ranchers in WA to Lower Their Energy Costs, Generate New Revenue

New funding from the Inflation Reduction Act will help agriculture producers and rural small businesses lower their energy costs and generate new income by installing solar arrays and other renewable energy systems.

Leaders, first responders discuss Bolt Creek Fire impacts and recovery

Rep. Kim Schrier introduced a new bill to aid in reforestation of the burn scar, an important part to preventing landslides and protecting communities.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

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Friday News & Action Wa Dems

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 12 Aug 2023 16:18:03 GMT

Hello Democrats,

Please join me in cheering Ohio voters’ rejection of Issue 1! This Republican-backed legislation would have made it harder to amend the State’s constitution and was widely seen as a proxy battle over a proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing abortion rights that will be on Ohio’s ballots in November.

The GOP’s underhanded strategy backfired spectacularly on Tuesday, demonstrating that – even in red states – Republicans are at odds with the electorate on the issue of abortion rights.

This is a huge victory for choice in Ohio and a strong reminder that the right to bodily autonomy remains a lynchpin issue for voters of all stripes. The writing is on the wall that the Republicans’ fervent devotion to rolling back fundamental human rights is not a winning strategy and we need to continue to hold them accountable for their antiquated, cruel, and repressive positions!

As Democrats, we are firmly committed to fighting tirelessly for the right to choose and to providing safe haven for neighbors from states who lack this fundamental freedom. Thank you for standing with us in this struggle, we cannot stop now and will continue until we win.

We’re proud to say that our “Opportunity District” candidates are still going strong more than one week out from the Primary Election!

In Spokane Lisa Brown and Betsey Wilkerson both maintained commanding leads of 47.52% and 49.02% respectively! We’re so proud to be on track to build an even bluer Spokane this November and we promise to work tirelessly up until Election Day to make it a reality!

And our other mayoral race of interest in Olympia is also going extremely well with Democrat Dontae Payne leading with 65.2% of the vote!

Across the State - the vast majority of our Democratic candidates appear poised to clear their primaries! And I want to give a special shoutout to Democrat Keren Vazquez in Sunnyside - who is hanging onto her narrow lead with an advantage of just 18 votes.

We still have a few days left until final certification, but on the whole this is looking like a terrific Primary election for Democrats statewide! With that said, we cannot take this momentum for granted and I’m looking to every Democrat statewide to keep showing up and doing the work to get out the vote for our excellent candidates.

I look forward to working with each of you to make sure we win! We have less than three months to go - let’s be sure to finish strong!

Sen. Murray backs key journalism bill

The U.S. Senate’s powerful appropriations chair “strongly” supports a new tax proposal to help save local news outlets.

Strickland Leads Bicameral Legislation Directing $100 Million To Combat Health Risks Of Extreme Heat

Representative Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Senator Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) and Rep. Ruben Gallego (AZ-03) reintroduced the Preventing Health Emergencies And Temperature-related (HEAT) Illness and Deaths Act to address the rising health risks of extreme heat following Earth’s hottest day on record.

Vice President Kamala Harris to visit Seattle for speech, fundraiser

Vice President Kamala Harris plans to visit Seattle on Tuesday to deliver a speech touting the Biden administration’s actions on climate.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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News & Action Wa Dems

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 17:58:27 GMT

Hello Democrats,

With the Primary Election a few days behind us, it’s a great time to assess where we stand in many of the most critical races statewide.

We’ll cover the highlights - but remember you can always check on the details via the Secretary of State’s website here: https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20230801/default.htm

At this point in the game, we don’t expect any more major ballot drops, which means most of the results here should hold. With that being said, more votes will be counted in the days to come and nothing is final until results are certified later this month!

As of now, we’re looking at a total voter turnout of 28.9% and projecting final turnout closer to 29.7%. While not earth-shatteringly high, this puts us roughly on pace with the 2019 and 2021 Primaries, meaning voter engagement has held steady cycle to cycle. Trust us when we say we’ll be picking up the pace in the coming months to ensure Democrats show up in a big way this November!

In terms of actual results, we haven’t seen a ton of change since Primary night. That said, we did want to share a few shifts that are worth noting:

Lisa Brown and Betsy Wilkerson both widened their leads significantly in Spokane – each picking up approximately 25,000 votes and beating the next runner up in their races by 11 and 13 percentage points respectively! Voters are fired up in the Lilac City and we are almost certain to exceed 2021 turnout by a wide margin.
Jamie Smith and Joe Colombo both narrowed their margins slightly in their races for Pierce County Council and Puyallup City Council – we have a lot of work to do but this could be a sign they're picking up steam!
In Sunnyside – Democrat Keren Vazquez has inched ahead of her opponent with a 26 vote lead in the Position 5 race!

At the end of the day we’re proud to say that our Democratic candidates are holding fast. We’ll keep you apprised of any major changes, but we think we have a pretty solid picture of where races are landing across Washington.

Once more – I want to say a massive thank you to every single person who helped get out the vote leading up to the Primary. Whether you helped friends and family complete and turn in their ballots, made calls in support of terrific candidates, or pounded the pavement and knocked on doors to ensure every vote was counted, your work made a huge difference and we couldn’t have achieved what we did without you!

Win or lose – we are extremely proud of every Democrat who made the brave, proud decision to run for office and represent our Party. And so I want to take this opportunity to give a major shoutout to all of our Local Party leaders who stepped up and ran for office this year!

Jacob Borden for Elma City Council – Chair, Grays Harbor Democrats
Andrew Ashiofu for Seattle City Councilmember No. 3 – Stonewall/LGBTQ+ Caucus Chair
Satin-Deseree Arnett for Stanwood-Camano School District At-Large Board Member – LD 10 State Committee Member, Affirmative Action Committee Co-Chair
Amanda Dodd for City of Bothell, Council Position No. 6 – Vice Chair, LD 1 Democrats
Pam Stuart for City of Sammamish, Council Position No. 6 – Vice Chair, LD 41 Democrats
Lisa Rivera Smith for Seattle School District No. 001, Director District No. 2 – Vice Chair, LD 46 Democrats
Gina Topp for Seattle School District No. 001, Director District No. 6 – Former Chair, LD 34 Democrats
Ashley Gregorious for Hospital Commission District 304 – Vice Chair, LD40 Democrats
Carin Chase for Edmonds School District Director district 1 – State Committee Member, LD 32
Talauna Reed for Olympia School Board Dist. No. 1 – State Committee Member, LD 22
Olgy Diaz for Tacoma City Council At-Large – Former Party Affairs Director
Tim Noonan for Si View Park District Commissioner 1 – State Committee Member, LD 5

Local Party organizations and our terrific local candidates are the true backbone of our Party and we couldn't be prouder of each and every one of these terrific folks! I can’t wait to work with each and every one of these terrific folks in our critical effort to get out the Democratic vote this fall!

Inslee, lawmakers turn up heat on oil companies as WA gas prices top nation

Gov. Jay Inslee and lawmakers stood in front of a row of electric school buses to take aim at oil companies' record profits amid soaring gas prices.

Sen. Maria Cantwell readies alternative plan to tackle TikTok concerns

The yet-to-be-unveiled measure would mark a major new entrant in the debate over the app.

Rep. Larsen announces 2023 Congressional App Challenge

Rep. Rick Larsen announced the launch of the 2023 Congressional App Challenge (CAC) this week.

Democracy Summer will be hosting a picnic fundraiser for Rep. Suzan DelBene at noon on Saturday August 5th in Kirkland. Learn more and RSVP here!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

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Washington State Democrats
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Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Friday News & Action Wa Dems

Douglass MacKenzie — Sun, 30 Jul 2023 01:35:14 GMT

Hello Democrats,

Can you believe that the 2023 Primary Election is in just four days? That means the clock is ticking and we must do everything in our power to support our terrific Democratic candidates and ensure they have a great showing everywhere in Washington!

We have tremendous opportunities to build Democratic power at the local level this year and set ourselves up for success in 2024 and we refuse to waste a single second.

In Spokane – the largest Washington city with a Republican Mayor, Lisa Brown could flip the city’s top office back to blue, and we have the chance to elect Betsy Wilkerson as City Council President and flip additional council seats for Democrats!

In Central Washington — Yakima and Sunnyside have county and municipal races that routinely come down to one hundred or fewer votes and we are working tirelessly to engage a diverse community of voters and ensure Democrats carry the day!

In Southwest Washington — We have key Port Commission and School Board races that we must win in order to get out the Democratic vote early and often and help ensure we can hold CD 3 next year!

In Pierce County — We’re fighting for Democrats running tight local races at every level to ensure we can continue building meaningful power in critical turf countywide!

And this barely scratches the surface of the long list of critical local races we’re fighting hard for in 2023! Tuesday’s Primary Election is our first chance to prove to voters statewide that Democrats practice what we preach and will work every single day to improve the lives of each and every Washingtonian. Please join us in making sure we don’t leave a single Democratic vote on the table!

We want to make sure you have all the tools, resources, and information needed to make your voices heard in this critical election. Click here to find your ballot drop box and share this link with your community and network to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to cast their ballot by August 1!

And if you, or anyone you know, is having any trouble with their ballot - please call the WA Democrats Voter Protection Hotline via 206-309-8683 (206-309-VOTE) as soon as possible so we can help resolve any issues.

Today is the last day we recommend sending ballots back via mail — so if you find yourself needing to return your ballot between tomorrow and Tuesday, we suggest using a drop box. And remember, you can check the status of your ballot or print a replacement at votewa.gov

And if you haven’t voted yet, what are you waiting for? Please return your ballot ASAP to make sure great Democrats statewide have the momentum they need to win!

And if you’re curious about which Local Party Organizations have endorsed which candidates - check out this handy guide made by WA Dems Secretary Rob Dolin:

https://voterguide.info/

Thank you for standing with us in our efforts to get out the vote and support each and every Democrat running statewide. We couldn’t do it without you and we’re so glad to have you on our team!

Last weekend I had the terrific opportunity to engage with Democrats in some of the most important local turf statewide!

On Friday, I was proud to join terrific Democrats including Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Congressman Derek Kilmer, and state Senator Emily Randall for the LD 26 Democrats Bridge to Bridge Fundraiser! This is one of the most evenly divided districts statewide and it is so important that we fight hard to protect and support our terrific Democratic candidates. If we want to win in 2024 and for years to come, we can’t let up for a single moment!

Then on Saturday I had the great opportunity to share remarks at the annual Spokane County Democrats CC Dill Salmon Feed! Some of our biggest local races are in Spokane in 2023 and it was extremely exciting to join future mayor Lisa Brown and future City Council President Betsy Wilkerson on the speaking bill! We’re proud to have their backs in these critical races and can’t wait to get out the Democratic vote every single day between now and November!

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge that Wednesday marked the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act - which has impacted millions of lives for the better by creating a uniform set of guidelines to ensure everyone can access and navigate spaces many of us take for granted.

This Disability Pride Month, please join me in thanking all the hardworking lawmakers fighting for the rights of Americans with disabilities and recommitting ourselves to building an even more inclusive and equitable Washington and USA!

Washington’s governor on climate: ‘The Earth is screaming at us’

Gov. Jay Inslee said that the consequences of climate change have hit sooner than expected.

Washington to receive $5.6 million for apprenticeship programs

Senator Maria Cantwell announced Friday that the State of Washington is set to receive a grant of more than $5.6 million from the U.S. Department of Labor for its Registered Apprenticeship program.

Q&A: Rep. DelBene on new bill to save local journalism

One of the most promising policy ideas to stop the decimation of local newsrooms is back in play.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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State Party News

Douglass MacKenzie — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 01:00:43 GMT

Hello Democrats,

As of today, ballots for the August Primary election have been sent out and should be landing in your mailboxes soon (if they haven’t already). Please keep an eye out, and be sure to return your ballot as soon as you can!

Local races like these don’t often get much attention compared to state and federal level elections — but they are still critically important to the people of Washington State.

Local elected officials create ground-level policy that can have massive impacts on the lives of people everywhere in WA – and it’s crucial we elect terrific Democrats who will fight for their constituents rather than far-right special interests. These leaders also constitute our “bench” of Democratic candidates statewide. Don’t forget, today’s school board member could be tomorrow’s governor and we can’t let a single great candidate slip through the cracks!

Supporting down-ballot candidates is a crucial part of our movement. From city council and the school board, to county commissioner, district attorney, and other critical positions across Washington state — we have the chance to build up our Democratic values and vision from the ground up. You can learn more about each position and their impact on our local policies here.

Thank you for standing with us in our efforts to get out the vote and support each and every Democrat running statewide. We couldn’t do it without you and we’re so glad to have you on our team!

I’ve spent the last three days in Chicago attending the annual Netroots Nation conference. It’s been a terrific opportunity to connect with great Democrats and progressive trailblazers from across the country, and I look forward to bringing what I’ve learned back to Washington State!

It’s so important that we remain on the cutting edge of organizing and data best practices if we want to have our best shot at victory in November and in 2024 and I want to say a huge thanks to conference organizers and presenters who make this work possible!

I’m also proud to say that I had the pleasure of speaking on a panel with my fellow Chairs from Michigan, Nebraska, and North Carolina about building Democratic power through innovative year-round organizing.

It’s been an exciting few days — and I can’t wait to get back to Washington tonight and start putting the knowledge we’ve gained to work!

White House details plan to lower child care costs for low-income families

The proposals would strengthen the Child Care & Development Block Grant program, the White House said.

Inslee, Cantwell visit site of destructive Columbia Gorge wildfire

As Washington officials gear up for a tough wildfire season, Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell on Friday visited the site of a destructive fire burning in the Columbia River Gorge.

Federal money to help pay for breakwater, trails, other projects in Washington state

The federal government is chipping in about $130 million to support several Washington state projects that range from replacing a storm-damaged breakwater at a Port Orchard marina to helping a Native American tribe move from ancestral villages threatened by rising seas on the Pacific Coast.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Friday News & Action

Douglass MacKenzie — Sun, 02 Jul 2023 23:15:53 GMT

Hello Democrats,

I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling deeply disappointed and outraged by this week’s Supreme Court rulings, one of which will strike a massive blow to equity in higher education by effectively ending affirmative action in college admissions - while others will send our country backward by blocking student loan forgiveness and weakening critical protections for the LGBTQIA+ Community. As Democrats, we must do everything we can to fight back against today’s highly partisan court and protect the rights of all Americans.

I wish these developments came as a surprise, but with the Dobbs decision just one year behind us, and countless other questionable rulings on the books - they feel like par for the course. Instead of the fair, just, and impartial body envisioned in the Constitution, today’s court is a hyper-partisan agent of the right and we must stand up against every single harmful decision they throw at us.

If we want to have any chance at fixing the Supreme Court and paving a path toward a more equitable and just future we must stand strong for our Democratic values and ensure we hold the presidency through multiple future appointment processes. We face an uphill battle, but we cannot and will not yield in this fight.

While we still have a great deal of work to do - let’s not forget that Democrats are achieving big things for the American people.

The first success I want to highlight is that the Biden administration fought and won to earn well-deserved sick leave for rail workers - a powerful victory for working people across the nation. With the largest worker strike in U.S. history impending - it has never been more important that we stand by our brothers and sisters in the labor movement and we commend the President for doing just that.

I also want to amplify all the work the Biden admin has been doing to create jobs and spur economic recovery - I’ll let this White House fact sheet do the talking, but suffice it to say that “Bidenomics” are creating countless jobs and having a major positive impact nationwide.

Last but not least, we should take note of the White House’s decision to allocate $42B to expand high-speed internet access to every American household by 2030. This will prove to be a huge boon to many rural communities nationwide that still lack access to high speed broadband and the benefits it provides.

While it can sometimes feel like each step forward is followed by an equally large step back, we must remember to stay resilient and fight for what we believe in every single day. The simple truth is that when we do the hard work to elect Democrats at every level, they can and will do the work needed to improve the lives of people across the country. Thank you to all of you for standing with us in this critical fight.

This past weekend I was proud to come together with Democrats from across Washington State to support great candidates and stand strong for our values!

On Saturday I had the pleasure of speaking at the Franklin County Dems’ Valoria Loveland dinner. A big kudos to Chair Ana Ruiz Kennedy for a great event. It was an honor to share the stage with great Democrats like Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Senator Manka Dhingra, and Senator Loveland herself to name just a few!

Then on Sunday I had the opportunity to join King County Dems marching in the Seattle Pride Parade. There has never been a more important time to stand in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community and we will continue to do so long after Pride Month has passed!

Biden announces $42 billion high-speed internet initiative

President Joe Biden is kicking off a more than $42 billion plan to give every American household access to high-speed internet by 2030.

Senator Murray speaks out against discrimination of LGBTQ+ Americans

This Pride Month U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) introduced legislation to ban harmful practices against LGBTQ+ individuals.

Murray, Cantwell Announce $1.2 Billion Federal Investment in WA Broadband Infrastructure

U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced that the State of Washington will receive $1,227,742,066 from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to help expand broadband access to areas that remain without high-speed broadband.

“The consequences are severe:” Rep. Jayapal on fight for abortion access one year after Dobbs decision

MSNBC’s Alicia Menendez is joined by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) to discuss the ongoing fight to protect abortion access nationwide one year after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, and her efforts to protect the trans community from Republican lawmakers who are pushing anti-LGBTQ legislation.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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WA Dems Friday News & Action

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 24 Jun 2023 17:31:19 GMT

Hello Democrats and happy Friday!

After a few weeks traveling, let me say just how good it feels to be back in the great state of Washington!

I hope you’re all enjoying the first few days of summer and getting fired up for the terrific campaign season we have ahead. Don’t forget, hundreds of Democrats have filed to run in local races statewide this year and it’s up to all of us to fight hard to grow our Democratic power and build an even stronger “bench” of terrific local elected officials.

I also wanted to share a personal update. Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC) meeting in Minneapolis. There are two big updates from this conference — first of all I was elected Vice President of the Western States Caucus! This is the same role Chair Podlodowski held and gives me a seat on their executive board.

I’m honored to carry this mantle and don’t take the responsibility lightly — under my watch, we will make sure Washington remains a leader for our peer states and continues to be first in the nation in innovative organizing and data practices.

Secondly, the Washington Delegate Selection and Affirmative Action Plan (DSAAP) was reviewed by the national Rules and Bylaws Committee, and was the only plan on the West Coast to be approved, while both California and Oregon have substantive additional steps to get their plans finally approved. A big win for the Washington Central Committees rules and affirmative action prowess!

Thank you all for making this incredible work possible – we couldn’t do it without your engagement and effort!

The Ms. Q&A With U.S. Senator Patty Murray: ‘Our Ultimate Goal Is to Put Roe Back into Law’

Our ultimate goal is to put Roe back into law. We don’t have the votes today, but that is our goal,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told Ms. “A legislative body should not be deciding when a woman can get access to care.

Kilmer on mental health task force for military

Protecting the mental health of armed services members and reducing their suicides at Bremerton’s Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and military facilities across the country are the focus of a new effort taken by U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer of Kitsap County’s 6th Congressional District.

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez Reflects on First 100 Days in Congress

On Monday, May 1, U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Washougal, celebrated her first 100 days in Congress. In a news release, her office highlighted milestones from her work in Southwest Washington and Washington, D.C.

U.S. Rep Kim Schrier's new bill would allow for improved forest management using updated data collection

The new law will help foresters work together to make better management plans, one industry member said.

The 24th LD Democrats, with support from the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, invite you to spend a day on the course! Your participation and donation will help support great democratic candidates! The 24th LD is currently the only rural legislative district in the entire state of Washington with full Democratic representation in Olympia. Let’s Rise and Organize!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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News & Action Wa Dems

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 19 May 2023 20:26:14 GMT

Good morning fellow Democrats,

This week is one of my favorite times of the political calendar: filing week! We have hundreds of local offices across the state where you – yes, YOU – can make a difference in your community by filing to run. If you’re thinking that you don’t have the money, or time, to run for office – think again! Many local offices are part-time positions, and it’s very likely that there’s something open in your community where no one has even filed for the job yet.

These local races may not cost much to run or require a full-time commitment if you’re elected, but they’re critically important roles. Look no further than how the far-right has weaponized school boards in Florida and other red states to ban books featuring LGBTQ+ characters for an example of why it matters to have principled community leaders in these positions.

So, how do you file for office? It’s much easier than you might think! First, check this link from the Secretary of State’s office to see what positions are up for election this year in your community. Then, click here to find out if anyone has filed for that position already. If you spot a vacant position that matches your skills or interests, you can file online using this form from the SOS’s official website. Many positions don’t even require a filing fee!

Yesterday, President Biden announced that the federal government will bring additional resources to bear on the homelessness crisis in Seattle – a much-needed infusion of federal money and staff to help bring people inside to safe shelter. The President’s initiative, ALL INside, aims to reduce our country’s unhoused population by 25% in the next two years. This is huge news, as many housing and homelessness experts tie the rise in unhoused people to the defunding of public housing and the Department of Housing and Urban Development under Reagan’s administration, and President Biden’s move to re-engage on this issue marks a dramatic shift from past Republican occupants of the White House.

This week, I’m reminding myself that even when our movement fails to carry the day, we grow stronger by fighting for our values. In South Carolina, where more than a dozen Republican state legislators co-sponsored a bill that would make getting an abortion punishable by the death penalty earlier this year, Republicans passed a bill to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

Why does this give me hope? Because it took literally all week for them to pass this unpopular and unjust policy after Democratic women in the legislature filed more than a thousand amendments to bog down the process. Despite ultimately being unsuccessful in stopping the policy, these courageous women made damn sure their constituents and the entire nation paid attention to this latest assault on pregnant people’s fundamental freedom to control their own bodies. That’s the kind of unrelenting advocacy Democrats bring to the table, and why I’m drawing hope from their example this week.

Also, if you have family or friends in South Carolina who will be affected by this ban, remind them that our Washington Democrats have passed a law that would protect them from prosecution if they come here to get the essential reproductive care they need.

Railway Safety Act will help protect communities | The Seattle Times

Senator Cantwell is leading a coalition as Chair of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to bring much-needed safety regulations to the rail industry. The recent derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio grabbed headlines, but train derailments have become more common than the public realizes in recent years after the Trump administration deregulated the industry.

Pramila Jayapal introduces Medicare for All Act of 2023 | Twitter
This week, Rep. Jayapal joined Senator Sanders in introducing the Medicare for All Act of 2023 to provide universal health care to every American as a fundamental right. Check out the link above to watch her comments at the press conference they held to build momentum for the law!

Gluesenkamp Perez Introduces Rural Broadband Bill | The Daily Chronicle
Another critically important bill from Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez this week would create more competition and improve broadband access in rural areas. As she told attendees at a recent town hall, broadband access is essential for access to education, telehealth, and so much more in our digital age. We’re proud to have Marie representing Southwest Washington in Congress and are working around the clock to keep her in office!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

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United States

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News & Action Wa Dems

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 12 May 2023 20:47:32 GMT

Good morning fellow Democrats,

What a couple of weeks we’ve had in Democratic politics here in Washington state! Gov. Inslee announced he’s not running for another term, Attorney General Bob Ferguson and Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz have announced their campaigns to succeed him as governor, state Senator Patty Kuderer announced her run for Insurance Commissioner, and state Senator Manka Dhingra has kicked off her campaign to succeed AG Ferguson as our state’s top lawyer. With all this change on the horizon, you might be wondering, “What does this mean for the Washington State Democrats?”

Well, it’s simultaneously a huge deal that doesn’t change much about our day-to-day work. Our mission hasn’t changed: in partnership with Senator Maria Cantwell, we’ll build the same organizing powerhouse of the Coordinated Campaign that has led to double-digit wins for our statewide candidates for the last six years. After all, that’s what flipped two Congressional seats from red to blue, delivered an historic third term for Governor Inslee, and consolidated Democratic control of every statewide executive office for the first time in recent memory. Once the voters choose who will represent our party in the general election, we’ll stand ready to keep the governor’s

seat in Democratic hands regardless of who advances past the primary.
But at the same time, competitive primaries for so many statewide offices present an incredible opportunity for our state party. While maintaining neutrality throughout the process, we’ll be able to bring in new Democrats to our fold and engage a whole new generation of voters excited by our wealth of inspiring candidates. And although we don’t make endorsements at the state level, each of our local party organizations will weigh in on these compelling races, so there’s never been a better time to get involved locally!

Last Friday marked a day of awareness for the ongoing crisis affecting Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women. To bring more resources and attention to the cases from our state, Senator Cantwell discussed with Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland about how the federal government can aid in investigating and resolving those cases. For more, check out the Senator’s interview with KHQ.

Earlier this week, I flew to DC for the White House’s celebration of AANHPI Heritage Month and drew such inspiration from the diverse leaders from across the country who showed up and showed out for the event. I kept thinking that if I could somehow go back in time and tell the version of myself who cut her teeth as a field organizer on President Obama’s 2008 campaign that the White House would even hold such an event – much less that I’d be an invited guest! – I’m not sure I would have believed it. Our party has come so far in respecting and valuing the diversity of our coalition in just the time that I’ve been working in politics. It's hard to believe sometimes, but it’s a valuable reminder that change is possible within our lifetimes.

Jay Inslee, Washington’s Departing Governor, Sees Greener Pastures Ahead | The New York Times

Gov. Inslee’s leadership brought us incredible progress on so many issues and kept us safe during the unprecedented crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for making our state a beacon of hope in this divided country, and wish him the best of luck in his next pursuits after leaving the governor’s mansion.

WA Attorney General Bob Ferguson announces campaign for governor | The Seattle Times

The race to succeed Gov. Inslee is off to a hot start, with AG Ferguson kicking it off last week. You can learn more about his campaign at his website here.

WA lands Commissioner Hilary Franz announces run for governor, vying with AG Ferguson | The Seattle Times

Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz is also vying to succeed Gov. Inslee, and announced her campaign this week. You can learn more about Hilary’s campaign at her website here.

State Party Updates

We’re hiring!

In case you haven’t seen, we’re looking to add talent to our incredible state party staff! We’re accepting applications for Executive Director and Communications Director, so let anyone in your network who might be interested know that they are invited to apply before Monday’s deadline!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Friday News & Action Wa Dems

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 28 Apr 2023 17:48:25 GMT

Good morning fellow Democrats,

What a week this has been! The sun is out and our Party is building momentum and making big things happen at every level. President Biden announced his bid for re-election and our Washington Democrats in Olympia wrapped up the legislative session in a whirlwind of good news for our party.

I’ve gone into detail on our policy victories below, but let’s start by taking a moment to thank our legislators for all they accomplished this session. There’s no stronger reminder of why we fight hard every single day to protect and expand our powerful and diverse Democratic majorities and I’m so proud of what we’ve been able to get done for the people of Washington!

We could never get this done without the efforts of Democrats everywhere in Washington State and I’m committed to working with each and every one of our local party organizations to make sure we’re not leaving a single vote on the table. That’s why I’m hitting the road again today to head down to southwest Washington to speak with the terrific Klickitat County Democrats and the SW Washington Equity Coalition this weekend!

We’re so much stronger when we all come together to support our candidates – and I can’t wait to connect with Democrats in every corner of the state in the weeks and months ahead!

The legislative session is finally wrapped up, and we have so much to celebrate! Yesterday, Governor Inslee signed a suite of bills to protect access to abortion for every Washingtonian and anyone from a red state who travels here to get essential reproductive health care.

Earlier this week, he signed the assault weapons ban into law and immediately outlawed new purchases of weapons of war that have no place on our streets. Plus, we passed a balanced budget that invests $3 billion in public schools, $1 billion in our behavioral health care system, and $400 million in the state’s Housing Trust Fund to jumpstart affordable housing projects across the state!

This weekend, I’m heading down to Vancouver to celebrate the graduation of a new cohort of aspiring community leaders from the Vancouver Community Leadership Institute and I couldn’t be more excited to meet these incredible graduates. Each of them have their own compelling story of transforming the hardship they’ve overcome into inspiration for improving the lives of their friends, families, and communities – a welcome reminder that for every election-denying conspiracy theorist making headlines on cable news, we have a dozen dedicated champions for social justice quietly working every day to make a difference.

President Biden announced he’s running for re-election!

If you haven’t yet, I strongly encourage you to check out President Biden’s video announcing his campaign for re-election. It’s a compelling reminder of the stakes of this battle for the soul of our nation and how we must dedicate ourselves to giving him the chance to finish the job of protecting our democracy.

Bernie Sanders endorses Biden, rules out 2024 bid of his own | AP News

With so much at stake, I’m thrilled to see our party united behind the President. Regardless of where you fall on the ideological spectrum within our diverse party, we all understand that keeping President Biden in office is the best path we have to building on the transformative investments in clean energy, American manufacturing, and a sustainable economy that Biden has delivered in his first term.

With assault weapons ban, Washington enters a new era of gun reform | Crosscut

I’m going to keep these words from Gov. Inslee in mind for the rest of the election cycle, particularly when our work gets tough: “This has been a very long bending of the moral arc of the universe, but it does bend toward justice,” Inslee said. “The victory we are celebrating today, I think ought to be a victory for anyone involved in any long-term cause,” he added. “Keep your head up, keep your heart strong.”

Upcoming Events
May 5th Grassroots Reception: The evening before my first state committee meeting as Chair, we’re hosting a reception for all our Democratic volunteers to come and celebrate our return to in-person work together to elect Democrats across the state! We’ll be hearing from AG Bob Ferguson, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, Senator Rebecca Saldaña, and Latino Caucus Chair Rep. Lilian Ortiz-Self for what will be an inspiring and exciting event!

Get your ticket here!

State Party Updates
We’re hiring!

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
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Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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NK School Troubles

Douglass MacKenzie — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 16:46:55 GMT

In accordance with the 23rd LD goal of showing up as allies for BIPOC and LGBTQ communities, please consider attending the next NK schoolboard meeting on Thursday, April 27th at 5 PM. This is not a conflict with the Forum to Increase Lines of Communication with Marginalized Communities hosted by the 23rd LD Democrats on the same date at 7 PM.

Why attend the schoolboard meeting, Background information:

On November 22, 2022 more than 40 members of the Latino community gathered at North Kitsap High School to voice their concerns to the school board and describe numerous specific incidents of racism and bullying directed at their children by other students and faculty. None of the complaints have been addressed by the District. Written and documented complaints have risen to over 90 and community concerns sent to the schoolboard are not addressed in any productive way.

Since November 22, 2022, there have been continuing issues and inadequate response by the NK schoolboard. The Kitsap Sun published an article

Latino parents, students say they face racism, discrimination at North Kitsap High, on November 25, 2022, detailing these unmet concerns. The problems continue and the response from the schoolboard and superintendent has been absent, if not unlawful. The schoolboard may not be meeting the minimum standards required by law.

On April 13, 2023 at the last NK schoolboard meeting, many parents and allies wanted to speak during the 3 minute "Citizen Comment' period but were denied on a technicality. Members of the audience, community leaders and parents, expressed their wish to speak in a low-key and non-threatening way but were told to sit down or the schoolboard would call 911. In addition, Leonard Forsman and the Suquamish tribe were treated with disrespect during that portion of the agenda set aside for the annual joint meeting. I, Carollynn Zimmers, was there and witnessed this so the above comments are from a first-hand account. You can also read

North Kitsap School District reverses decision to cancel Native American Graduation Honoring in the Kitsap Sun.

Carollynn Zimmers

Friday News & Action

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 16:13:40 GMT

Greetings from the other Washington!

I’m checking in from DC, where I’m meeting with our friends at the DNC ahead of attending an Earth Day celebration hosted by Vice President Harris. In the spirit of the holiday, I want to highlight some of the incredible work on climate change that our Washington Democrats have accomplished recently.

In the state legislature, we’ve passed a new law that will prohibit utilities and landlords from cutting off power or water for people who are behind on their payments when a heat wave strikes. We also saw the first auction for Gov. Inslee’s signature cap-and-invest law take place last month, which brought in $300 million for the state to invest in clean energy and environmental justice projects!

The revenue from the cap-and-invest law also shows that there doesn’t need to be tension between taking action on climate and growing the economy: several of the projects funded by this first round of carbon credits will help train workers to qualify for jobs in the clean energy industry that pay a living wage. I know there’s a lot of bad news out there on this issue, but it’s important to remember that we aremaking progress towards a sustainable future in Washington state!

One final update on the assault weapons ban, which is now finally headed to the Governor’s desk for signature! The House concurred with a minor amendment from the Senate this week, crossing the final "t" and dotting the last "i" before making Washington the tenth state to ban the purchase and sale of military-style rifles.

In other gun violence prevention news, the Senate has sent a bill to Governor Inslee’s desk that will allow victims of gun violence to hold firearm manufacturers accountable in our state courts. Congress exempted the gun industry from these kinds of lawsuits in federal court years ago, but now families of people who are harmed due to gun violence will finally get their day in court.

Finally, Governor Inslee signed a bill that repeals capital punishment in Washington state! We all know our court system isn’t perfect, and this important reform means that a mistake in a trial court will no longer cost an innocent person their life.

Even a week later, I find myself reflecting on the warm welcomes I got from all our local Democratic volunteers during my trip through Central and Eastern Washington last week. The passion you all shared with me for improving your communities fills me with hope, and I could not be more excited to be in this work together!

Democratic chair sees big potential in rural, Eastern WA. Can they make Tri-City gains?

As I told the Tri-City Herald, the path to long-term success in Central and Eastern Washington is delivering the message that Democrats are the ones delivering for working families in every community. Investing in rural infrastructure through the Climate Commitment Act and putting money back in folks’ pockets with the Working Families Tax Credit is exactly what people in those communities need to know Democrats are doing for them, and I know the local volunteers I met with last week will deliver that message!

How Washington plans to spend money from the new carbon-cap law | Crosscut

Want more details on how the state will spend the $300 million generated by Gov. Inslee’s Climate Commitment Act? Check out this in-depth review by Crosscut!

This WA tax credit could give you free money. If you sign up | The Seattle Times

A reminder to check your eligibility for the Working Families Tax Credit, and remind your friends and neighbors to do the same! You can see if you qualify for this tax credit by heading to workingfamiliescredit.wa.gov and filling in your information.

We’re hiring!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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WA Dems Friday News & Action

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 22:55:08 GMT

Hello again fellow Democrats!

I’ve just returned from an exciting week of travel across Eastern and Central Washington, with every day this week jam-packed full of meetings and meet-and-greets with our dedicated local party volunteers. I was so grateful for the warm welcome from our LPOs in the Tri-Cities, Walla Walla, Pullman, and Yakima – thank you to all who came to share their passion for staying engaged in this work and contributed their ideas for how we can boost rural organizing!

For the many of you who I couldn’t meet, here’s the message I gave all our Eastern Washington volunteers: I’m in this for the long haul. We might not flip every seat in this cycle, or even the next one, but I have the utmost confidence that our person-to-person organizing work is already laying the foundation for the long-term gains we need to compete in every single legislative district.

Look no further than the 3rd Congressional District for an example of how that dedication pays dividends when you might least expect it. After four years of taking the fight to Jaime Herrera-Beutler, our volunteers in Southwest Washington were ready to capitalize on the GOP’s disarray when election denier Joe Kent bested JHB in the primary. Their organizing work pushed Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to victory, and helped Democrats come within a razor’s edge of keeping control of the House of Representatives.

Now, we’ve got to double down on that neighbor-to-neighbor organizing work to protect all the gains we’ve made in the last six years and I couldn’t be more excited to be in this work with all of you!

HUGE news out of Olympia this week: the assault weapons ban passed the Senate and is now headed to Gov. Inslee’s desk for his signature! I know that the time it takes to make progress on these tough issues can be depressing, so I want to take a moment to reflect on how far we’ve come on gun violence prevention since 2016.

Back then, Washington ranked #1 in the country for NRA spending. That’s right, the gun lobby spent more money here than anywhere else in the nation. That year, Republicans in the Senate blocked the passage of a bill to allow concerned family members to get an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) to temporarily remove guns from the possession of someone who they believed could be a threat to themselves or others.

Now, we’ve not only passed that law, but we’ve also mandated universal background checks, established training requirements and waiting periods for gun purchases, allowed victims of gun violence to hold firearm manufacturers accountable in court, and are on track to ban assault weapons altogether.

None of that could have happened without the organizing work we have done in the last six years to elect champions of public safety to the state legislature, so take a moment this morning to reflect on the progress you made possible.

In Tennessee, Democrats have shown that we will not let the GOP strangle our democracy. Both of the state representatives who were expelled from the Tennessee state legislature have regained their seats after their local governments re-appointed them to their seats after the GOP’s unprecedented move to remove them from office. If you need an extra dose of hope with your morning coffee, take a minute to watch this speech from Rep. Justin Jones to take strength from his resolve to keep fighting for common sense gun laws.

Justin Pearson reinstated: Memphis sends expelled Black lawmaker back to Tennessee House days after GOP lawmakers ousted him - ABC7 Chicago

Rep. Justin Jones spoke to his constituents after getting re-appointed to the Tennessee House by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners. A reminder that local elections matter!

Amid post-Roe landscape, WA lawmakers pass abortion ‘shield law’ | The Seattle Times

The Senate passed Rep. Drew Hansen’s Shield Law that protects people from other states seeking abortions or gender-affirming care from prosecution in their home state. As long as the Supreme Court continues to divide this country into red and blue states by rolling back personal freedoms like the right to an abortion, Washington Democrats will do our part to make sure anyone who seeks care here can do so safely.

Fed grant funding to help West Canal, Yakima River | Columbia Basin Herald

While this might not have made front-page news, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention this significant investment that Senator Cantwell secured to renovate the Columbia Basin Project’s West Canal. These kinds of investments in the necessary infrastructure for both farmers and our salmon populations are what Democrats deliver for our rural communities, and Senator Cantwell’s leadership made sure the communities I just returned from meeting with will get the millions of federal dollars they need to preserve our way of life.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Wa Dems Friday News and Action

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 07 Apr 2023 19:48:50 GMT

Good morning fellow Democrats,

At the end of what has been a heavy week, I’m reflecting on several moments that keep me committed to the the work we all do: without politicizing the very real human tragedies we’ve witnessed, the recent school shooting in Nashville and gun violence right here in Washington that resulted in 23-year-old Elijah Lewis’s death are stark reminders that changing public policy can actually save lives.

And although we can’t end every crisis overnight, I’m drawing strength and resilience from the real progress Washington Democrats at every level of government are making to create a safer world for all of us.

As I’ve been traveling around the state to meet with our local Democratic volunteers in every corner of Washington, I’ve been struck by the resolve, determination, and hope people have that a better world is within our reach. At its core, our person-to-person organizing work is the expression of that hope: we each have something to offer that helps advance our community toward the vision we all share of a just and equitable world where everyone can thrive.

If I haven’t been to your neck of the woods yet, you won’t have to wait too long! Next week, I’m hitting the road to meet with our local volunteers in Central and Eastern Washington, so if you’re in the Tri-Cities, Walla Walla, Pullman, or Yakima and want to connect, send me an email!

In the state legislature, the Democratic majorities you helped protect last year are set to pass a ban on assault weapons that will help keep kids safe in their classrooms and prevent mass shootings. The measure has already passed the House, and will soon be before the full Senate floor for a vote to send the measure to Gov. Inslee’s desk.

Our Washington Democrats have also continued to advance the shield law for patients seeking reproductive and gender-affirming care I highlighted in this newsletter two weeks ago. That bill is even more important now that Idaho has become the first state in the country to criminalize interstate travel to get an abortion.

This week, the Midwest gave us quite a few victories to cheer for! Led by an incredible organizing effort from the Wisconsin Dems, Wisconsin got a major win by electing a progressive judge to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Judge Janet Protasiewicz is a strong advocate for reproductive rights and beat a truly horrific Republican!

In Chicago, they elected an awesome new mayor, Brandon Johnson, who was backed by the teachers’ unions and offered a reprieve from messaging overly focused on crime. And in Michigan, Governor Gretchen Whitmer overturned a 1921 ban of abortion, a week after repealing the right to work laws that had been in place for years! Good things are happening across this country because of year-round organizing efforts!

Liberals gain control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for the first time in 15 years

Our fellow state party organizers in Wisconsin notched an incredibly important win this week after Janet Protasiewicz’s victory secured a Democratic majority that can now strike down abortion bans, end gerrymandering, and protect the integrity of the 2024 presidential election.

Applications open to join Congresswoman Kim Schrier at Democracy Summer!

If you’re a high school or college student (or know one) interested in getting trained to help defend our democracy, you have until April 14th to apply to Congresswoman Schrier’s Democracy Summer program. Aspiring student organizers from across the 8th Congressional District will join together for this informative and engaging program that will teach you all you need to know about registering voters and turning out your neighbors!

WA stockpiles abortion pills ahead of federal court ruling | The Seattle Times

Ahead of a right-wing judge’s possible ruling in a Texas lawsuit brought by anti-abortion activists, Gov. Inslee has secured a four-year supply of mifepristone to ensure Washingtonians continue to have access to the medication. At the same time, AG Ferguson is fighting back against the lawsuit with one of his own that would compel the FDA to make it easier to access medication abortion.

Rep. Joel McEntire OK’d Twitter Account in His Name Calling People ‘Loser,’ ‘Pathetic’

Finally, a quick shout-out to the 26th LD Democrats for lifting up the alert they received from a 19th LD constituent about Rep. McEntire’s appalling use of social media. Honestly, I know I shouldn’t be surprised by a lack of common decency from any Republican elected official at this point, but I really thought there’d be a better explanation for this behavior in 2023 than “blame the intern.” If you see anything like this from your local GOP, be sure to flag it for us!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Friday New & Action

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 31 Mar 2023 18:34:37 GMT

Hello Democrats and happy Friday!

I wanted to start today’s newsletter with a shout out to both the State House and Senate for putting forward budget proposals that truly work for the people of WA State! You can see more details on the proposed budget here, and more changes are expected before the Governor’s office signs it into law, but it looks like we can anticipate many transformative and positive investments, including:

Hundreds of millions in proposed allocations for public schools - including massive expansion for special education budgets and free breakfast for students in need.
Well deserved raises for state employees, with a focus on essential workers, like home care providers and employees of assisted living facilities – who tend to make less than other healthcare professionals and are more likely to be women of color.
Increased investment in childcare, affordable housing, and clean energy projects – just to name a few!

Please join me in thanking our Democratic legislators for passing policy and building budgets rooted in a commitment to care for the people all throughout Washington State and to making their lives better. It’s a proud day to be a Washington Democrat and I look forward to providing a full accounting of our accomplishments when the legislative session wraps up next month!

In addition, I’m so excited to announce that I will be hitting the road on April 10th for a weeklong tour of Central and Eastern Washington. I’m so excited to connect with local Democrats from Yakima to Walla Walla, Pullman and everywhere in between! Because let’s face it, we can only reach our full potential as a State Party when we all come together to organize, build critical infrastructure, and elect Democrats everywhere in Washington!

We’re working hard to make sure I have the chance to connect with local parties all across Washington and I look forward to attending a meeting in your neck of the woods soon!

WA's $70B budget proposals boost state worker raises, special ed

Democratic lawmakers will work with Gov. Jay Inslee's office to negotiate a final agreement before the legislative session ends.

Gov. Jay Inslee visits Grant County, talks future of clean energy in eastern WA

Governor Jay Inslee is in Moses lake Tuesday afternoon, speaking with leaders on various clean energy topics ranging from hydrogen-powered aircraft to the booming tech industry and new businesses coming to eastern Washington.

Sales tax exemption for seniors’ meals passes WA House

WA House Bill 1431, sponsored by Rep. Joe Timmons, provides sales tax relief for residents of senior living communities when it comes to meals.

Michigan Democrats Rise, and Try to Turn a Battleground Blue

With a strong governor, a Legislature passing a raft of liberal measures and a looming early presidential primary, Democrats are testing the promise and pitfalls of complete control of the state.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe.

Friday News & Action

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 00:13:25 GMT

Hello Democrats,

It’s been a terrific week traveling across the state! This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 95th annual Pacific County Crab Feed. It is the longest running political event in our state! It was so great to meet with committed Democrats and awesome elected officials to compare notes on strategy and priorities for this election cycle. Thanks so much to the Pacific County Dems for hosting!

Such a great time with the Pacific County Dems!

Thanks as well to the Thurston County Democratic Women for inviting me to speak at their meeting! It was fabulous to speak to such an inspiring room of folks, and I was so grateful to join one of my faves, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland on the bill.

I’ll be traveling nearly everywhere in Washington State in the coming weeks and months and I hope to be able to join a meeting near you. Thanks again so much to all the great Democrats working around the clock - you’re the engine that keeps our Party going and we appreciate all you do so much!

Last but not least, I wanted to share an inspiring letter I received just last night from President Biden himself:

The letter may be addressed to me, but the message contained within is meant for every Democrat in Washington - “if we come together as a nation, there is nothing we can’t accomplish.” I am proud to lead the best State Party in the country - and I look forward to working with each and every one of you to build on our past success and lead Washington toward an even brighter future.

There’s so much great legislation moving forward in Olympia that I can’t even begin to list it all here - but I wanted to give a special shoutout to HB-1469 which passed through the House just a few days ago. In essence, it is a “shield law” to protect those from out of state who seek reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare in Washington. Congratulations and thank you to our Democratic legislators who are fighting hard to ensure everyone has safe, effective health care!

I also want to give quick kudos to SB-5082 for passing through the House State Government Committee and moving on to the House Rules Committee. This is a critical step toward finally abolishing conservative gadfly and “anti-tax” crusader Tim Eyman’s useless and misleading “Advisory Votes” and creating more open, transparent policy that works better for each and every Washingtonian!

Please join me in thanking our powerful and diverse Democratic majorities for all the terrific work they are doing on your and my behalf!

A New Voice for Winning Back Lost Democratic Voters

To court rural and working-class voters who had supported a Republican in the district since 2011, she had to speak to them in a way that her party’s left wing usually does not — to acknowledge their economic fears, their sense of being left out of the political conversation, their disdain for ideological posturing from both sides of the spectrum.

Senator Murray Announces Nearly $25 Million in Funding to Reduce Wildfire Risk Across Washington State

Senator Patty Murray announced nearly $25 million to fund 14 projects all across Washington state to work towards reducing wildfire risks.

U.S. Congresswoman Kim Schrier helps serves lunch at senior nutrition program

U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier, D-WA 8th District, visited Cle Elum on Monday, March 20.

Rep. Rick Larsen discusses priorities of homeless veterans with VA Secretary

Rep. Rick Larsen joined the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affair, Denis McDonough, Dr. Thomas Bundt, Executive Director of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, and regional stakeholders to discuss efforts to assist and house homeless veterans in Washington State.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Wa Dems Friday Wrap Up

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 23:32:50 GMT

Hello Democrats,

Happy Spring! The sun is out, flowers are in bloom, and our legislators are reminding us every day why it’s good to be a Democrat. We’ve made concrete progress on an issue that is particularly important to me and so many in our Party - reducing gun violence through common-sense safety legislation.

Just last week the WA House passed HB 1143 - a lifesaving bill promoting responsible gun ownership by requiring safety training and a 10-day waiting period for the purchase of all firearms - and HB 1240 - banning the sale of assault rifles here in Washington.

And we’re not just making progress on the state level - on Tuesday, President Biden announced an Executive Order to make our communities safer by mandating the following:

Increase the number of background checks conducted before firearm sales, moving the U.S. as close to universal background checks as possible without additional legislation
Keep more guns out of dangerous hands by increasing the effective use of “red flag” laws
Strengthen efforts to hold the gun industry accountable
Accelerate law enforcement efforts to identify and apprehend shooters

Please join me in thanking the President and his team for working hard to keep people across the country safe!

It has never been clearer that Democrats are the only major Party to recognize the critical threat that unfettered and irresponsible access to firearms poses for our communities and particularly the lives of our children. I am so proud that the work we did to elect Democrats means we now have the power to put meaningful protections in place against the devastation that these weapons can cause. This only happened because we showed up and worked hard to build power on a state and national level - and with stakes this high we can’t afford to yield a single inch.

Thank you for standing with us in the struggle to build a better, safer state and country.

Biden Issues Executive Order to Strengthen Background Checks for Guns

President Biden announced steps designed to improve enforcement of existing gun laws during a trip to Monterey Park, Calif., the site of a mass shooting in January.

Rep. Derek Kilmer to issue new bill pushing Congress to incorporate data and evidence into policymaking

The bill would establish a commission and convene experts to review, analyze, and make recommendations to Congress in an effort to better incorporate federal data and evidence-based policymaking throughout the legislative process.

Schrier leads caucus Farm Bill task force

Eighth District U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier is chairing a caucus task force on the upcoming national Farm Bill.

Rifle ban, housing bills and more advance in the WA Legislature

At the midpoint of the 2023 legislative session, these are the winners and losers so far.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Wa Dems Friday Wrap Up

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 10 Mar 2023 18:35:08 GMT

Hello Democrats,

We can’t seem to go a single day without being reminded that the GOP will stop at nothing to take away our rights and send our country backward – and that’s been especially clear this past week.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been watching the developing situation in Texas extra closely. If a Trump-appointed federal judge rules to block mifepristone, millions of Americans’ freedom to make their own health care decisions could be severely restricted overnight.

Republicans simply don’t care that the vast majority of Americans support a woman’s right to choose - made clear by last year’s overwhelming nationwide pushback against the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade - all they care about is winning points with the MAGA crowd by advancing regressive policy that impinges on all of our rights.

And this stance isn’t just limited to a fringe of the far right -

Donald Trump recently reminded everyone about his “unmatched” anti-choice record and how he was the architect of the conservative Supreme Court majority that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Ron DeSantis put forward an extreme abortion ban last year with no exceptions for rape or incest that threatens doctors with jail time, and opened the door to signing an even more restrictive abortion ban this year
Nikki Haley signed an abortion ban into law in 2016 with no exceptions for rape or incest and that threatened doctors with jail time.
Mike Pence, the first Republican to call for banning abortion in every state in the wake of Dobbs decision, has also supported banning abortion pills.

It’s horrifying, but sadly unsurprising, that each and every one of the Republican frontrunners for the 2024 presidential nomination are virulently anti-choice and unconcerned with the health and safety of women across the country. We cannot let them win next year or any year.

I’m proud to belong to the Party that is committed to keeping people healthy and improving the lives of every single American. And if you need evidence, look no further than President Biden’s Budget, which will fully fund Medicare for another generation without cutting benefits or raising taxes on anybody making less than $400,000.

Please join me in thanking the President and his team for fighting to protect benefits that are critical to families across the country!

Speaking of things that should make us proud to be Democrats, let’s not forget about the disaster that was CPAC last weekend. It might seem a bit difficult to take a conference that regularly hosts wannabe dictators and heralds them as aspirational figures seriously - but we should all take it as a deadly serious reminder of what the American far-right stands for and just how much we have to lose if we let them win.

We’re truly in the midst of a battle for the soul of our Democracy, people, and we will fight tooth and nail until we win. Thank you for standing with us in this critical work every single day!

Last but not least, I was pleased to have the opportunity to appear on this week’s Hacks and Wonks podcast with Crystal Fincher. Please follow the link below to listen to a recording of the show or view the episode transcript:

Fight voter suppression with America Votes Act

The proposed America Votes Act, with its origins in Washington state, would remove just one barrier to voting for millions of Americans.

Joe Biden: My Plan to Extend Medicare for Another Generation

Medicare is more than a government program. It’s the rock-solid guarantee that Americans have counted on to be there for them when they retire.

President of Finland visits Washington Capitol

Monday marked the first time a foreign president has ever addressed Washington’s state Legislature: Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, who is at the start of a five-day tour of the U.S., was welcomed by Gov. Jay Inslee.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Message from The State Chair

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 19:09:06 GMT

Hello Democrats,

It’s been another terrific week working hard for Democrats across Washington State! I’m so proud to serve as your Chair and I wanted to share a great video our staff put together, so you can learn a little bit more about me, my background and my priorities:

It’s a pleasure to do this important work each and every day! A recent highlight of the job was speaking at last Sunday’s Protect Trans Kids Rally - put on by the 27th LD Dems and Oasis Tacoma. I want to give a special shout out to Stella Keating and her mom, Lisa, for organizing this powerful rally. Stella is the first openly trans person to serve as a Vice Chair for a party organization in the state! At just 18, Stella is already a star! It’s an honor and a privilege to be able to amplify this important message and build a better, safer Washington for kids across our beautiful state!

Hundreds of Democrats showed up to send the message loud and clear that we will work around the clock to build a safer, more inclusive Washington for all!

It’s never been clearer than it is today - Democrats are the Party that cares about people and communities and we should all be proud to carry the mantle!

On the national level, I’ve been especially grateful for all the Biden administration is doing to fight back against the deeply conservative Supreme Court in the battle for student loan forgiveness. This conflict serves as a strong reminder that the GOP will do everything in their power to stall progress again and again and deny transformative, life-changing support to the people who need it most. We must stand together and fight back every single day!

Please join me in thanking the President, his team, and every Democrat working hard to make this vision a reality. We won’t stop until we win!

Last Friday marked another deadline in the Legislature as lawmakers closed the end of the week with executive sessions in both the Senate Ways and Means Committee and House Appropriations Committee. Here are a few bills we’re watching:

Senate Bill 5123: Some employers in Washington state would no longer be allowed to discriminate against applicants for their cannabis use outside of work under a bill passed by the Senate on Wednesday. The bill was introduced by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, and passed with a 28-21 vote. If passed through the House and signed by the governor, the bill would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2024 and would only apply to pre-employment screenings, not an employer’s on-the-job policies after an employee is hired.

House Bill 1389: Landlords in Washington would no longer be able to quickly raise rents under this proposed legislation. Rents would not be able to be raised on tenants within the first 12 months after signing a lease, and rent increases could not be more than 3-7% in a 12-month period, although exemptions could apply in some circumstances. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Alex Ramel, D-Bellingham, and was passed out of the House Appropriations Committee on Friday.

SB 5257: Recess could become mandatory for elementary school children in Washington under legislation sponsored by Sen. T’wina Nobles, D-Fircrest.

SB 5131: As the law currently stands, up to 95% of the money sent to people in prison by family members is kept by the Department of Corrections for various accounts such as payment of Legal Financial Obligations or simply the cost of being incarcerated. This bill would prevent money sent by family members from being used for those deductions, and instead, inmates could only spend the money on commissary items.

And here’s a fun one:

HB 1020: This bill passed from the chamber floor on Monday and would designate the Suciasaurus Rex as Washington’s official dinosaur. Fourth-grade students from Elmhurst Elementary in the Franklin Pierce School District brought the bill forward to Rep. Melanie Morgan, D-Parkland, in 2019 but the legislation has yet to clear all the legislative hurdles needed to become law.

This list is not exhaustive - and we encourage each of you to keep an eye out for legislation that affects you and your community.

Please join me in wishing a huge thank you to our Democratic legislators who are working tirelessly to build a better, safer, Washington!

Biden says Labor nominee Julie Su represents American dream

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that his labor secretary nominee Julie Su is a “real leader” who has supported unions, enforced worker safety and protected the victims of human trafficking.

Senator Murray Announces Over $40 Million for Clean Water Projects in Washington State

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, announced more than $40 million in federal funding to upgrade critical clean water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure across Washington state.

Washington Congresswoman DelBene tasked with winning back US House: "Big Opportunity"

DelBene is now in charge of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and is tasked with one thing: winning back the House for her party.

Proposal Addresses Shortage of Rural Physicians

8th District Congresswoman Kim Schrier wants more done to alleviate physician shortages in rural areas.

Black leadership thrives in the South Sound. Just look at the names on this list

Over the last 40 years we have made progress nationally with increasing Black leadership. Yet, locally, it has looked and felt a bit different — until now.

What’s still on the table for traffic safety in WA Legislature?

Right turns on red lights will continue for at least another year in Washington state, while anti-jaywalking laws could maybe become a thing of the past as lawmakers in Olympia settle into the second half of the 2023 legislative session.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Seniors Against Dirty Banking

Douglass MacKenzie — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 23:15:38 GMT

Third Act: Seniors and Allies Against Dirty Banking

Join us on March 21^st from Noon to 2:00 at Winslow Green on Bainbridge Island

Since the Paris Accord’s in 2015, Chase Bank has made more new fossil fuel loans than any other bank. They are determined to continue.

On September 22^nd, 2022, Chase CEO Jamie Dimon testified before Congress and was asked if he would consider stopping providing fossil fuel loans and he replied that not funding new oil and gas production "would be the road to hell for America."

Two months later at the Annual Global Climate Change Conference UN Secretary General Antonio told the truth saying, “We are in the fight of our lives, and we are losing,” and then continued with “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot still on the accelerator.”

We can stop Chase from funding climate change by joining together nationally to move our money from Chase and other mega banks like Citi Bank, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. In less than a year 17,000 people have pledged to move their accounts.

One of 70 nationwide bank protests is happening here on beautiful Bainbridge Island. Our action will be respectful, fun and pointed. We will hear some heartfelt words from local faith and climate leaders and march together to Chase bank and ask them to divest from fossil fuels.

Folks over 60 control over 70% of the personal wealth in the US. We have untapped power to persuade. Join us on Winslow Green at NOON on March 21, 2023, while we celebrate all island climate activists and educate our beloved community about dirty banking. To register your pledge log onto https://thirdact.org/national-day-of-action/

To help with the event please email John Kydd at john@kyddlaw.com or Wendy Jones at nursewendy17@gmail.com

State Chair Message

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 20:01:16 GMT

Hello Democrats,

As I’m closing out my first month on the job, I am consistently so proud to be a Democrat. I’m proud of who we are, what we stand for, and how we build coalitions to win seats and help people. That could not be further in contrast to the GOP’s cowardly infighting leading up to the 2024 Presidential Primary. What we’re seeing on the Republican side is a harsh refutation of the old (and if you ask me, deeply false) narrative that “Democrats Fall In Love, Republicans Fall In Line.” In a nutshell, the GOP appears to be faced with the choice between awful candidates and terrible candidates and they can’t seem to make up their minds.

Today’s Republican Party is so fragmented and disorganized that it’s anyone’s guess who will make it onto the ballot next year. But as of where we stand today it’s hard to picture someone other than the “Evil We Know” – former President Donald Trump and the “Evil We Don’t Know” - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

In all honesty - it’s the second possibility that scares me more. Donald Trump, for better or worse, lacks the subtlety to frame himself as anything other than a boisterous, xenophobic lout and the American people have voted him out of office once before. President Joe Biden is the only person who can say he has beaten Donald Trump in a presidential election, and given strong momentum built by the White House over the past two years, I remain confident we can pull it off again with enough hard work and elbow grease.

DeSantis is a savvier politician than Donald Trump, and very popular in his home state of Florida with a wide range of reprehensible policy “victories” that read very well to Republicans nationwide. But at his core he is just as populist, just as xenophobic, just as self-centered, and just as backward-looking Trump himself. If he clinches the nomination we will have our work cut out for us and need to grind twice as hard every single day to make sure a DeSantis presidency is never a reality.

We have no choice but to start our efforts now - organizing tirelessly, 24/7, everywhere in Washington State and nationwide in order to beat back the GOP and make sure Democrats hold the White House and win races at every level.

We know what it takes to win, but it won’t be easy, quick, or cheap. Thank you for standing with us through the critical work to come!

Last Friday marked the first cutoff date for the WA Legislature since session commenced in mid-January. We wanted to provide a quick rundown of bills that made it out of committee that we are watching closely:

SB 5232: This legislation would prevent firearms dealers from selling a gun to a consumer until a background check has been completed and 10 days have elapsed since the background check request. Additionally, it would prohibit firearms dealers from selling a weapon to a purchaser unless they show proof they have completed a firearms safety training course, or show proof of an exemption. A great step forward for common sense gun safety!

HB 1025: Qualified immunity for law enforcement officers could end in Washington state under this proposed legislation. The proposed bill creates an avenue for civil action against individual law enforcement officers if those officers have violated a person’s civil rights under the state constitution.

HB 1516: The bill would designate the Lunar New Year as a state legal holiday – providing recognition and representation for countless Washingtonians who celebrate each year!

This list is not exhaustive - and we encourage each of you to keep an eye out for legislation that affects you and your community.

Please join me in wishing a huge thank you to our Democratic legislators who are working tirelessly to build a better, safer, Washington!

Twenty states announce historic governor-led Reproductive Freedom Alliance

The Alliance is a non-partisan coalition of 20 governors committed to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom in their states, the largest such coalition ever convened.

Rifle ban among gun-control bills advancing in the WA Legislature

Other measures include mandated gun-safety training and imposed liability on firearm manufacturers.

Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez Finds Her Footing

From car shop owner to Congress, U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez's life has changed considerably since last fall, but one telling detail remains unchanged: She doesn't like wearing suits.

Jayapal Helps Secure $3 Million Grant for University of Washington PacTrans Program

Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) announced today that she helped secure $3 million in federal funding for the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium (PacTrans), a regional transportation research center led by the University of Washington (UW) in collaboration with Northwest Indian College, Washington State University, and others.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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WA Dems Message from the Chair

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 18:47:42 GMT

Hello Democrats and Happy Friday!

Even though it’s very early in the year and the cycle, I’m proud to report that we just completed a small but significant round of special elections statewide!

Notably, school levies appear likely to move forward in Marysville, Tri-Cities, Gig Harbor and several other districts across Washington State. Let’s take a moment to celebrate our schools getting the funding they need to thrive!

Thank you to everyone who turned out to vote statewide and spurred investment in their communities! Civic engagement and voting in local elections are the building blocks for our democracy! I’m glad voters are getting a taste of the Democratic process here at the start of the election cycle.

Let this be your reminder to stay informed, stay engaged and turn in each and every ballot that makes it to your mailbox over the next two years!

Rest assured, we are still working day and night here at the State Party to build the infrastructure we need to get out the Democratic vote statewide and make sure our terrific candidates win. Stay tuned for more updates about what we have in store!

We also wanted to share some exciting policy developments happening down in Olympia:

The Senate passed SB 5082 - to finally repeal the insidious advisory votes passed by “anti tax crusader” and conservative gadfly Tim Eyman. Instead of advisory votes, the Senate-approved bill would require the creation of a public website with summaries of government spending and require statements be published online with information about legislation that impacts state revenue. Congratulations to Sen. Patty Kuderer who sponsored the bill - and our friends at Northwest Progressive Institute who have been working on this cause for years. The bill goes to the House for consideration next.

Efforts to make the wealthiest Washingtonians pay their fair share and fix our broken tax system are moving forward - with SB 5486 and HB 1473 both heading to the appropriate Senate and House committees for further consideration.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg - there is a ton of terrific legislation moving forward this session to improve gun safety, protect our environment, improve workers’ rights, and strengthen our education and healthcare systems to name just a few.

We are so proud of all that our powerful and diverse majorities in OIympia are doing to build an even better Washington. Please join us in thanking each and every one of our Democratic legislators!

Biden set his 'moonshot' on cancer. Meet the doctor trying to get us there

When it comes to curing cancer, President Joe Biden is shifting that sentiment into full throttle. And one person is taking up the challenge.

Murray, Colleagues, Advocates Rally and Make Clear: Child Care Has to Be on the Agenda This Congress

Leaders in Congress and child care champions highlight Democrats’ critical investments in saving child care sector from collapse, underscore need for more progress as child care crisis worsens

Rep. Schrier proposes bill to strengthen Medicaid for improved health care for children

U.S. Representative Kim Schrier (WA-08) is looking to strengthen Medicaid to boost health care access for children through a new House bill.

Washington Lawmakers Want to Beef Up State Aid for College Students

Several legislative bills are designed to beef up the Washington College Grant by extending the timeline or expanding money to provide further support for college students.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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NW Harvest Needs Us

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 01:03:08 GMT

Hi 23rd PCO!

I’m Jake Garcia, Public Policy Manager for Northwest Harvest, Washington’s statewide food justice organization.

As you may have heard, WA is getting closer to providing nutritious school meals for all families. Despite our state’s strong track record of removing barriers to help students access healthy school meals, there are still students that are required to pay. The current requirements leave nearly 1 in 3 Washington students ineligible for free school meals. SB 5339 would begin to correct this by implementing school meals for more kids in more areas, across our state.

This is truly an intersectional issue; a family of four, with two students, receiving free school meals saves a total of $120-$150 per month. Moreover, it’s not just an economic issue, it’s a fundamental equity pain point for too many families. The stigma felt by many students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals can discourage participation for both paying students and low-income students. When everyone has access to the same services, it reduces the stigma for low and middle-income families.

With this in mind, we would be eternally grateful if you could raise your voice in support SB 5339 with your state legislators, specifically Senator Rolfes at christine.rolfes@leg.wa.gov, as well as her legislative assistants Jennifer and Lily at jennifer.smolen@leg.wa.gov & Lily.O'Doherty@leg.wa.gov. Sen. Rolfes’ role as Chair of the Ways and Means committee means she has the influence to ensure families are getting basic their needs met. Your role not only as a PCO, but as a constituent, puts you in a unique and critical position to lift your voice in support of SB 5339.

If you could reach out with a brief message of support and ask her to schedule SB 5339 for a hearing in her committee, our mission to ensure everyone in our communities have access to nutritious food would be one step closer to being realized.

I sincerely appreciate any outreach you’re able to participate in and if you have any questions whatsoever, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me directly. My contact information is in my signature below. I’ve also attached a one-pager that outlines the issue at hand and some of the more technical details of the bill.

Best,

Jake

Jake Garcia (he/him/él) | Public Policy Manager

Northwest Harvest | p 206.923.7458 | c 360.904.4762

jakeg@northwestharvest.org | northwestharvest.org

Weekly Message From Chair Shasti Conrad

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 22:39:01 GMT

Hello Democrats,

It’s been an exciting first week back in Washington serving as your Chair! I want to start today’s note by thanking all of you for the opportunity to take on this role. It’s a pride and an honor to lead the best State Party in the country and I could have never made it here without the support of terrific Democrats just like you!

As many of you know, I spent last week standing as a proud advocate for Washington State at the DNC’s winter meeting in Philadelphia. It was a great opportunity to learn from my fellow Chairs and forge powerful partnerships with Democratic leaders of every stripe from across the nation! We were even able to take a historic vote to change up our primary calendar to enfranchise more communities of color!

Check out this video I recorded on the ground - so proud to represent WA at this terrific event!

Some of my top highlights included speaking to the Environment and Climate Caucus about how to run on a platform of climate justice (check out a recording off that panel here!), attending my first DNC AAPI caucus meeting (so proud to be the first AAPI Chair representing one of the contiguous 48 states!), and meeting President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

I’ll always remember what Vice President Harris said when I told her that I am the first Indian American woman to serve as a State Party Chair anywhere in the country. She reminded me that although I may be the first, do not allow myself to be the last. I’m deeply proud to pave this path for future leaders and I don’t take the responsibility lightly.

I also want to give major shoutouts to our WA State DNC members - all of whom were appointed to influential committees. Rest assured, Washington State is extremely well represented at the DNC!

After an exciting week in Philly and a major crash course in DNC procedures, I’m back to getting to know my terrific staff, forging relationships with Party leaders and stakeholders, and doing the crucial work of building campaign infrastructure that will allow Democrats to win big this year and in 2024. Once more, thank you for this opportunity, I’m thrilled to have the chance to work with each and every one of you and earn major victories for Democrats up and down the ticket!

5 takeaways from Biden's State of the Union address

President Biden delivered a State of the Union address Tuesday night that Democrats will likely be thrilled with.

Washington politicians respond to Biden's 2023 State of the Union address

Washington's Democratic Congress members are responding to President Biden's 2023 State of the Union address, echoing the president's main message: "Let's finish the job."

WA Sen. Maria Cantwell’s great week highlights Alaska’s identity crisis

Having a pretty good week: Wild salmon and centuries-old cedars.

Having a great week: Washington’s junior U.S. senator, Maria Cantwell.

Having an identity crisis: Alaska.

Washington Rep. Rick Larsen on where common ground can be found in Congress

With millions of new jobs created over the last two years and unemployment dipping to its lowest level in decades, Washington Congressman Rick Larsen says there are plenty of signs that the U.S. economy is getting stronger.

Jayapal Named Ranking Member of Immigration Subcommittee

Jayapal is the first immigrant in recorded committee history to serve as either Ranking Member or Chair of this Subcommittee.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe.

Message From New State Party Chair

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 04 Feb 2023 22:08:44 GMT

Hello Democrats,

My name is Shasti Conrad and I am thrilled to join all of you as the newest Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party!

I chose to run for this seat to build and expand on our successes in elections up and down the ballot, everywhere in Washington State. Under my leadership we will continue to innovate every facet of our program and serve as a model for other State Parties across the country. I’m excited to work with each and every one of you to make sure we can keep building our power and win even more races across Washington!

You’ll be hearing a lot more from me in the coming weeks but today I want to keep things brief and share my utmost gratitude for your support and the opportunity to lead the best State Party in the nation. I’m proud to say that I am the youngest person and first woman of color elected to this office and I’m excited to build on our past efforts and do great work for every Democrat on the ballot. I am also the first South Asian woman to lead a State Party in the entire country.

If you’d like to learn more about my background and policy priorities - please don’t hesitate to check out my (victorious) campaign’s website!

Thank you to everyone who helped me get here - and most of all thank you to our outgoing Chair Tina Podlodowski. It’s because of her leadership and innovation, and the hard work of Democrats statewide, that we massively expanded our powerful and diverse majorities in Olympia, flipped federal and state executive offices once thought unwinnable, and paved the path to transformative, progressive policy at every level.

I am proud to build on the foundation set by Tina and am excited to see how much more we can accomplish as a Party in the years to come. Thank you for the opportunity to lead the charge in our fight for an even more Democratic Washington!

I want to wish a huge congratulations to my fellow State Party officers - who were elected alongside me at last weekend’s reorganization meeting in Olympia!

Vice Chair David Green

David Green was first elected Vice Chair of the Washington State Democrats in 2019. He has also served as Chair of 3rd Legislative District (City of Spokane) since 2015 and ran for Spokane County Treasurer in 2018. As an experienced local party leader and candidate for office, David understands what it takes for Democrats to win in Central and Eastern Washington.

Secretary Rob Dolin

Rob Dolin was first elected Secretary of the Washington State Democrats in 2013 and has over two decades of Democratic party experience as a PCO and volunteer. He has filled over 200 PCO positions as an LD Vice-Chair for PCO recruitment and organized volunteers from Seattle to knock doors in swing districts, and helped local parties with websites and social media presences.

Treasurer David Kim

David Kim will be serving his first term as Washington State Democrats’ Treasurer for the 2023-2024 cycle. He has been active in Democratic politics since interning for his mentor the Late Senator Paul Shinn in 2008. David has been a grassroots organizer and campaign manager for the Washington House Democratic Campaign Committee He also worked with the Washington coordinated campaign to elect President Barack Obama in 2008 and served in the Obama Administration.

I am so excited to work with these terrific folks as we build powerful campaign infrastructure and help support Democrats statewide throughout the 2023/24 election cycle!

WA Democrats choose Shasti Conrad as new leader

The Washington State Democratic Party chose Shasti Conrad, the former leader of the King County Democrats, as its new chair Saturday morning.

Washington state legislators introduce bills to improve traffic safety

The Washington state legislature is hoping to improve traffic safety this legislative session following the deadliest year for traffic fatalities since 1990.

Attorney General Ferguson recovers another $9.3M in stolen unemployment money

Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that his office recovered another $9.3 million stolen as part of a massive fraud perpetrated against states across the country.

New funding will improve childcare, Sen. Murray says

Sen. Patty Murray joined with supporters in Olympia to celebrate passage of a $1.85 billion increase in federal funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant. The increase was part of a large appropriations bill adopted in December.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Shasti Conrad

Washington State Democratic Party

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The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

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United States

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Tina's Last Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 21:22:05 GMT

Hello Democrats,

Thank you so very much for all you do for our Party, day after day, year after year, and cycle after cycle. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with you and I cannot overstate how proud I am of all we have accomplished together.

As you know, this will be my final newsletter as Party Chair - and I wanted to share a just a glimpse of some of the work we’ve been able to do together over the last six years:

So many memories! Please accept my extreme gratitude for all the work you have done and will continue to do to elect Democrats up and down the ticket across Washington State. We’ve accomplished so much since 2017 and we owe that success to hard work from you. Thank you for helping us realize our vision of a more Democratic Washington:

We flipped two Congressional Districts (WA-08 and WA-03) from Red to Blue!
We built Democratic power in the legislature - growing a one-seat minority to a nine-seat majority in the state Senate and a two-seat majority to an eighteen-seat majority in the state House and building the most diverse legislature in WA history.
We flipped the State Treasurer’s seat back to blue in 2020 and we elected a Democrat to the WA Secretary of State’s office for the first time since the 1960s in 2022! This marks the first time in WA history that every single state executive office is in Democratic control.
We protected our Democratic incumbents cycle after cycle - allowing them to boldly pass meaningful, progressive legislation at both the state and federal level! I can’t even begin to fit a laundry list of legislative achievements in this email, but I’m perhaps most proud of the work we’ve accomplished on voter access and protection; passing postage paid ballots, automatic voter registration, and the WA Voting Rights Act and more – making WA elections freer, fairer, and more accessible to everyone in our state.
We reaffirmed our commitment to organizing everywhere in Washington State - reaching countless millions of voters, holding thousands of organizing events, and massively increasing Democratic turnout statewide!

When I first ran for State Party Chair in 2017, I didn't come for the title or to build a resume - I promised to work hard and make transformational change, born of over thirty years’ experience as an activist, elected official, organizational, and community leader. The unofficial job description is just two words: “Elect Democrats.” I believe I have delivered on that promise for these past six years – and it has been an honor to serve in this position.

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 am so excited to see what’s to come for our Party, and just how much more we can accomplish for all Washingtonians in the future.

Many have asked what is in store for me next. Well, after years of service it’s time for a break. I’ll be taking the next seven months off to spend time with family and catch up on birthdays, reunions, and travel. If you have ideas say…oh…about October on things I should do next feel free to reach out! Please know I’m committed to ensuring a successful transition to our new Chair.

Once more, thank you so much for your commitment to our work. We could never have accomplished what we did without your investment of time, resources, and energy to the cause of growing Democratic power statewide. I am confident in the strong foundation we have built together and know that we have what it takes to help terrific Democrats win for years to come.

The Washington State Democratic Central Committee will be meeting in Olympia this weekend for our biennial reorganization meeting and officer elections!

Please keep an eye on your inbox for updates about what’s to come for the Party – and you can expect to hear from our new Chair directly in the coming weeks!

In the meantime, please note that State Party staff will be occupied with meeting proceedings for the next few days and may be unable to respond to inquiries until early next week. We will be back in touch as soon as possible!

Thanks for all you do - and we look forward to seeing many of you in Olympia this weekend!

Senator Murray Statement on 50 Year Anniversary of Roe v. Wade

Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) issued the following statement on the 50-year anniversary of Roe v. Wade—and the first anniversary since the landmark decision was overturned by the Supreme Court, unleashing a wave of Republican attacks on Americans’ reproductive rights.

SW Washington’s Gluesenkamp Perez focuses on common ground at first town hall

The congresswoman held her first town hall Wednesday night and marked her first public return to Washington state’s southwestern district since she won the seat in a surprise upset in November.

Several gun measures proposed in Washington state Legislature

Several gun control measures are working their way through the Washington state Legislature this session.

Middle housing bill begins with more support in WA Legislature than last time

A bill that would allow denser housing in cities across Washington state begins the legislative session on a stronger footing.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

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Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Tina's Friday Wrap Up

Douglass MacKenzie — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 23:02:12 GMT

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

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections tomorrow. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

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Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 06 Jan 2023 21:48:54 GMT

Hello Democrats and Happy New Year!

We’re so excited to get to work and make sure terrific Democrats can win up and down the ticket throughout the 2023/24 campaign cycle! Thank you for standing with us and working hard every step of the way.

I want to start today’s letter with a message of sincere congratulations for several of our terrific WA State Democratic leaders!

First, please join me in congratulating Senator Patty Murray on her well-deserved appointment as the first female Senate President Pro Tempore! The president pro tempore ranks second under the president of the Senate — the vice president — and presides over the floor in the vice president’s absence. Notably, this puts her third in the line of presidential succession. We are so proud of Sen. Murray’s continued leadership both here at home and in the other Washington!

Second, let’s wish Congresswoman Suzan DelBene a hearty congratulations on her election as Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chair for the 2023/24 election cycle! In the last decade, Rep. DelBene won a tough seat as a Red-to-Blue candidate, held a tough seat as a Frontline candidate and then put that tough seat out of reach for the GOP. Suzan has also recently served in key DCCC leadership roles, including as Finance Co-Chair in 2018 when we successfully reclaimed the House Majority and Frontline Co-Chair in 2020 when we successfully defended it. There’s no one else more deserving of this role and we’re thrilled to see what she’ll accomplish!

I also want to give shoutouts to Congressman Rick Larsen - who was elected as Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland – who was elected Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus!

I’m confident I speak for all of us when I say we have the best Democratic elected officials in the country here in WA State. Their leadership stands in such stark contrast to a GOP that can’t even seem to elect a House Speaker and I couldn’t be more grateful to be a member of a Party that is unified, effective, and working to build a better Washington and a better America. Thank you for all you do to help our leaders win election cycle after election cycle!

It has been a pleasure to work with you over the past six years and I'm proud of all we have achieved and will continue to achieve together.

When I first ran for State Party Chair in 2017, I didn't come for the title or to build a resume - I promised to work hard and make transformational change, born of over thirty years’ experience as an activist, elected official, organizational, and community leader. The unofficial job description is just two words: “Elect Democrats.” I believe I have delivered on that promise for these past six years – and it has been an honor to serve in this position.

I want to announce that upon consultation with my family over the Holiday break, I’ve decided to not run for 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.

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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Message from Washington Chair

Douglass MacKenzie — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 03:22:31 GMT

January 4, 2023 Dear Democrats,

I’m excited to announce that it’s time to get to work on the 2023/4 election cycle (and I have an announcement of my own).

It’s really amazing what we have accomplished together over the last six years Washington Democrats, and where we stand now as a state party - one of the best in the nation!

November of 2016 marked an Election Day that cast a shadow over our nation, our people, and our freedoms. But instead of giving in, our party and our people rose up - to organize, to resist those who wish to harm our democracy, and to win elections up and down the ballot with the most diverse set of candidates in our state’s history.

I’m so proud to have been the first woman elected party chair in over 30 years in January of 2017, and the only LGBTQ Chair in the history of our party. Together, we have built a team of unmatched volunteers and staff and donors and allies. Our performance and success led to my peers also electing me Chair of the ASDC Western Caucus, Chair of the DNC Western Caucus, and a member of the DNC Executive Committee. Washington’s work and results have “stood tall” nationally.

Our Rise and Organize program is the premier volunteer training program in the nation - training teams of thousands of local organizers in every county in Washington. Thanks to them, and our local party organizations, we’ve increased the vote for democrats in every county, anywhere from 6 to 16%! Some places are a little less red, but someplace are a lot bluer!

PO BOX 4027 • SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98194 • (206) 583-0664 • WWW.WA-DEMOCRATS.ORG

We have won countless local races around the state and built a lasting “blue bench” in places like Burien, Sequim, Vancouver, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, Spokane, and Bellingham, to just name a few. Our Rise and Run and Rooted to Win programs for local candidates have been emulated in dozens of other states. And we just continue to expand! We run (and win) in every race and every place.

We have gone from a 1-seat minority in the State Senate to a 9-seat majority, a two-seat majority in the State House to an 18-seat majority, easily ensuring a “blue triple” for years to come. And we have increased the diversity in our state legislature in every single electoral year - in 2018, in 2020, and again in 2022.

The list of “new” legislators we elected is impressive: Manka Dhingra, Mona Das, John Lovick, Joe Nguyen, T’wina Nobles, Emily Randall, Rebecca Saldana, Yasmin Trudeau, Claire Wilson, Claudia Kauffman, Sharon Shewmake, Noel Frame, April Berg, Lisa Callan, Bill Ramos, Liz Berry, Julia Reed, Brandy Donaghy, Davina Duerr, Debra Entenman, Jesse Johnson, Jamila Taylor, Kristine Reeves, Kirsten Harris-Talley, Chipalo Street, David Hackney, Deb Lekanof, Melanie Morgan, Chris Sterns, Tarra Simons, Alicia Rule, Dave Paul, Clyde Shavers, Beth Doglio, Dan Bronoske, Sharlett Mena, Lauren Davis, Emily Alvarado, Julio Cortes, Mary Fosse, Alex Ramel, Joe Timmons, Javier Valdez, and Darya Farivar. They all won their first races, or the first races in a new office, during the past six years. That’s 45 incredible democratic legislators!

We now hold every statewide office - including the long elusive Secretary of State office with Democrat Steve Hobbs - and we elected Governor Jay Inslee to an unprecedented and historic third term.

We flipped not one but two congressional districts in the 8th and 3rd, now hold an 8-2 majority in our House delegation, and increased the diversity of that delegation as well. We have five incredible women in Pramila Jayapal, Suzan Delbene, Marilyn Strickland, Kim Schrier, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, and some pretty great guys in Derek Kilmer, Rick Larsen, and Adam Smith.

And, both Doug White and Natasha Hill were fantastic candidates in the 4th and 5th CDs respectively, and I hope they stay in the fight to help lead our party and get actual democratic representation in Eastern Washington.

We have re-elected the incredible Senate duo of Patty Murray (2022) and Maria Cantwell (2018), and Senator Murray now stands third in line in presidential succession.

But there’s more. Much more.

We moved Washington from a Caucus to a Primary state to select our presidential nominee - enabling hundreds of thousands more people to participate.

PO BOX 4027 • SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98194 • (206) 583-0664 • WWW.WA-DEMOCRATS.ORG

We created the most inclusive delegate selection and action plans in advance of the state and national conventions, with the most diverse delegate outreach process – and delegation - ever.

We fought for democracy reforms within our own party as well. At the last National Convention one lone resolution out of hundreds passed the entire national convention – the one I drafted with grassroots support - to permanently retain the changes requested by the Unity and Reform Commission after the 2016 cycle, like the changes to “superdelegates”. And we fought for - and won - greater access to legislative and state challengers to Votebuilder access.

We created the “Five State Alliance” to send our tools, expertise, and millions of dollars to change the election outcomes in Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin - and look at the results!

We increased our fundraising eight-fold, making certain we had the resources we needed to win. I especially want to thank Governor Jay Inslee, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, and Representatives Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Rick Larsen, Suzan Delbene, Adam Smith, Marilyn Strickland, and Kim Schrier for their faithful and fabulous multi-year fundraising efforts for the State Party. There would never have been enough resources for us in 2018, 2020, or 2022 without their help, smarts, and commitment to TEAM.

We’re invested in data, and the integrity of our Votebuilder asset - now valued at tens of millions of dollars, and the premier database of Washington voters.

Frankly, we’ve accomplished everything I set out to do when I became Chair, especially the most important reason I ran for the job to begin with – expand voting rights and access in Washington. Thanks to you, and our democratic majorities, we enacted automatic voter registration, same day registration, pre-registration for 16 and 17th year-olds, postage free ballots, the Washington State Voting Rights Act, the Native American Voting Rights Act, and so much more.

When I first ran for State Party Chair in 2017, I didn't come for the title or to build a resume - I promised to work hard and make transformational change, born of over thirty years’ experience as an activist, elected official, organizational, and community leader. The unofficial job description is just two words: “Elect Democrats.” I believe I have delivered on that promise for these past six years – and it has been an honor to serve in this position.

While the work has been hard and disciplined and tiring, it’s also been the experience of a lifetime. Upon consultation with my family over the Holiday break, I’ve decided to not run for re-election as State Party Chair, but instead pass the torch to a new generation of leaders ready to use that torch to light the fires of democracy and teamwork and community around our state.

PO BOX 4027 • SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98194 • (206) 583-0664 • WWW.WA-DEMOCRATS.ORG

I have so many people and organizations to thank, but I’ll save that for my final State Committee Meeting on January 28th, in Olympia. In the meantime, remember that the great use for life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. What we have accomplished over the last six years transcends all of us as individuals and makes our state and nation better. What more could one ask? It’s a story we’ve lived together, and a legacy to pass on, and build upon. Preserving our democracy requires action, investment, persistence, and passion.

Thank you, again, for this opportunity. With Gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski
Chair, Washington State Democrats

PO BOX 4027 • SEATTLE, WASHINGTON 98194 • (206) 583-0664 • WWW.WA-DEMOCRATS.ORG

Tina's Friday Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 02 Dec 2022 19:05:15 GMT

Hello Democrats,

Congratulations on an amazing year! Now that 2022 election results are certified and final we wanted to provide a quick update on how things panned out:

Senator Patty Murray won with a commanding 57.15% of the vote and defeated MAGA extremist Tiffany Smiley.
Every Incumbent Member of Congress won by more than 6% of the vote, including Congresswoman Kim Schrier who performed even better than she did in 2020. I also want to highlight a truly impressive showing from Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who beat her Republican opponent with a sixfold advantage!
We flipped a key Congressional seat in WA-03, sending Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to D.C. and declaring loud and clear that white nationalist candidates like Joe Kent will never hold high office in WA State.
We helped SoS Steve Hobbs win - marking the first time a Democrat has carried this seat in more than 50 years and the first time in history every single WA statewide office is in Democratic control.
Democrats held onto every single one of our seats in the WA legislature, flipped a state Senate seat in LD 42, and despite an impending recount, we are confident that we are on track to flip a state House seat in LD 10!

We are also proud to report that final statewide voter turnout reached nearly 64%. While not the best performance on record, this is a solid result for a midterm year and we are pleased with this showing.

Please join me in giving a huge shout out to the Washington Democrats organizers and volunteers who worked around the clock to execute 2.3M voter contacts - we couldn’t have accomplished what we did without their hard work!

If you want to see all election results and turnout statistics in one place, you can check them on the WA Secretary of State’s website here:

https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20221108/default.htm

We’re still watching LD 10 closely - where a machine recount has been called to determine if Democrat Clyde Shavers can flip a red state House seat blue! We are feeling confident; late returns broke in our direction and it would take a fairly large upset to tilt the scales. With that being said, we may not have a final result for some time - so please join us in crossing your fingers for a Democratic victory!

Again, thank you so much for all you did this cycle to make these victories possible - we are so grateful for our whole WA State Democratic Team!

Republicans hit blue wall in WA: Meet your new state Legislature

Republicans hit a blue wall in the Washington state Legislature election last month, repulsed by Democrats who continue to build power in Olympia.

Senate passes bill to protect same-sex, interracial marriages

The Senate on Tuesday passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which would enshrine marriage equality in federal law, granting protections to same-sex and interracial couples.

Patty Murray likely to be first female Senate president pro tem, 3rd in line for presidency

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray will likely be the first woman to serve as Senate president pro tempore, a position that would place her third in line for the presidency. Murray will also likely chair the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, controlling the federal purse strings and directing billions of dollars of spending.

Native representation to increase in Washington Legislature

Washington state is home to 29 federally recognized Native American Tribes, but only one Native person currently serves in the state Legislature. That will change next year. Three enrolled members of Native tribes [won] their elections this fall.

With Georgia’s special election coming up on December 9th, the strength of our US Senate majority hangs in the balance. Our friends in GA need support in the runoff to re-elect Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock and expand our Democratic majority!

If you would like to CANVASS, you can sign up HERE: https://www.mobilize.us/gavotes/event/521492/
If you would like to MAKE CALLS, you can sign up HERE: https://www.mobilize.us/gavotes/event/488467/
If you plan to TRAVEL TO GA, please complete THIS FORM: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCN-LUeoAF_R7nukP54ZpYNQgxOjQ9UIvmuxxQiyH3HV0evw/viewform

It’s difficult to overstate how consequential this seat is and the impact it will have on our ability to pass progressive policy over the next two years. And with the US House now in GOP control, it is doubly important that we fight tooth and nail for any and every advantage possible!

We hope you will help if you are able!

Please be aware that this will be our last newsletter of the year as we dig into planning for 2023 and give staff a well-deserved break for the winter holidays. We will be back in touch with great info and opportunities for engagement in January!

No one person wins an election. It takes a community, and we are a community and in many ways, a family of Democrats. We are so grateful for each and every one of you.

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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Tina's Weekly Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 00:55:27 GMT

Hello Democrats,

Thank you so much for all you did to help us elect terrific candidates in 2022! With 98.3% of ballots counted we are very close to having a final picture of this year’s results.

Here’s what we know:

All of our Democratic incumbents, including Senator Patty Murray and Congresswoman Kim Schrier have been declared victorious, and we are on track to retain every single one of our Democratic seats at the state and federal level!
We have held the U.S. Senate and have the opportunity to strengthen our majority by one seat by protecting Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock in Georgia’s December 6th runoff election.
Republicans have carried a narrow majority in the U.S. House - but they do so with a disorganized, fragmented Party facing major challenges of legitimacy and governance.
In WA-03, Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez won with 50.2% of the vote – meaning we have flipped this seat back to blue for the first time in over a decade!
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has won – meaning for the first time in decades, every single statewide office is in Democratic hands.
We are poised to gain a State Senate seat in LD 42 – go Dr. Sharon Shewmake!

If you want to see all results in one place, you can check them on the WA Secretary of State’s website here:

https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20221108/legislative-all.html

Here’s what we don’t know:

In LD 10, Democrat Clyde Shavers is just 221 votes ahead of his Republican opponent. With over 1,500 votes to go, this one is a nail biter.

Here’s what we’re doing:

We’re maintaining wide-reaching and effective ballot curing efforts, particularly in LD 10 to make sure every eligible voter’s voice is heard! If you’d like to help - please sign up here!
We are in close contact with our friends at the Georgia Democrats and the ASDC to provide support for the December 6th runoff in GA. There are opportunities to volunteer virtually (sign up here!), and folks are also encouraged to go to Georgia and doorknock. Please consider signing up to help us win this critical race and expand our Senate majority!

Thank you again so very much for all you have done to make these victories possible - and all you are doing to make sure we don’t leave a single vote on the table!

Lastly, please be aware that our staff will be taking a well-deserved break for Thanksgiving, so there will be no newsletter next week. Looking ahead, our office will be closed for the winter holidays from December 17th through January 1st as we regroup and recharge before 2023.

As we pull into the last month of 2022 we are kicking off some of the most exciting Party business of the cycle – reorganizing all of our great local parties. Reorganization is the process by which local parties, who have newly elected Precinct Committee Officers from the midterm elections, meet for the first time with their new memberships and elect their officers. All 88 Legislative Districts and Counties meet to reorganize between the beginning of December, 2022, and the end of January, 2023.

If you’ve ever been interested in getting more involved in your local party organization, now is a great time to bring your voice forward. Please reach out to your local county or LD organization if you’d like to get involved!

The House Race That Shows Why Republicans Collapsed in the Midterms

A self-inflicted wound in Washington is emblematic of how poor GOP choices led to unexpected Democratic victories.

Four Stark Lessons From a Democratic Upset

Having spent a fair amount of time thinking about this bellwether race, I see four main takeaways from it.

What Congress is doing to diversify its staff

Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.), as chair of the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, has been pushing his colleagues to adopt a series of recommendations to make the Capitol a more diverse and inclusive place to work.

Democratic wins in Washington state buoy party hopes

Democrats won a second key House race in Washington state Saturday — an open seat in a conservative region that long evaded the party.

Why the forecast big red wave went ‘pfft’ in WA

Whatever red wave was forecast out across the nation on Tuesday had already diminished to a ripple by the time it reached Washington state. When it hit the Cascade Mountains, it completely went “pfft.”

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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Tina's Friday Wrap Up

Douglass MacKenzie — Sun, 13 Nov 2022 20:10:39 GMT

Hello Democrats,

First, I would like to take a moment to wish everyone a happy Veterans Day! Please join me in thanking the brave people who have served our country and preserved our freedom – and the terrific leaders like Senator Patty Murray who are working tirelessly to ensure our veterans receive the services they need here at home. Many, many thanks to our Veterans, their families, and all our active duty military members and families as well.

Second, what a week of elections! I wanted to share a bit more about the results here in Washington State. As of last night’s drop 78% of ballots returned have been counted and we are inching closer to a final picture. Please expect a more in depth update on the election later this month after certification!

Here’s where we currently stand in some of the most important races:

All of our Democratic incumbents, including Senator Patty Murray and Congresswoman Kim Schrier’s leads have held, and we are on track to retain every single one of our Democratic seats at the state and federal level!
In WA-03, Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has maintained a lead over MAGA Republican Joe Kent, with 50.8% the vote – meaning we remain on track for a Democratic pickup in the US House of Representatives.
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs has won – ushering in a new era of Democratic Secretaries of State who will fight to expand voting rights and lift up the voice of every Washingtonian.
We are poised to gain a State Senate seat in LD 42 – go Dr. Sharon Shewmake!
We have multiple WA State House pickup opportunities that remain too close to call as of this writing:
- In LD 10 Clyde Shavers leads incumbent Republican Greg Gilday with 51.3% of total votes. Incumbent Rep. Dave Paul is on track to hold his seat with 53.1%.
- In LD 26 Adison Richards leads narrowly with 50.2% the vote, Matt Macklin looks unlikely to make up the gap with 44.2%.
- In LD 42 Rep. Alicia Rule is in a strong position to hold her seat with 51.8% the vote. Newcomer Joe Timmons is on track to retain Sharon Shewmake’s current seat in the House with 51.3%.

You can see all the current results via the Democratic (I love saying that!) Secretary of State’s website here:

https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20221108/legislative-all.html

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 29 Oct 2022 01:37:29 GMT

We are in the thick of GOTV season and it’s been a huge week for Democrats across Washington State! There’s far too much incredible work happening statewide to share in one email, but I do want to send you some highlights from the campaign trail!

First - please join me in saying a huge thank you to Vice President Kamala Harris for visiting Seattle this past Wednesday!

It was a privilege to participate in this terrific event and we’re thrilled the VP came out to help make sure Senator Murray and every Democrat up and down the ticket has what it takes to win. With sky-high stakes in Washington this November, we won’t let this opportunity go to waste and will continue our tireless, 24/7 efforts to turn out every single Democratic voter!

Things are heating up in the Secretary of State’s race.

A Seattle Times/King 5 poll released last week shows SoS Steve Hobbs is gaining momentum. Hobbs has an 11 point lead on Anderson, 40% to 29%. Hobbs leads by 14 points in Western Washington and 15 points in the Metro Seattle area, while the candidates are tied in Eastern Washington.

The poll also shows that Hobbs has overwhelming leads among Democrats (81% - 5%) and Biden 2020 voters (71% - 10%), while a significant portion of Anderson’s support comes from Republicans and Trump supporters.Anderson leads Hobbs 53% to 3% among self-identified Republicans and 56% to 4% among those who say they voted for Donald Trump in 2020. A significant number of Republicans (44%) and Trump 2020 voters (40%) remain undecided, and the entry of State Rep. Brad Klippert as a Republican write-in candidate could make it difficult for Anderson to consolidate this voting bloc.

Anderson has actively courted Republican support, accepting an endorsement from the Mainstream Republicans of Washington, as well as Republican King County councilmember Reagan Dunn, who is fundraising on her behalf. She has accepted $2,000 from the Republican-aligned Cascade PAC, which is supporting far right MAGA candidates including Matt Larkin and Tiffany Smiley. She has also recently spoken at Republican events including House Minority Leader J.T. Wilcox’s annual Salmon Bake, donations from which are funneled directly to anti-abortion election denying Republican candidates, and at a Republican women’s event, where Klippert was also in attendance (photograph below).

Julie Anderson (right) speaks at Republican event with Brad Klippert (left)

The stakes in this race are clear. It is our responsibility to make this a safe seat for Democrats for years to come and we will work around the clock to ensure Secretary Hobbs has what it takes to win!

Debate season is underway in Washington State!

This past Sunday, Senator Patty Murray went head to head with MAGA Republican opponent Tiffany Smiley in a televised debate at Gonzaga University in Spokane. You can watch the debate here and we’ve linked to a Seattle Times article summarizing the key points below. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and opponent Julie Anderson also squared off at Gonzaga earlier that day (watch here!)

Additionally, Rep. Adam Smith went toe to toe with GOP opponent Doug Basler on Tuesday. You can watch a recording of that debate here!

Last but not least, Congresswoman Kim Schrier and MAGA Republican opponent Matt Larkin are scheduled to debate at Central Washington University tonight at 7:00pm! You won’t want to miss this one, so please tune in here!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections this November. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now.

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 15 Oct 2022 20:04:59 GMT

Since the rise of Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans, we’ve seen a surge in extremism and political violence — both leading up to and in the aftermath of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection — in Washington and throughout the country. Yet, the state and national GOP do nothing; in fact, they just seem to veer farther and farther right.

On Wednesday, The Daily Beast and The Seattle Times published articles detailing the Washington State Republican Party’s connection to Greyson Arnold, a known pro-Nazi blogger. Arnold, who was on the organization’s payroll, runs a far-right Telegram account, Pure Politics.

And the fact, as this article makes clear, this isn’t the Washington GOP’s only connection to white nationalists, is disgusting and completely unacceptable. Republicans in this state and nationally need to step up and disavow the racist vitriol and violence coming from many of its members, rather than continuing to normalize it or lying when called out — like for putting an extremist and Nazi sympathizer on the payroll.

We are seeing a trend in the Evergreen State and nationwide with MAGA Republicans attempting to hide their extremist beliefs from voters right now. Why? Because they know they are completely out of touch with a majority of Americans on the issues that matter most. The three worst examples are U.S. Sen. Patty Murray’s opponent, Tiffany Smiley, Congresswoman Kim Schrier’s opponent, Matt Larkin, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez’s opponent, Joe Kent.

Smiley recently was caught scrubbing a section from her website saying she had “serious questions about the integrity of our elections.” The U.S. Senate candidate also is trying to backtrack on abortion and claim she opposes a federal ban, but yet calls herself “100% pro-life,” endorsed Texas’s extreme, near-total abortion ban, and celebrated the fall of Roe v. Wade.

And then there’s Larkin in WA-08 who won’t say whether he believes President Joe Biden’s win over Trump was legitimate — something Smiley won’t do either.

Even Trump’s chosen WA-03 candidate, Kent, is trying to paint himself as a less extreme extremist, despite having connections to a number of white nationalists, like Nick Fuentes, Patriot Prayer’s Joey Gibson, and Oath Keeper and Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rodgers, and publicly making statements in support of ‘a white people special interest group,’ as well as ending virtually all immigration in the U.S. Like the Washington GOP, Kent is also directly connected to Greyson Arnold, an associate of Fuentes. The two were photographed together at a fundraiser for Kent in July, but Kent and his campaign denied knowing Arnold. However, CNN later discovered a past interview where Arnold spoke to Kent in June for Pure Politics.

MAGA Republicans like Smiley, Kent and Larkin can’t even be trusted to tell the truth. How could they be trusted to represent the people of Washington state in office? They can’t.

As Democrats, we will never waver on our values, nor our commitment to pushing back against extremism. We know it doesn’t belong in public office — and neither do MAGA Republicans. This is why we are working round the clock statewide to help our incredible candidates cross the finish line in November. We have 25 days to make it happen and need your help to do it! Get involved today by signing up for one (or more) of the many volunteer opportunities below.

Ballots start arriving in mailboxes NEXT WEEK! We only have so much left to mobilize Democratic voters statewide and need your help.

Grab your door-knocking shoes, bring your friends, and join us Saturday, Oct. 15, and Sunday, Oct. 16, for the start of our Get Out the Vote tour ahead of the general election! We have FIVE canvasses scheduled, where you’ll have the chance to meet a number of fantastic Democrats.

Register below today! And don’t worry, this is just the beginning! So, if you can’t make an event this weekend, we’ll have plenty of other GOTV opportunities for you to get involved. You also can support our efforts with a contribution; chip in HEREtoday — anything helps!

Some election overseers want to make their offices nonpartisan to inspire greater trust

Should the top elections official in Washington state officially be a nonpartisan? That's one difference between the top two finalists running for Washington Secretary of State.

Why aren't national Dems bankrolling WA's 3rd Congressional race?

Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is trailing Trump-backed Republican Joe Kent in fundraising. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee isn't helping.

Washington State GOP Pays a White Nationalist, Pro-Nazi Blogger

It’s no secret that Washington state has a white nationalist problem. Among the rugged mountains and towering pines are neo-Nazi groups and one of the largest chapters of a violent white supremacist organization. But there’s one group that has been increasingly and alarmingly connected to these extremists: Washington state’s GOP.

A majority of GOP nominees deny the 2020 election results

From Washington, the list includes congressional and Trump-endorsed candidate Joe Kent (WA-03), as well as U.S. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Dan Newhouse.

Impeachment vote gives Democrats chance at House seat in Southwest Washington

The race for an open congressional seat in Washington state is drawing national attention as control of the House is up for grabs amid an environment of increasing polarization.

ICYMI: With control of Congress at stake, Schrier is a must-win in 8th District

Congresswoman Kim Schrier earned the Times’ editorial board endorsement because she developed a reputation as a practical deal maker, not a partisan firebrand.

Find additional news items and more on our website and social media.

Message From The Chair

Douglass MacKenzie — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 16:12:38 GMT

CHAIR’S MESSAGE

Hi all,

If you haven’t started watching The U.S. and the Holocaust, you might wish to do so. This is a six-hour film by Ken Burns that examines the history and role of the Holocaust and its impact on America and Americans. It is the parallels to the sentiments, actions and stances of the public as well as current politicians that I find highly concerning. We talk about how we are in danger of losing our democracy but it seems we are beyond that in many ways. Fascism is again on the rise. We have book burnings and censorship. Public schools have been cowed into not teaching issues because of “critical race theory.” Government officials and public agencies have been hamstrung by laws that restrict what they can/cannot do. Citizens have been frightened by the threats and drumbeats of violence so much so that they have retreated from participating in the public square. At times, I feel as if I am listening to current events yet these things happened decades ago. I would be happy to have us have some discussion on this at our October meeting. Please LMK your thoughts. As a Jew, I find this compelling but one doesn’t need to be a Jew to understand what is being shown. I hope everyone makes the effort to watch this. There are three two-hour segments. And the segments are being repeated or are available on PBS Passport.

Have a good week and I will see you this Thursday on Zoom,

Val

PS.

I also recommend that everyone watch WHO WE ARE, A Chronical of Racism, by Jeffery Robinson, Seattle Attorney and ACLU Director, on Netflix

Message From The Chair

Douglass MacKenzie — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 03:29:26 GMT

Hi all,

It’s been quite a week since the primary. From the highs to the lows, it has been a real roller coaster.

First, I am sad to announce that a long time Democrat and perennial candidate for office, Gene David Hart, has died. It was announced at the county meeting this past Monday. Gene was well known for wearing his Uncle Sam outfit in local parades. In his run for governor in 2020, he drove a car that was a painted billboard for his candidacy. He was a constant presence in our LD meetings and was not shy, but always polite, in sharing his views. May he rest in peace.

The good news have been the primary election results. Despite 17 other people on the ballot for her race, Senator Patty Murray got 52.66% of the vote. Her opponent for the general election will be Tiffany Smiley who got 32.99% of the vote.

Both Congressman Derek Kilmer and Appointed Secretary of State (SOS) Steve Hobbs had similar experiences in leading the pack of candidates for their positions. With six people running in his race, Kilmer got 51.48% while his opponent Elizabeth Kreiselmaier received 18.906. There were eight people vying for the office SOS Hobbs holds. He totaled 39.47% while Julie Anderson came in with 13.48%. While this result may seem we have survived the assault by the Rs on this important position, we need to keep an eye on who is supporting her race. We know who supports Steve Hobbs – the Democrats. Who supports Julie Anderson?

In our state house races, both Representatives Drew Hansen and Tarra Simmons both got more than 60%: 66.11 and 64.38 respectively.

Our Kitsap races went well. Katie Walters led the candidates for county commissioner with 36.92%. Now we have to make sure she wins!

Paul Andrews led his opponent, Mike Simpson, 59.19 to 40.81. John Gese took his race with 58.71% versus 41.29% for Rick Kuss. We need to continue to support our Democratic candidates in their races – money, GOTV efforts – and make sure they continue in their jobs.

In the other races of County Clerk, Prosecuting Attorney and Treasurer, our Democratic candidates had no opposition so they will be elected come November. One interesting note is that our County Clerk David Lewis, III got more votes than anyone running for county office to the tune of 52,885 ballots. Go David!

There were also highlights in our fellow LDs. The 26^th has Senator Emily Randall in first place with 51.87%. She will be challenged by current Representative Jesse Young, a T**** acolyte. Clearly, she must win!

In the representative races, Adison Richards leads his opponent, Spencer Hutchins 51.13% to 48.87% and Matt Malkins is within striking distance of the incumbent Michelle Caldier, 46.09% versus 53.91%. Please work with your friends in South Kitsap to get them registered, if they aren’t already, and to vote for our Democratic candidates: Senator Randall, Adison Richards and Matt Malkin.

In the 35^th LD, it looks like the Senate position and Position 1 of the representatives will stay as Rs. In the other race for Representative-Position 2, Sandy Kaiser leads the vote count. The other three candidates ran as Rs so it will be a tough race but there is hope that she will be a winner.

Please contact the candidates and their campaigns to provide what support that you can. Money is always welcome but there are other things as valuable. People are needed to do the canvassing, phoning and texting from now and through Election Day on November 8. There will not be a “red wave” because the “blue wall” will triumph! WE CAN DO THIS!!

Remember:

Replace the Liars & Deniers – Vote Democrat!!!

From the Patty Murray Campaign

Douglass MacKenzie — Thu, 18 Aug 2022 03:24:59 GMT

Please share as widely as possible. Thanks!

23rd LD Dems Chair,

Val

From: Kate Baumgartner <kate@pattymurray.com>
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2022 10:58 AM
Subject: Post-Primary Update, New Ad, and Yard Sign News

Hi all,

I hope everyone is getting a chance to catch their breath after a busy primary season! I wanted to be sure to send along our thanks for all the work folks did to make sure Democrats made a strong showing in the primary. We are excited to continue to partner with you as we head toward November!

Some campaign news—this morning, Senator Murray released a new ad titled “Rewrite History,” which focuses on the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol and the continued threats MAGA Republicans pose to our democracy. You can watch it here, and we’d love for you to amplify it as you’re able (tweet from our team here, Facebook post here, and Instagram post here).

This ad is just the latest in what’s already been a super busy month—after some great events out on the campaign trail, Senator Murray was in DC helping pass the Inflation Reduction Act. The bill takes major steps forward on issues Senator Murray hears about from voters all the time: helping families save on health care coverage, lowering prescription drug costs, and making a historic investment in climate action and clean energy.

As we advance out of the primary, we’re focused on talking to voters about what’s at stake in this election–from making sure our economy works for Washington’s working families, to abortion rights and the future of our democracy—because as you all know we need to keep the Senate blue in November, elect Democrats up and down the ticket, and build on this progress.

And speaking of kicking off the general election season, we are excited to share that Patty Murray yard signs have arrived! Our team has distributed signs to WA Dems Coordinated Campaign offices across the state as well as to some LPO offices and depots. Folks interested in securing a sign can reach out toyardsigns@pattymurray.com for more information.

As always, please let me know if you have questions or need anything further from the campaign.

Thanks,

Kate

Kate Baumgartner

Political Director

People for Patty Murray

kate@pattymurray.com

Tina's Weekly Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sun, 24 Jul 2022 23:50:54 GMT

Click the image to play the video

Republican-led voter intimidation efforts are in full swing statewide. Right now, people are being recruited to watch drop boxes — a continued effect of Donald Trump’s “Big Lie.” It’s disappointing, but ultimately, not surprising, as we’ve seen them deploy similar tactics nationally.

In King County, Republicans went as far as posting signs at drop boxes, stating the area was under surveillance and asking people to report anything “suspicious” to the KC GOP’s website.

The “Big Lie” is just that, a big lie. Washington’s election system is not only fair and accessible, but secure. Time and again, they fail to provide any real proof of fraud. Drop-box surveillance is textbook voter intimidation, pure and simple, and it needs to end. Drop boxes remain a safe place to deposit a completed ballot, that hasn’t changed no matter what they claim.

This is why we have actively called upon the Washington State GOP to rebuke these efforts. We must do everything in our power to fight back against any effort to cast doubt on the validity of our electoral institutions and weaken our democracy, which only thrives when people vote.

This is also exactly why we have our Voter Protection hotline at 206-309-VOTE (8683). Our team is ready to assist folks with any questions or concerns, and we will do all we can to ensure every voter gets the help and support they need to cast their ballot.

If you see any drop-box surveillance efforts in your area, report it there as well. And if you have a legal background and some time, we could use your volunteer help with our stellar Voter Protection team; contact data@wa-democrats.org to join.

But most importantly, if you haven’t mailed in your ballot yet, make sure you do so ASAP! Our terrific Democrats need your support in the primary. The clock is ticking — don’t delay, vote today!

We’re thrilled to highlight our newest Poulsbo field organizer, Savannah Johnson! Savannah started at the state party just this week, and has hit the ground running with GOTV. She moved to Washington from her home state of Florida in 2016, and is currently working toward a degree in environmental science, with a concentration in natural resources and conservation. Savannah got her start in politics while in high school, making voter registration calls for the Obama campaign.

We’re excited to have her passion at the state party, and can’t wait to see all she accomplishes here!

Want to join our team, or know of someone who’d make a great addition? Current openings:

Visit wa-democrats.org/jobs to learn more.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

Tina's Friday Wrap Up

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 09 Jul 2022 03:17:43 GMT

Click the image to play the video

GOTV is in full swing here at the state party! We’re working with local party organizations, elected officials and candidates across the state to get our communities registered and ready to vote blue in 2022. Next weekend, our tour across Washington state begins, kicking off with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray on the 16th and continuing right up until the primary. Stay tuned for the full schedule — and don’t worry, I’ve already got my Cheetos for the upcoming road trips (if you know, you know)!

Weekend of Action

SOUTH PUGET SOUND & OLYMPIC PENINSULA

Saturday, July 9

Lakewood Canvass, 9 a.m. to noon

Special guests: Chair Tina Podlodowski, Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland, Speaker of the House Laurie Jinkins, Reps. Dan Bronoske and Mari Leavitt, and Cherika Carter of AFL-CIO

Bremerton Canvass, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Special guest: 26th LD candidate Adison Richards

Sunday, July 10

Poulsbo Canvass, 10 a.m. to noon

Special guest: Congressman Derek Kilmer

Pierce County Canvass - Tacoma, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Pierce County Virtual Phone Bank, 3 to 5 p.m.

Olympic Peninsula Virtual Phone Bank, 3 to 5 p.m.

Special guest: Rep. Tarra Simmons

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

Campaign in Full Swing!

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 01 Jul 2022 18:06:49 GMT

From: Drew Estep <drew@wa-democrats.org>

Sent: Thursday, June 30, 2022 4:00 PM
To: Chairs and Vice Chairs <cvc@wa-democrats.org>; Washington State Democratic Central Committee <wsdcc@wa-democrats.org>
Cc: exec@wa-democrats.org; Tina Podlodowski <tina@wa-democrats.org>; Diane Bedwell <diane@wa-democrats.org>; Libby Watson <libby@wa-democrats.org>
Subject: Coordinated Campaign in FULL SWING

Good afternoon (again) Democrats!

This is my second email this afternoon regarding the transition into Get Out the Vote, but as many of you have already seen from your regional field directors or field organizers the Washington State Democrats are full speed ahead into campaign season for an exciting few weeks of events starting July 6! Ballots drop in just 16 days and it’s SO important that we see high turnout among our Democratic base in the Primaries. A strong showing in these elections will mean more enthusiasm and resources for the General in November!

Please join us for a unique opportunity to hear directly from Tina, and your regional field team to learn more about this year, what’s at stake, our goals, and how we can work together to elect Democrats up and down the ballot. Local Party Organizations are the backbone of our volunteer infrastructure, and we can’t do this without you! We want your feedback and creative ideas! These townhall meetings will be interactive and inspirational with time for Q&A. There will also be a prize for the LD in each region that has the most attendees plus most completed GOTV shifts!

South Puget Sound & Olympic Peninsula: Wednesday, July 6, 5:30-6:15 PM

(LDs: 27, 28, 25, 29, 26, 23, 24)

Northwest WA: Monday, July 11, 5:30-6:15 PM

(LDs: 44, 21, 10, 38, 42, 40, 39, 1, 32)

King County: Tuesday, July 12, 5:30-6:15 PM

(LDs: 47, 5, 11, 30, 31, 45, 48, 41, 33, 34, 37, 36, 46, 43)

Southwest WA: Wednesday, July 13, 5-6:15 PM

(LDs: 17, 18, 49, 19, 20, 2, 22, 35)

Central & Eastern WA: Wednesday, July 13, 7-7:45 PM

(LDs: 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 8, 9, 16)

Note - if you’re part of a county organization, then please join for the events that are in the LDs in your county, we definitely want you there too!

Please spread the word to your PCOs and be in attendance yourself. If you have any questions, you can reach out to our Field Director, libby@wa-democrats.org

Drew

Party Affairs Director | Washington State Democrats | 615 2nd Ave., Suite 580, Seattle, WA 98104

Phone | (206) 583-0664 Ext. 124

Rise and Organize | Become a Riser

Volunteer | wa-democrats.org/volunteer

Linktree | linktr.ee/washdems

Tina's Weekly News

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 17 Jun 2022 21:48:35 GMT

Pride Month should be a time of love, authenticity, and honor — not hate or violence. But that’s what we saw last weekend in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, when a parade was disrupted by a group of white nationalists. Thankfully, they were arrested before they could carry out their planned attack. It was revealed a number of them came right from Washington state, and were linked not only to Patriot Front, a dangerous alt-right organization, but also to former Republican state Rep. Matt Shea. We continue to see members of the Washington GOP, including many prominent elected officials, connected to extremist groups. We can’t allow that hate to continue to grow here, and we have to keep fighting to ensure protections for the LGBTQ community in our state and beyond. We MUST keep extremists out of office at the ballot box, and that is done by turning out Democratic voters in every race and every place in Washington state. Let’s get to work, Democrats!

Our 2022 state convention is just a week away! We’ve got a lot to celebrate, and thankfully we have a stellar group of friends to help with our historic homecoming. We are so thrilled to share that Sen. Patty Murray, Rep. Kim Schrier, Rep. Marilyn Strickland, and Gov. Jay Inslee will speak at the evening gala Saturday. But the excitement doesn’t stop there! DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison is also slated to speak that morning to delegates during the General Session meeting. This all-star lineup not only has a finger on the pulse of the Democratic Party, but they are actively working to improve our state and nation every day. You don’t want to miss it!

Tickets are going fast — secure yours now:

Friday Welcome Reception

Saturday Evening Gala

And if you're a convention delegate who has yet to register, please do so ASAP:

Delegate Registration

We can’t wait to see everyone next Friday and Saturday!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

The work we do today wins elections in November. If you're ready to elect Democrats in every race and every place in Washington state, invest in our efforts and make a contribution now. Consider supporting our work year round by joining our monthly giving program, Blue Washington!

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

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Tina's Weekly News

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 01:41:08 GMT

Washington State Democratic Convention

Join us for our state party’s bi-annual convention June 24-25 at the Tacoma Convention Center, with the gala on the evening of the 25th. Attendees will hear from many remarkable local and national Democratic leaders. Watch for the announcement of our incredible lineup soon!

Snag your tickets TODAY!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

Paid for by Washington State Democratic Central Committee. Not authorized by any federal candidate or candidate's committee.

Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please unsubscribe.

Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 04 Jun 2022 01:25:04 GMT

We will submit our official application to the DNC in just a few hours in hopes of becoming one of the first five states to host an early presidential primary in 2024. In our bid, we highlighted the many characteristics that put Washington on the forefront of progressive politics and make our state such a wonderful place to call home, like our expansive and diverse communities of color, Democratic-led state government, strong union presence, and world-class, mail-in election system (a personal favorite of mine).

Last week, I spoke of the progress made in recent years to improve and increase voting access. And while we are continuing to find ways to make further advancements there, the GOP is laser-focused on voter intimidation and spreading blatant falsehoods. Right now, right-wing groups are going door-to-door asking about people’s voter registration statuses at private residences. This is illegal, and has the potential to scare individuals from voting in the midterm. But it’s part of the GOP’s nationwide crusade to erect unnecessary and often harmful hurdles to the ballot box.

Our democracy is at its best when everyone participates. We will NOT allow votes to be suppressed in Washington state. This is why we filed motions to intervene in and dismiss the many baseless lawsuits filed by far-right Republican activists last fall, demanding unlawful Arizona-style “audits” of the 2020 results in counties across the state under the guise of election integrity.

On Thursday, Washington’s state Supreme Court announced it had imposed more than $28,000 in fines against that group and its attorney for a lack of real evidence. While we celebrate this victory and the ones preceding it, we all know this was an incredible waste of time, talent, and financial resources to fight wild conspiracies based on Trumpian delusions.

Washington is so lucky to have such a fantastic Secretary of State like Steve Hobbs, who is working hard to ensure voting is safe, secure, and accessible. Remember, this is the first time the position has been held by a Democrat in 60years. The only way to keep our elections free and fair in Washington state is reelecting Hobbs. We can’t afford to lose that office for another six decades — and together, we won’t.

Tomorrow marks the official start of the 2022 election cycle, as we launch the first of many statewide Days of Action in communities across Washington. We must build as much momentum ahead of the midterm as we can, and this is a great opportunity to do just that.

Grab your door-knocking shoes and join us as we mobilize our neighborhoods, get people registered to vote, and spread the word about the incredible slate of Democratic candidates running in 2022.

Tomorrow’s event is our biggest of the year so far, and we need your help to make it a success. It’s not too late; invite everyone in your local area to help (register below). If you can’t attend and want to support our efforts, chip in HERE. And be sure to watch for upcoming Days of Action near you!

'Stop the Steal' Group Fined Over Lack of Evidence in Voter Fraud Lawsuit

The efforts of Attorney General Bob Ferguson led Washington state's Supreme Court to impose more than $28,000 in fines on an "election integrity" group and its lawyer for providing minimal evidence in its lawsuit alleging state officials illegally registered non-citizens to vote.

Is this the Interurban?’ Trail advocates seek federal money

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen biked a portion of the Interurban Trail in Mountlake Terrace alongside a group of advocates to discuss how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law can help improve bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in Snohomish County.

Find additional news and more on our website and social media.

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

Tina's Weekly News

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 27 May 2022 22:10:28 GMT

This week, 19 children and two adults were killed in yet another school shooting, the deadliest in our nation since Sandy Hook — the incident that prompted me to re-enter politics a decade ago.

The shooting occurred just a few miles from where I grew up, and I was sitting in my son’s kindergarten classroom as the news broke. In the wake of that tragedy, a group of us came together to start the Alliance for Gun Responsibility to make a difference, and in the time since, we have.

To pass all of the legislation we needed, it was very clear we had to create a better voting system and get more people engaged. This led me to run for Washington Secretary of State. Despite losing, I still wasn’t deterred, and became the Democratic State Party Chair, so we could regain our Democratic majorities and improve our elections. As a result, we saw good policies signed into law, like automatic and same-day voter registration, pre-registration for 16- and 17- year-olds, and postage paid ballots, as well as better gun laws and increased protections for a person’s right to choose.

We’re so lucky to live in a state on the forefront of progressive politics, but there’s still so much to be done to improve the lives of all Washingtonians. November’s general election is in 165 days. As we know all too well, change can happen in an instant. From now until then, we must channel our collective pain into action and do the work to turn out Democratic voters everywhere, so we can continue to make change. The time is now.

Recent events prove just how imperative it is for us to retain our Democratic majorities at the state and federal levels. But to ensure that, we have to band together and work harder than ever before.

On Saturday, June 4, will kick off the 2022 election cycle with the first of many statewide Days of Action in communities across Washington. This is a great opportunity to help build momentum ahead of the midterm, as Democrats knock doors and get voters excited about local candidates.

The event is our biggest of the year, and we’ll need your help to make it a success. Invite everyone in your local area to join (register below). If you can’t attend June 4 and want to support our efforts, you can make a contribution HERE. And be sure to watch for additional Days of Action near you.

Day of Action

Our first of many statewide Days of Action is set for Saturday, June 4, where we’ll knock doors, mobilize our communities, and get voters excited about local candidates. Register now:

Stay tuned for more information and additional locations!

Washington State Democratic Convention

Join us for our party’s annual convention June 24-25 at the Tacoma Convention Center. Our Homecoming-themed gala will be the evening of the 25th. More information will be released soon, including the names of our VIP speakers and guests. It’s time to come together Democrats!

For the week of May 27 to June 2:

Learn more of what’s happening in your neck of the woods and sign up for event alertsHERE.

From now until November, we have to mobilize every Democratic voter in Washington state — and we need your help to accomplish that. Join our incredible team of volunteers!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

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State Chair's Weekly News

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 21 May 2022 04:36:04 GMT

Today marks the final day of Candidate Filing Week, and we have an incredible slate of Democrats running at all levels, including many incumbent and first-time candidates. We know how critical it is to retain all of our Democratic majorities, and it’ll take serious effort to do that. At the state party, we’ve been building a top-notch team to make sure we get Democrats elected in every race and every place in Washington state. An integral part of that is our precinct committee officers, who also filed this week. Thank you to those stepping up to serve — and now, the real work begins.

In just a couple of weeks, we’ll kick off the election cycle with our first Day of Action Saturday, June 4, one of many as we continue to build momentum for the upcoming midterm. Across the state, Democrats will knock doors, make calls, and get voters excited about their local candidates.

This is the biggest event we’ve hosted so far in 2022, but we can’t make it happen without you! Invite everyone in your local area to join (register below). If you can’t attend and want to make a contribution to support our efforts, you can donate HERE. And watch for additional events near you.

Remember, the work we do now helps us win in November, so let’s get to it!

Day of Action

Our first statewide Day of Action is set for Saturday, June 4, where we’ll knock doors, make calls, and get voters excited about local candidates. Right now, events are scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in both Vancouver and Issaquah, 10 a.m. to noon in Snohomish, and noon to 2:30 p.m. Tacoma. Stay tuned for more information and add-on locations!

Washington State Democratic Convention

Join us for our party’s annual convention June 24-25 at the Tacoma Convention Center. More information will be released soon, including the names of our VIP speakers and guests!

For the week of May 20-26:

Learn more of what’s happening in your neck of the woods and sign up for event alerts HERE.

From now until November, we have to mobilize every Democratic voter in Washington state — and we need your help to accomplish that. Join our incredible team of volunteers!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

Tina's Weekly News

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 14 May 2022 18:45:58 GMT

This week, the U.S. Senate had the opportunity to codify abortion rights into federal law by passing the Women’s Health Protection Act, but the legislation failed — for the second time — with all 50 Republicans in opposition. We saw our Democratic leaders, Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, stand up for all of Washington and the nation, while the GOP once again put its party’s extreme agenda before the people. Again, I ask you to turn your anger and outrage into action. We must elect pro-choice candidates at every level, from Congress to the state legislature to city halls to local school boards. This is the only way to ensure Washington remains a champion of reproductive rights, especially as more people come to our state because they were denied access to abortion — a basic health care service — in their own. We can’t go back, and by banding together and electing pro-choice Democrats up and down the ballot in every race and every place, we won’t.

Today was the final day of the Association of State Democratic Committees’ second quarterly meeting of 2022. We welcomed all state and territorial party leaders to Washington state, as well as DNC Chair Jaimie Harrison (shown above), and had the opportunity to spotlight the important work Democrats are doing here. It also served as a chance to ensure all of us are working in tandem at a local and national level to create a better future for all, particularly ahead of the 2022 midterm.

Next week, the candidate filing period opens, signifying the official start of this election cycle. We know how critical it is to retain all of our Democratic majorities, and it’ll take serious work to do that. This is why we’ve been building up our team, so we can see our candidates across the finish line. You can support our efforts by volunteering (you’ll find several opportunities below), whether it’s volunteer recruitment, knocking doors, or helping mobilize voters. If you’d rather make a contribution, you can donate HERE.

You can also get involved by becoming a Precinct Committee Official, a role responsible for providing information to voters in your neighborhood and being their main point of contact. PCOs also play an integral role in the state party, and elect party leadership, help fill vacancies in elected office, and lead their precinct caucus for two-year terms. Online candidate filing runs from 9 a.m. on May 16 to 4 p.m. May 20 HERE. Find more information at wa-democrats.org/local/pco.

Washington State Democratic Convention

Join us for our party’s annual convention June 24-25 at the Tacoma Convention Center. More information will be released soon, including the names of our VIP guests!

For the week of May 13-19:

Learn more of what’s happening in your neck of the woods and sign up for event alerts HERE.

From now until November, we have to mobilize every Democratic voter in Washington state — and we need your help to accomplish that. Join our incredible team of volunteers!

The Washington State Democratic Party, together with the DNC Best Practices Institute, are excited to announce the launch of our 2022 Train the Trainer (T3) Webinar Training Program!

T3 is a free six-week, 12-part webinar course, and covers different aspects of grassroots campaigning. It seeks to expand the skills of progressive activists and volunteers, by ensuring the comprehensive training is free and accessible to Democrats all over the country.

The T3 trainings are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 4-5 p.m. PST May 24 to June 30. The deadline to register is May 22 at 8:59 p.m. PST. Sign up HERE today!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

Wa Dens Nws and Action

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 07 May 2022 01:32:06 GMT

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Stay tuned until the end!

Since it was first leaked earlier this week, the Supreme Court’s draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade has been at the forefront of everyone’s mind. We must turn anger into action, and renew our commitment to electing Democrats who will continue to safeguard abortion access in Washington state. It must be done in every race and every place.

Campaigns are beginning to kick off statewide, and it will take all of us to get our incredible Democratic candidates, like Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Kim Schrier, across the finish line. By working together, we can accomplish that and more.

DEMOCRATS IN THE NEWS

Washington Democrats gathered in Kerry Park after a draft decision from the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked. Leaders said they plan to “fight like hell” to ensure continued abortion access in the state.

The Washington State Democratic Party officially entered the race to become one of the first five states to host an early presidential primary in 2024. To be selected, states must demonstrate diversity, competitiveness, and feasibility. A decision will be made by early August.

The Washington State Democratic Party joined 52 other Democratic state partiesin condemning the Supreme Court’s intention to overturn Roe v. Wade following the draft decision’s link. The organizations called on Congress to codify Roe immediately.

Find additional news and more on our website and social media!

STAFF CORNER

This week, we welcomed Austin Christofferson to our ever-growing party staff! He will serve as our campaign operations manager.

We’re building a top-notch team, who will help us Get out the Vote in every race and every place in Washington state. Know of anyone who’d make a great addition to our staff? Tell them to visit wa-democrats.org/jobs to learn more. And stay tuned for additional announcements!

SAVE THE DATE

Association of State Democratic Committees Meeting

State parties across the nation will head to Seattle May 11-13 for the Association of State Democratic Committees’ second quarterly meeting for 2022.

Washington State Democratic Convention

Join us for our party’s annual convention June 24-25 at the Tacoma Convention Center. More information will be released soon, including the names of our VIP guests!

GET INVOLVED

For the week of May 6-12:

Learn more of what’s happening in your neck of the woods HERE.

From now until November, we have to mobilize every Democratic voter in Washington state — and we need your help to accomplish that. Join our incredible team of volunteers!

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

The Washington State Democratic Party, together with the DNC Best Practices Institute, are excited to announce the launch of our 2022 Train the Trainer (T3) Webinar Training Program!

The T3 trainings are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 4-5 p.m. PST May 24 to June 30. The deadline to register is May 22 at 8:59 p.m. PST. Sign up HERE today!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

Message From The State Chair

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 30 Apr 2022 01:20:20 GMT

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

ATTN. PCOs: Canvassing season is upon us, as campaigns begin to kick off statewide. It’s time to get back in our communities, knock some doors, and rally together to support our incredible Democratic candidates running for office across Washington.

Do you have any questions or concerns about canvassing? Let us know HERE. We want to hear from you, and make sure you have the tools you need to succeed this election cycle!

EVERY RACE, EVERY PLACE
You know the stakes are high this election year, and we can’t afford to lose any seat at any level of office in any corner in the state. This is why we’re launching a new initiative emphasizing the importance of all local races happening throughout Washington called, “Every Race, Every Place.” Because if we are to ever truly build a sustainable future, pass protections for reproductive rights, and create an equitable state, then Democrats have to win in “Every Race, Every Place.” The only way to do that is together.

As part of this campaign, we’d love for you to send us a 15-20 second video on why you are a Democrat for social media. Submissions or questions can be sent to our digital manager, Megan Simmons, at megan@wa-democrats.org. Our values are what connect us to this party. Let’s show others just how proud we are to be Democrats in Washington state.

DEMOCRATS IN THE NEWS

Sen. Patty Murray blocked an effort by Republicans to reinstate the Trump-era Title X gag rule. It previously barred any provider in the Title X network — the nation’s only federally funded program dedicated to providing affordable birth control and other sexual and reproductive health services — from mentioning abortion care to patients. The effort died in the Senate 49-49.
Under Washington state’s new transit program, anyone 18 years old and younger will soon ride for free, thanks to state Sen. Marko Liias.
Congressman Marilyn Strickland introduced a slate of bills in the House Armed Services Committee to increase military access to affordable housing.

Find additional news and more on our website and social media!

STAFF CORNER
This week, we welcomed Soumyo to our growing party staff! He will serve as the regional field director for Southwest Washington.

We’re building a top-notch team, who will help us Get out the Vote in every race and every place in Washington state. Know of anyone who’d make a great addition to our staff? Tell them to visit wa-democrats.org/jobs to learn more. And stay tuned for additional announcements!

SAVE THE DATE
Association of State Democratic Committees Meeting

State parties across the nation will head to Seattle May 11-13 for the Association of State Democratic Committees’ second quarterly meeting for 2022.

Washington State Democratic Convention

Join us for our party’s annual convention June 24-25 at the Tacoma Convention Center. More information will be released soon, including the names of our VIP guests!

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
For the week of April 30-May 5:

Learn what’s happening in your neck of the woods at wa-democrats.org/organizingevents!

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
The Washington State Democratic Party, together with the DNC Best Practices Institute, are excited to announce the launch of our 2022 Train the Trainer (T3) Webinar Training Program!

T3 is a free six-week, twelve-part webinar course, covering several aspects of grassroots campaigning. This program seeks to expand the skills of progressive activists and volunteers, by ensuring that comprehensive training is free and accessible for Democrats all over the country.

The T3 trainings are held every Tuesday and Thursday from 4-5 p.m. PST May 24 to June 30. The deadline to register is May 22 at 8:59 p.m. PST. Register HERE today!

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

With gratitude,

Chair Tina Podlodowski
Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE

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Washington State Democrats
PO Box 4027
Seattle, WA 98194
United States

Tina's Weekly News

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 16 Apr 2022 01:45:38 GMT

Hello Democrats! Students across Washington might be on spring break this week, but there’s been some decidedly un-spring-like weather all across Washington! Today is also the start of Passover, so chag sameach to all of our Jewish Democrats, and it's Good Friday and Easter weekend as well! This month, from the evening of April 1st through May 1st, is also the month of Ramadan. No matter how you celebrate, or if you don't celebrate at all, we hope it's with the people you love and care about.

Training Opportunities for Democratic Activists - We want to make sure everyone knows about the “T3” Train The Trainer opportunities coming up with the Best Practices Institute of the DNC! This is a great chance for local parties, candidates, and volunteers to get the most up-to-date training on how to campaign and organize. From fundraising, to volunteer recruitment, to digital mobilization and grassroots organizing - this program covers everything you need to activate and engage Democrats in your community!

The T3 webinar training program is a FREE, six-week, twelve-part course, covering several aspects of grassroots campaigning. T3 trainings are targeted towards volunteers and activists of all levels, and will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 4:00-5:00 PM PT, beginning on May 24 and concluding on June 30. If you miss a session “live,” don’t worry - you can catch up via recorded sessions.

Participants must register by Sunday, May 22, and complete all sessions in order to receive certification, and we will recognize all certified participants, too. All training sessions will include a skills test to track retention and participation.

Interested participants can sign up for the training here! Check it out! Washington State has led the nation with hundreds of people trained - will you be one of them?

Sen. Murray Delivers for Eastern Washington - We know that Democrats have to show up for ALL of Washington state, and we’re proud that our elected leaders put that into practice. Sen. Patty Murray just made the news with informationabout some of the funding and infrastructure she’s bringing back to Eastern Washington from the latest federal budget deal - including further help for Malden,which was ravaged by fire. These investments include infrastructure in Malden, fixing roads in Spokane Valley, and training centers for educational and apprenticeship programs.

“My job in the Senate is to make sure Eastern Washington’s priorities are the federal government’s priorities. That’s what I’m fighting for every time I talk with my colleagues about these appropriations bills,” she said. “When I’m in the other Washington, I’m thinking about concrete ways I can work to make life better for people back home—that’s the bottom line for me.”

That’s the attitude we need from our Democratic leaders, and I’m glad that Sen. Murray is making it happen. This is just another example of how important it is to make sure she’s re-elected this November!

Rick Scott’s Tax Plan - We’ve told you about GOP Sen. Rick Scott (a major Tiffany Smiley supporter) and his plan to make retirees, low-income folks, and working families pay more in taxes because he doesn’t think they have enough “skin in the game.” We’ve got some Washington state specific information about his plan, and we think voters should know about what Scott has planned if Tiffany Smiley wins and Republicans get control of the US Senate.

Under Scott’s plan, 24.2% of Washingtonians would see a tax increase - most of them folks on fixed incomes or people with the least ability to afford it. Check out a national state-by-state map and get more info here.

So how do the two parties’ agendas break down on some of the major issues before us? (click the pics for sources)

Oh, and one more reminder about how the economy is doing under Biden versus under Trump -

Good progress is happening - and we’ve got to win in November if we want to keep it up. That’s why it’s so important that we ALL get going on the important work it’ll take to win this year - volunteering, doorknocking, making calls, and spreading the word about how Democrats are delivering for the people of Washington!

I had a great time joining some Thurston county volunteers for canvassing - happy to join you for some voter ID work too!

Black Maternal Health Week - This week is Black Maternal Health Week, a chance to be reminded of and reflect upon some of the inequities in our healthcare system and how we can fix them. Black women in America are more than 3x as likely to die from pregnancy complications as white women, one of the reasons why our maternal mortality rate is among the highest in the developed world. This is a powerful article to read about how tennis star Serena Williamsalmost died after childbirth. I encourage you all to read it and spend some time with it.

Return of 70s-style Anti-LGBTQ Propaganda - You’ve probably seen stories about the growing anti-LGBTQ movement among conservatives this year. Some of this is legislative, like the “don’t say gay” bill in Florida that has been widely condemned for depriving LGBTQ students – who are likelier to need support and encouragement than most – of the chance to have their identities discussed or even alluded to in a positive, affirming manner by trusted classroom teachers, or the anti-trans legislation in Texas that directly attacks transgender young people and their families.

Besides the legislation, there’s also a broader cultural argument they’re making - people like conservative activist Chris Rufo (who’s responsible for so much of the “CRT” panic on the right wing last year) are now arguing that we need to “cancel Disney” for being insufficiently anti-LGBTQ. The ultra-conservative Family Policy Institute here in Washington, run by former GOP Sen. Mark Miloscia, which seeks to ban abortion and same-sex marriage, sent out an email blast earlier this week with the subject line “If you don't raise your kids, Disney will.” The email warned “Disney is attempting to convince our children that sex should be talked about - without parental consent - and that devious sexualities are okay to be explored.”

What these bills and cultural arguments are implying is the same sort of stuff that anti-gay activists like Anita Bryant were saying in the 1970s - they want people to think that LGBTQ individuals are dangerous to children and corrupting our society. Bryant explicitly campaigned for it to be illegal for gay people to be teachers - Republicans today cover their intentions a little bit more – they know that being too overtly homophobic would backfire on them – but bills like the one in Florida making it all but impossible for an LGBTQ teacher or school employee to be out have effectively the same underlying goal.

Republicans are setting up the Supreme Court to overturn the Obergefell decision so that they can end nationwide, legalized same-sex marriage. Obviously here in Washington, same-sex marriage was passed by the legislature and supported by voters in 2012, but an Obergefell repeal would be catastrophic nationally.

We need to be clear-eyed about what Republicans are up to. Just as “critical race theory” was a scheme to undermine trust in public schools and to prevent teachers from being able to teach the truth about America’s history, this seems to be a plan to force LGBTQ people back into the closet in public life. We need to make sure this overreach works against them. We need to have the backs of our LGBTQ friends, family, neighbors (and state party chairs!), and to make it clear what the Republicans are trying to do.

Voters don’t want to fire teachers for being gay or to end same-sex marriage - so let’s let folks know that. Let’s not be caught unawares about what conservative legislators in states like Texas, Florida, and Arizona are pushing. The stakes are too high for anything less.

Thank you for reading as always!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

PS - read this news story about the RNC’s new vote to require their 2024 primary candidates to sign a pledge to not participate in presidential debates sanctioned by the Commission on Presidential Debates. As our DNC Chair Jaime Harrison says in the article, Republicans "can't win a fair fight and they know it. After years of having their toxic policies exposed on the national stage, the RNC has decided they would rather hide their ideas and candidates from voters." So disappointing that the RNC is too scared to have their candidates face us in debate!

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Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 22:38:59 GMT

Hello Democrats! It’s another big week of news and action coming out of Congress, and across the country.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson - It was so exciting to see Judge - soon-to-be Justice - Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmed to the Supreme Court yesterday!

I joined DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and all of the female DNC caucus chairs in issuing this joint statement on the confirmation of Judge Jackson:

“Today, history has been made. The U.S. Senate voted in a bipartisan fashion to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. In doing so, they reaffirmed what millions across the country have seen: Judge Jackson is a brilliant, graceful, experienced, fair-minded jurist who will bring much-needed perspectives to our highest court.

The court would greatly benefit from the insight of a Black woman, a public defender, a judge who has served at the district and appellate levels and clerked at the Supreme Court. It is staggering that Judge Jackson embodies all those perspectives and more.

For over 200 years, the court has heard cases that affect Black women — cases like Plessy v. Ferguson, Shelby County v. Holder, Dobbs. v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — without the perspective of a Black woman. That changes now.

Judge Jackson has shown girls — especially girls of color — how big they can dream and just how profound an impact they can have on our nation. Her story is uniquely American. She represents the best of us and our shared values. We are grateful to President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the senators who confirmed Judge Jackson for taking another important step to build a government that looks like America.

Today proves once again that a Black woman can accomplish anything. She can be vice president. She can shape the future of our nation. And now, she will serve on the Supreme Court.”

What a historic day! This is what we fight for, why we campaign so hard, and why we are proud to be Democrats.

You can also watch Sen. Patty Murray’s floor speech in favor of confirmation by clicking here:

“Amazon, Here We Come” - I think many of us were excited to see the workers’ vote at the Amazon warehouse in Staten Island in favor of joining the Amazon Labor Union. This was an impressive and historic organizing effort, and an example of the enduring power of workers and labor unions. It’s not just Amazon and Starbucks and some of the other high-profile cases that are making the news - according to the National Labor Relations Board, union representation petitions filed at the NLRB during the first six months of fiscal year 2022 have increased 57% compared to last year — up to 1,174 from 748.

I was glad to hear President Joe Biden talk about this surge in unionization earlier this week, echoing the calls from our Senator Patty Murray to pass the PRO Actand to help expand the power of workers and labor across the country - including calling out Amazon specifically:

I’m glad the leader of the Democratic Party recognizes how important this is for Amazon’s workers and our nation as a whole! There should be workplace protections at Amazon, where workers are injured in warehouses at rates far, far higher than warehouse jobs overall. Amazon was even fined last month for how unsafe their warehouse in Kent, WA is and how the company knowingly put workers at risk! When you run your business like this, you shouldn’t be surprised that your workers step up and organize.

I’m glad to see this organizing happening, all of us here at the Washington Democrats are proud to be union members, and ALL Democrats applaud these workers and their efforts.

Our New Merchandise - We want to remind you all about the cool new (USA and union-made!) stuff we have for sale in our webstore: shirts, hats, and other apparel, along with stickers and all sorts of other gear for doorbelling and events!

Not only are all of our products 100% USA and union made, they’re also a great way to show the world that you’re a proud Democrat. Additionally, the proceeds go towards our Coordinated Campaign, the only program totally focused on getting out the Democratic vote everywhere in Washington State! Help us meet our fundraising goals so we can hire the organizers we need to win by shopping with us: https://store.wa-democrats.org

For people shopping now, we still have the code “LETSORGANIZE” active, to receive 10% off your entire order! Check it out!

Protecting USPS With New Legislation - This week, President Biden also signed the Postal Service Reform Act - a new bill to protect the USPS from the attacks launched on it by the Trump Administration in 2020. This bill is the most significant overhaul of the US Postal Service in almost 20 years. The reforms will help shore up the agency to address the delays in mail delivery across the country that came to light during the pandemic, and is especially impactful for rural communities for whom the USPS is an essential service.

Here’s a look at just some of what this means:

protecting reliable delivery of everything from medication for seniors to household items for Washington families;
continued mail delivery service at least six days a week;
new transparency standards to help hold USPS accountable for delays;
opportunities for local, state, and Indigenous governments to offer certain non-mail services, like hunting and fishing licenses;
support for rural newspapers that may qualify for reduced mailing fees;
and more.

This is especially big news for the backbone of the USPS - the workers who make sure the mail gets to where it needs to go. The president of the American Postal Workers Union called the bill a "turning point in the fight to protect and strengthen the people's public postal service, a national treasure." The president of the National Association of Letter Carriers called the passage of the bill "a monumental victory for letter carriers and all Americans who depend on the Postal Service for affordable and high-quality universal service."

Washingtonians rely on our postal system every day to do everything from get prescription medications and paychecks, to voting, to keeping in touch with friends and family, to shipping goods and products for sale. I’m very happy to see Congress act to pass this bill into law - no thanks to Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the only member of Congress from Washington to vote against it.

With gratitude for all you do,

Tina Podlodowski

PS - the tweet of the week for everyone who’s both a fan of soon-to-be JUSTICE Ketanji Brown Jackson (that’s all of you) and the band Outkast:

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News from State Chair Podlodowski

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 02 Apr 2022 02:14:35 GMT

Hello Democrats and happy April 1st! Don’t worry - we didn’t put any April Fools pranks in this email! The GOP owns the “fool” space quite well.

Legal Update Vs Conservative Conspiracy Theorists - Back in October, when conservative conspiracy theorists who believe that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump sued several Washington counties calling for baseless “audits,” the party jumped into action immediately, and we filed an injunction seeking to stop these attacks on the integrity of our elections.

This week we got an update on one of the cases, in Lincoln County. No surprise – we won! Spokane County Superior Court Judge Michael Price ruled that the plaintiff’s claims were “frivolous and advanced without reasonable cause,” and agreed to sanction the plaintiffs, awarding costs and fees to the defendants.

Time and again, conservative activists across our country and our state have tried to undermine the very bedrock of our democracy - our free and fair elections - with these baseless attacks on the 2020 election results. Democrats won’t stop fighting to uphold public faith in our democracy and to hold accountable the Republican Party leaders who intentionally foster these conspiracies for their own political gain. These ridiculous lawsuits are driven by Donald Trump’s endless promotion of these conspiracies and from Republican leaders’ willingness to indulge them, with the Washington State and King County Republican Parties running preposterous “election integrity committees” led by fraudsters and scam artists like Bill Bruch of Skagit County.

We have to come together as a state and a country and put a stop to them, with a decisive rejection of their party and their willingness to promote misinformation and distrust in our elections in service of their pursuit of power. This week’s ruling was another win for democracy, and there’s more to come.

Cool New Democratic Merch - We wanted to make sure you heard our exciting announcement about the new merchandise available now through our webstore! We’re thrilled to say that all of our products are 100% USA and union made, and they’re a great way to show the world that you’re a proud Democrat. Additionally, the proceeds go towards our Coordinated Campaign, the only program totally focused on getting out the Democratic vote everywhere in Washington State! Help us meet our fundraising goals so we can hire the organizers we need to win by shopping with us: https://store.wa-democrats.org

You all know how I love to support our rural Democrats, so my favorite is the Dirt Road Democrat lineup - I’ve already heard so many people say how much they love it - but we’ve got apparel, stickers, bags, and more.Take a look. There’s something for everyone!

For folks getting an early start on shopping, you can enter the code “LETSORGANIZE” to receive 10% off your entire order!

Major Party Events Coming Up
Last weekend, our legislative districts caucused and elected hundreds of delegates from across the state who will convene and represent Democrats’ from their local communities at our state convention in June. In total, we expect 1,700 Democrats at the Convention – more than twice as many as for our 2018 state convention! You will not want to miss it, and more information about our speakers and gala event will be coming out soon.

The fact that we had many more people running for delegate now than four years ago is a great sign for the grassroots enthusiasm for the party right now. Thank you to all our LD organizations for running their caucuses, and a HUGE thank you to everyone who ran for delegate!

We’ve got two big party events coming up. First, from May 11th-13th, the Association of State Democratic Committees will be holding its spring meeting in Seattle, hosted by us! The ASDC’s membership consists of the governing Democratic organizations from all 57 states and U.S. territories. Their function is to bring together State Party Chairs, Vice Chairs, staff, and DNC members – the individuals who lead the grassroots effort to get out the vote and help terrific candidates win each and every electoral cycle. This meeting is an opportunity for State Democratic Party leaders to come together, establish our strategy for 2022, and set the course for victory in November. Do come join us for some panels, and events!

I’m excited for Democratic leaders from across the country to be here in lovely Washington state, with the best state party in the country, to learn from each other so we can organize and win this year. It’s going to be a fantastic event!

A month later, we will be holding our state convention on June 24th-25th in Tacoma, where our delegates will assemble to work on critical issues like our platform and to hear from our Democratic leaders. As mentioned, I’m looking forward to announcing some of the special guest speakers who will be joining us, but I know the convention will have us all fired up for a summer of getting out the vote!

Decline To Sign I-1929 - The seven super-rich GOP donors and one GOP political consultant who want to overturn the capital gains tax on the wealthy that was passed last year have a number for their initiative; it looks like they’ll be campaigning to roll back this measure to fund education and early learning – to the tune of $500 million dollars – as I-1929.

This tax would be paid by a tiny percentage (fewer than 2 out of 10,000) of Washington’s richest people - folks who make more than $250,000 a year in profits from selling stocks and investments alone - and will raise half a billion dollars a year for education and early learning. At a time when students and teachers need our support, we should be increasing funding for schools, not cutting it - but that’s just what the Republicans are doing. Join me in declining to sign I-1929 when you see signature gatherers out in public!

Something to Read - You can catch up on the latest involving Donald Trump and his role inciting the January 6th insurrection attempt in this Washington Post column published yesterday. A judge’s ruling ordering the release of communications between Trump and his lawyer, John Eastman, makes it clear that it’s likely Trump was engaged in criminal activity as he worked to overturn the election and prevent the peaceful transfer of power to President Biden:

The court’s ruling came in a lawsuit that one of Trump’s lawyers, John Eastman, brought against the select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. Eastman served as the legal architect of Trump’s effort to pressure then-Vice President Mike Pence to refuse to count numerous states’ electoral votes on Jan. 6. Eastman asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 146 times at his deposition before the select committee. His lawsuit argued that some of his emails should be kept from the committee because they were shielded by either attorney-client privilege or “work product” privilege, which protects confidential documents prepared for litigation. The opinion by Carter, a former prosecutor nominated to the bench by President Bill Clinton, makes clear Eastman has good reason to worry about criminal consequences.

The attorney-client and work-product privileges must give way if they involve communications that further the commission of a fraud or crime. And Carter found that at least one of the emails did just that.

Carter’s decision was at once pedestrian and remarkable. Pedestrian, because all the 44-page opinion did was methodically recite the law and apply it to the facts. Remarkable, because of where its analysis inexorably led: that a sitting president of the United States, with the help of his lawyer, “more likely than not” violated two federal criminal laws in a desperate effort to keep himself illegally in power.

I don’t want anyone to become numb to what Republicans are up to and have been for years. We should all be angry at the levels they’ll stoop to in their desperate pursuit of power. We need to make it clear to voters in our communities what their choice is - between a party that will stand up for our democracy or a party that happily promotes misinformation and conspiracies to undermine the bedrock of our country if it suits their drive for power.

We can’t let them get away with it! That’s why I’m making sure our party takes action like the legal injunction I wrote to you about above. But we need your help, too, as donors and volunteers, to make sure we have the financial support to take legal action like that (our lawyers are very, very good, but they aren’t cheap) and the people power it takes to go out and beat these Republicans fair and square at the polls. Thank you for your help and support as always - together, we can do this.

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

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Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 26 Mar 2022 01:25:19 GMT

Hello Democrats! This week we were glued to the news coming out of DC, where the Senate Judiciary Committee was holding hearings on the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court Hearings -

It’s been both infuriating and inspiring to watch Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson handle the aggressive and off-base questioning from GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. She handled herself so well, but I had tears in my eyes because of her courage in the face of this racist, sexist, GOP nonsense levied at the most qualified applicant the Court has seen in recent years. I’m looking forward to seeing her nomination move forward. The full Senate should vote on her nomination before their recess begins on April 9, and our country and our judiciary will be stronger with this history-making Justice on the bench.

For a truly honest moment of joy, watch this video of Sen. Cory Booker talking about Judge Jackson’s nomination:

It’s also been striking to see some of the incredibly astounding right-wing, anti-democratic stances that Republican senators are taking during their questioning, including:

Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee coming out against the Griswold v. Connecticut decision, which legalized the use of contraception by married couples.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas using his time to rail against Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage.
Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana questioning the Loving v. Virginia decision, which legalized interracial marriage.

That’s what the Republican Party has come to - saying that states should be able to ban same-sex or interracial marriage, or that contraception could be illegal? All in pursuit of undermining and attacking one of the most qualified judicial nominees that the Supreme Court has ever had?

Folks, we need to make sure our friends and neighbors understand what’s at play here - a complete reversal of civil rights for ALL Americans (except the white, wealthy GOP ones…). It’s beyond belief! But this is really happening before our eyes. We need to make sure Democrats know and use this knowledge to spur action this election cycle.

Have you signed up to volunteer yet? We need you now. You can find campaign volunteering opportunities with our Coordinated Campaign here, or email organizing@wa-democrats.org!

WA Republicans and Political Violence - The extreme swing of the Republican Party isn’t only happening in Washington D.C. - Washington State has also had more than our share. Danny Westneat of the Seattle Times wrote an article this week about GOP 2022 Congressional candidate Loren Culp, how he called for the lynching of a Black man, and rallied for judges and prosecutors to be shot - and how nobody in the Republican Party seems to object.

Now when this first came up, I’ll admit that some of us at The Seattle Times expressed a certain weariness. Oh God, another story about another candidate saying another unhinged thing. Each time, we debate whether writing about it makes us dupes — if we’re simply serving to broadcast and propagate the unhinged thing.

Only last month we featured Culp calling coronavirus “the Chinese Virus” while recommending quack cures to his followers — a story that prompted the Anti-Defamation League and other groups to denounce his “anti-Asian rhetoric.”

“We speak together to ensure that this rhetoric never becomes normalized,” they wrote. Except that’s what’s happening anyway. If a candidate keeps saying extreme and hateful things, and isn’t disowned by his party, and meanwhile everyone else starts shrugging because we think he’s a nut or we’re worn down or we just can’t keep pace with the firehose of lunacy, well, that’s a case study of how something as rancid as a call for a lynching becomes politically normal.

I noticed this when I wrote last month how another Republican in that same dreadful race, for central Washington’s 4th Congressional District, had called for hanging the U.S.’s chief medical advisor. What Jerrod Sessler said was: “We should be building a gallows for Anthony Fauci.”

Nobody spoke out against that. So I found my initial shock deadening, boiled-frog-style. Oh, it’s just another Republican who wants to hang a public health official.

Maybe folks on the Republican side of the aisle are indifferent to the violent extremism in their party, but I’m not. It’s shocking and appalling that they tolerate this. The GOP may allow themselves to grow accustomed to the erosion of rule of law, but we Democrats can’t let it be normalized.

That sort of thing is even showing up in their state legislative candidates, like GOP Rep. Jesse Young who’s challenging Democratic Senator Emily Randall in the super-competitive 26th legislative district on the Kitsap Peninsula. Young has committed multiple ethics violations for repeatedly using taxpayer dollars to benefit his own political campaigns, lost access to staff due to anger issues and mistreatment of them, threatened Black Lives Matter demonstrators as a part of an armed mob, and more. On issue after issue – from the right to abortion, to protecting LGBTQ youth, protecting victims of domestic violence, helping students afford college, ensuring affordable and quality health care for all, and so many others, Young has come down on the wrong side. And yet he’s the candidate the GOP is promoting for one of the most competitive races in the state legislature this year. This is what we’re up against!

Tiffany Smiley and Mitch McConnell - It was reported this week that Tiffany Smiley is talking to Mitch McConnell about "how great to have Washington state be the seat that flips the Senate in November” and said she’d welcome the endorsement of Donald Trump.

“If the president wants to support us, that’s awesome,” Smiley said.

(By the way, let’s remember that Trump lost Washington state 58% - 39% in 2020)

We know why Mitch McConnell, Rick Scott, and the WA GOP are supporting Tiffany Smiley - because they know she will vote to repeal our health care, she'll vote to hike taxes on our seniors, and she'll vote to make abortion illegal in America. We can't afford a Mitch McConnell Republican as our voice in the other Washington, and that’s why we’re all taking Washington’s Senate race so seriously this year.

If you agree, join me and the hundreds of PCOs and volunteers who are already doorbelling and making phone calls across Washington, and let’s get to work! You can find campaign volunteering opportunities with our Coordinated Campaign here, or email organizing@wa-democrats.org! This early work to contact voters is a critical part of building towards victory in 2022.

Speaking of Donald Trump’s Endorsement - As long as we’re talking about Tiffany Smiley welcoming Trump’s endorsement, how’s that going for other candidates? In Alabama, Rep. Mo Brooks was endorsed by Trump in his campaign for the Senate, and just had that endorsement taken away. Why?

Brooks put out a statement saying "President Trump asked me to rescind the 2020 elections, immediately remove Joe Biden from the White House, immediately put President Trump back in the White House, and hold a new special election for the presidency."

Brooks is a very conservative Republican, but credit to him for going public with the demands that Trump made of him, even at the cost of losing Trump’s voter base. It's clear that Trump and the GOP are still not giving up on their 2020 election conspiracies, and it's horrible that the WA GOP won't condemn this. One wonders why Smiley is so eager to welcome Trump’s endorsement if calling for overturning the 2020 elections is the price that a candidate has to pay to receive it?

What Happens When We Win - It’s important to recognize that this isn’t all about how horrible Republicans are - when Democrats win, we don’t just defend democracy from their attacks, but we can move forward positive policy of our own. This week was the 12th anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which (among several life-changing, life-saving changes) lowered health care costs for millions and made it easier for Americans with pre-existing conditions to get coverage. Since then, President Biden and Democrats’ American Rescue Plan has built on the success of the ACA.

Thanks to the American Rescue Plan building on the success of the ACA, 239,000 people in Washington who get insurance through the marketplaces established by the ACA are now seeing reduced health care costs – no thanks to every single Republican member of our Congressional delegation, who unanimously voted against the American Rescue Plan.

I want to see our Democratic leaders pass even more great, progressive legislation, but we need to make sure we have the majorities that can get it done. That starts with doing our part here in Washington to re-elect our Democrats. I know that if all of us dig in together, we can and will win this November. Your help as a volunteer or a sustaining supporter with Blue Washington can help make that happen!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

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Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 00:51:05 GMT

Hello Democrats! I’m happy to be back home after a big week in the other Washington at the DNC meeting. You can read about some of the organizing work I’m doing at the DNC level to strengthen the Democratic Party in this Washington Post article - lots of productive work happening and lots more to do!

Let’s Get Into the Details on the Legislative Session - Last week was the end of the legislative session, and we shared a brief, high-level overview of some of the broad issues that Democrats delivered for the people of Washington. This week, we wanted to cover some of the bills and budget items that passed this year in a little bit more detail.

Democrats made record investments in communities across Washington through the operating budget, by ensuring that housing is more affordable, and that those living on the margins are able to climb out of poverty. Our legislators invested in working families, the environment, education, public health, and made targeted tax cuts to help stimulate the economy and create clean energy jobs across the state.

Democrats passed a transformative transportation investment plan – Move Ahead Washington – that takes bold action to combat the climate crisis, prioritizes an active transportation system, and invests in the needs of our community through the creation of thousands of family-wage jobs without placing additional costs on Washington families. And legislators built on our work in 2021 to increase public safety, refine police accountability policies, strengthen common sense gun laws, and go after perpetrators of domestic violence, cyberstalking and other forms of harassment.

Let’s dive into some of the specific bills and budget items, issue by issue.

Public Safety
The pandemic and its effects on mental health and economic wellbeing have led to an increase in some forms of violence nationwide. However, according to the best data we have, the overall effect of the last two years on crime in Washington has been mixed, with increases and decreases in some types of crime in different places in the state. At the same time, domestic violence has surged recently, with DV homicides in King County nearly tripling in 2020 and remaining at that elevated level in 2021. 2020 stats from WASPC show that domestic violence makes up half of all crimes against persons. In King County, more than a quarter of all murders and attempted murders were committed by men who had a prior conviction for domestic violence.

There’s no simple solution, but we are taking carefully targeted action to address the specific issues that have arisen. Democrats passed bills to:

Allow DV victims to seek civil protection orders if they are victims of abusers who use coercive control to oppress and instill fear (HB 1901).
Address catalytic converter theft (HB 1815).
Cut down on cyber harassment and stalking (SB 5628).
Establish a Missing Indigenous Person alert system to prevent the crises of missing and murdered indigenous people in our state from getting worse (HB 1725).
Ban high-capacity firearm magazines, of the type often used in mass shootings (SB 5078).
Ban ghost guns (HB 1705).
Ban the open carry of weapons at local government and school board meetings, and all weapons at election offices and voting centers (HB 1630).

Reducing Poverty and Homelessness
Democrats know economic stability is essential to healthy kids, strong families, and thriving communities, yet we know too many are struggling to make ends meet. This year’s budget focuses on poverty reduction while strengthening benefit programs to give people a better chance at gaining financial stability. The budget invests:

$272 million to increase access to lifelines for people across the state: Working Connections Child Care, behavioral health services, child visitation, and in-home care.
$58 million for the Farmers-to-Families Food Box Program to get fresh, healthy food to food banks across the state.
$45 million for rental assistance to help at-risk families stay in their homes.
$45 million to help transition people camping on certain public roads and highways to emergency and permanent housing.
$37 million to increase financial support for people eligible for the Aged, Blind, or Disabled program.

Climate Action and the Environment
The fight against the climate crisis and the urgent need to protect our natural resources is the challenge of our lifetime. We must take action to protect communities from wildfires, flooding, and other increasing extreme weather events. This year’s budget makes necessary investments in public lands and rehabilitating threatened salmon species while building toward a clean energy future:

$180 million for salmon recovery projects across the state, including the Duckabush estuary restoration project.
$57 million for solar energy infrastructure projects, including solar resilience hubs, electric vehicle parking canopies, and solar energy projects that benefit low-income communities.
$103 million to build electric vehicle charging infrastructure in rural areas, office buildings, multifamily housing, ports, and state and local government offices.
$15 million to speed up repairs and improvements at state-owned recreation lands and facilities.

Healthy Families
Washington’s future depends on healthy communities, but too many people face barriers accessing care or support when they need it most. This year’s budget makes dozens of new investments for our neighbors in need:

$450 million to increase access to services for individuals with a developmental disability and/or with long-term care needs.
$100 million to address workforce shortages in and improve access to behavioral health services.
$200 million for reinvestment grants to communities disproportionately harmed by the war on drugs.
$350 million to strengthen our state’s groundbreaking paid family leave program.
$28 million to support recent immigrants and refugees arriving in Washington, including for their immediate and long-term physical and mental health needs, to assist with children's successful integration into school, and more.

Strengthening Education
The pandemic has created major disruptions for students and their families, which exacerbated the educational opportunity gaps that existed prior to the pandemic. This year’s budget adds more school counselors and nurses across the state to meet students’ social and emotional needs. We are ensuring our schools are fully staffed and prepared for a return to pre-pandemic enrollment levels, when our students will need them more than ever before:

$345 million to stabilize school districts that experienced enrollment declines because of the pandemic.
$90 million to add nurses and counselors in schools to meet the physical and social emotional needs of students.
$37 million to expand nursing education at state universities and colleges.

Supporting Small Businesses

$71 million for programs to help Washington’s small businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 125,000 small businesses across Washington will no longer pay the state business tax, saving approximately $50 million each year (SB 5980).

Legislative District Caucuses Coming Up - We want to remind everyone about the legislative district caucuses coming up on Saturday, March 26th, when all 49 Democratic legislative district organizations will elect the delegates to represent them at our state convention in Tacoma in June. We need a strong and diverse set of delegates from across the state at our convention, and that starts with folks like you stepping up to run for delegate at your LD caucus (and recruiting your friends, neighbors, and family to run, too)!

An important part of the convention will be approving the party platform for 2022. You can read the draft platform from our Platform Committee here. Only elected delegates to the convention will have input on the platform from here on out, so if you want to be able to weigh in, running for delegate in your LD caucus is the first and most essential step! This year, the initial draft of the Platform aimed to take on an ambitious restructuring to make it more clear for delegates where amendments would be necessary, in response to the recent shift that allows delegates to directly amend the platform. As a result, readers will notice areas which require additions, and we encourage all Democrats to run for delegate on March 26th at your local Legislative District caucus to propose those needed additions. Please send any questions to PartyAffairs@wa-democrats.org.

Each legislative district organization is running its own caucus, but they’re all happening at 10 AM on March 26th. Find information about your legislative district party’s caucus on this list. Most caucuses will be held virtually! Your participation will help make our party stronger!

A Look At Gas Prices - If anybody wants to argue with you that President Biden’s policies are driving up the price of gas, show them this:

Oil prices are decreasing, so gas prices should too. Last time oil was $96 a barrel, gas was $3.62 a gallon, on average, nationwide. Now it’s $4.31. Why? Because oil and gas companies are taking advantage of an international crisis to pad their profits at the expense of hardworking Americans. Don’t let the Republicans play the blame game here!

Matt Shea in Poland - I’m sure you remember the Washington state legislature’s own domestic terrorist, former Rep. Matt Shea, a white nationalist who helped plan and prepare for armed conflict and right-wing political violence here in the Pacific Northwest and who authored documents like ‘the Biblical basis for war’.

Now, Shea is trying to organize some extremely concerning “adoptions” of Ukrainian refugee children:

Former Washington state Rep. Matt Shea, the far-right Republican who was found by a House-commissioned investigation to have planned and participated in domestic terrorism, is in a small town in Poland with more than 60 Ukrainian children, trying to facilitate their adoption in America.

Shea has said his group helped rescue 62 children and their two adult caregivers from an orphanage in Mariupol, the city in southeastern Ukraine that has been bombarded by Russian forces.

But international agencies say, with the chaos and confusion of war, now is not an appropriate time for international adoptions from Ukraine. And Shea’s presence, and the lack of information surrounding the American group he’s with, has raised concerns among some residents of Kazimierz Dolny, the small Polish town where the children are staying at a hotel-guesthouse.

“I asked him many times, ‘What are you going to do with these children?’ and he told me that it’s not my business,'” Weronika Ziarnicka, an aide to the mayor of Kazimierz Dolny, said of Shea. “I got the feeling in my gut that something’s wrong with this guy; he didn’t want to tell me his last name.”

“I do not know what Matt Shea and his friends are doing here around children,” Pomianowski said in an email. “Mr. Shea and his friends have given us some contradictory information and, for that reason, it is difficult for us to trust them.”

The National Council for Adoption said this is not the time for U.S. citizens to be considering adoption from Ukraine, as many families fleeing the war become separated. “It is paramount that the identities of these children and their families be clearly established, and their social, legal, and familial status is fully verified by governmental authorities,” the council said. “For most of these children, we cannot do that at this time.” The United Nations High Commission on Refugees and UNICEF put out a joint statement calling for temporary and foster care for children but saying “Adoption should not occur during or immediately after emergencies.”

We want to keep our eyes on what Shea and his right-wing disciples are up to, whether it’s this strange scheme putting Ukrainian refugee children at risk, or it’s his friend Rep. Bob McCaslin running for Spokane County Auditor so they can control elections in this critical county. I don’t know exactly what Shea is up to here, but I know I wouldn’t entrust custody of children with a man who endorsed training child soldiers for a holy war. With all that these children have been through already, I pray for their safety and that they are reunited with their parents.

Deborah Senn Celebration of Life - As many of you may have heard, former Washington State Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn passed away last month. She was a fierce advocate for the public who fought to make insurance companies pay for the care people need and hold them accountable. Her family asked us to share information about a Celebration of Life event for folks who knew her. The details are below.

Who and what: Friends are planning a Celebration of Life for former Washington State Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn — a champion of healthcare for all, advancing Democratic women in politics (and a few good men, too), a progressive advocate for Jewish values, and participating in and supporting the arts.

When: Sunday, March 27, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Where: Temple De Hirsch Sinai, located at East Union Street and 16th Avenue on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Parking is available on 16th Avenue across from the main entrance of TDHS.

Thank you all for reading and for your support!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

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Tina's Friday Wrap Up

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 12 Mar 2022 00:18:36 GMT

Hello Democrats! I’m in Washington, DC this week for DNC meetings - it’s been great connecting with our fellow Democrats from across the country about the work we need to do to pass progressive policy and win in 2022! There’s a ton of excitement for the work ahead of us and I’m glad our Washington state folks are “all in” on fighting hard this year. You can read about some of the organizing work I’m doing at the DNC level to strengthen the Democratic Party in this Washington Post article.

What we’re hearing and seeing in the polls, in Washington and across the country, is voters are polarized. Republicans are voting Republican, Democrats are voting Democrat, and independents are frustrated at both parties and don’t care about voting this year. Persuasion efforts are falling by the wayside, which makes our GOTV efforts for every last Democratic vote even MORE important. We’re aiming to have the best, smartest, and most efficient Coordinated Campaign of any state in the country, and we need you all to be part of it - as donors, as doorbellers, as phonebankers, and as supporters. Together, I’m confident we can and will win!

Happy to be talking to our fellow state party leaders about our amazing Washington State Coordinated Campaign - with Chairs Lavora Barnes (MI, left) and Yvette Lewis (MD, right). Thanks to our WA Vice Chair David Green for the photo!

With the amazing Theresa Sheldon, DNC Native American Political Director and member of the Tulalip Tribes!

West is best! Amazing western states chairs and vice chairs.

2022 Legislative Session Comes to a Close - Yesterday was the last day of the legislative session, and I wanted to run down some of the big issues we were watching and what our Democrats were able to deliver:

The supplemental state operating budget is investing more than a billion dollars into K-12 and higher education so students and teachers have what they need to succeed and to keep our schools open, safely, under COVID..
Democrats passed the greenest transportation plan ever, to maintain and improve our roads, invest in transit, bike, and pedestrian infrastructure, and more.
A massive investment in affordable housing construction and homelessness prevention, to help stabilize housing for thousands of Washingtonians.
Democrats are making prescription drugs more affordable by limiting drug-cost increases, and capping the cost of insulin at $35 per month.
We're keeping the public safe from gun violence, with protections from high-capacity firearm magazines and bringing guns to threaten public places like election centers and school board meetings.
We're protecting the right to abortion in Washington - all the more important with Roe v. Wade under threat from GOP Supreme Court justices at the federal level.

This is just a list of some of the highlights; we’ll continue to share more information on what got done this session in next week’s email.

I’m impressed with what our legislators got done in 60 days, and I want to thank them for their hard work. These are meaningful steps forward on some of the biggest issues facing Washingtonians, none of which could have been accomplished without our year-round efforts to elect Democrats. But with the lawmaking done, it’s time for us to fully turn our attention to the campaign trail.

We Need You to Run for Convention Delegate - We’ve got a very important opportunity coming up on March 26th - our legislative district caucuses, where our local parties will vote to select the delegates who will represent them at our State Convention in June. The State Convention will be held in Tacoma but in a hybrid manner; all committee meetings will be virtual and delegates can participate in the Convention itself, on June 25^th, either in Tacoma or from the comfort of their own homes! Delegates to the Convention get to vote on decisions like candidate nominations and approving and amending our state party platform. This work is important and we want to make sure every legislative district has solid and diverse representation.

Each district organization is running its own caucus, but they’re all happening at 10 AM on March 26th. Find your legislative district party’s contact information on this list, and send them an email to get the details for how to run for delegate (most will be held virtually). Your participation in this will help make our party stronger!

Redistricting Update - The long saga of Washington’s redistricting process continues! We’ve gotten a lot of questions about what’s happening with the maps and what could happen next. We hope to clear some of that up here, with the acknowledgement that some uncertainty still remains at points.

Voting rights advocates have sued regarding the drawing of the 15th Legislative District, arguing that it failed to comply with Section 2 of the federal Voting Rights Act by disadvantaging Latinx voters. This week, the Redistricting Commission voted to not intervene in the lawsuit, deciding they will not defend the maps in the VRA lawsuit. Pending decisions by the other defendants in state government, there may be an opportunity for the state to settle the suit with the plaintiffs. Until then, the next event in this VRA lawsuit is a court hearing on March 25th, after which we should know a lot more.

As of now, the legislature has passed the new boundaries and they are on the books. We’re uploading them into Votebuilder and, as the situation currently stands, the best thing we can do is expect them to be the boundaries for the 2022 elections. We don’t know what could happen with this VRA court case, what a judge could potentially order, or what a settlement could look like, but at this point, our plans are moving forward with the boundaries as passed by the legislature.

I know this is something we’re all deeply concerned about and we’d love to get resolution on as soon as possible, but it’s also important that voting rights advocates get the chance to make their case. We’ll continue to watch this closely and let you all know what we hear, as soon as we hear it.

Thanks to Rep. Jesse Johnson - Rep. Jesse Johnson of the 30th LD in Federal Way announced his plans this week not to run for re-election. We want to thank him for his service as one of the champions of police accountability in the legislature and for his work on issues like gun violence prevention and support for foster care youth and young people experiencing homelessness. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors!

As a reminder, other retiring legislators this year (as of now) include:

LD 4, Rep. Bob McCaslin, GOP (running for Spokane County Auditor)
LD 8, Sen. Sharon Brown, GOP
LD 8, Rep. Brad Klippert, GOP (running for Congress)
LD 8, Rep. Matt Boehnke, GOP (running for state Senate)
LD 17, Rep. Vicki Kraft, GOP (running for Congress)
LD 22, Rep. Laurie Dolan, Dem
LD 26, Rep. Jesse Young, GOP (running for state Senate)
LD 29, Rep. Steve Kirby, Dem
LD 30, Rep. Jesse Johnson, Dem
LD 35, Sen. Tim Sheldon, Turncoat Dem
LD 35, Rep. Drew MacEwen, GOP (running for state Senate)
LD 36, Sen. Reuven Carlyle, Dem
LD 36, Rep. Noel Frame, Dem (running for state Senate)
LD 38, Rep. Mike Sells, Dem
LD 42, Rep. Sharon Shewmake, Dem (running for state Senate)
LD 46, Sen. David Frockt, Dem
LD 46, Rep. Javier Valdez, Dem (running for state Senate)
LD 47, Rep. Pat Sullivan, Dem

GOP Dirty Tricks in Idaho - I wanted to close by sharing this story from our neighbors in Idaho about GOP activists posing as Democrats in an attempt to take over the Kootenai County Democratic Party.

The Kootenai County Republican Central Committee has reportedly planned and recruited volunteers to infiltrate the Kootenai Democrats, install an “antisemitic troll” as party chair and funnel money donated to Democrats to local Republicans instead.

A recorded phone call between Kootenai County resident John Grimm and a person he identified as KCRCC Youth Chair Dan Bell appeared to reveal the plan.

“Long story short, we want to take over the Democrat Party,” Bell reportedly said during the Tuesday call.

At this point we shouldn’t be surprised anymore by the dirty tricks that Republicans try to play. Remember to be on your guard, and what happened in Kootenai County just shows the importance of having every LD and county local party in the state organized as strongly as possible with Democrats!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina Podlodowski Weekly News

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 05 Mar 2022 00:34:11 GMT

Hello Democrats and what a week of news! This email is absolutely jam-packed! Please read it all, because there is so much to share with our friends and our neighbors about the work Democrats are doing right now!

State of the Union - What a night - President Biden laid out a powerful, compelling, progressive vision for our country, and I’m excited to take this message to our Washington voters in the midterms!

If you missed it, you can watch it here or read the speech here. We also put together a short highlight video featuring some of the big wins that Democratic leadership has delivered over the past year - check it out:

I’m also linking some fact sheets on what Democrats have delivered, and will be doing next, on some of the big issues facing America. These are great for providing good information to share on social media, in conversation, or around the kitchen table:

Protecting the Right to Abortion - We know that Republicans are targeting Roe v. Wade this year, with a 6-3 conservative US Supreme Court ready to overturn a person’s choice about their own body, their own health care, and the fundamental right to have an abortion. (Because “freedom” is only about not having to wear a mask, right?)

I’m glad that we have our Sen. Patty Murray working hard to try to defend that right, and this week she pushed for the Women’s Health Protection Act in the Senate to enshrine the right to an abortion into law. We hosted a statewide call for reporters with Rep. Suzan DelBene, state Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, and Planned Parenthood CEO Jennifer Allen talking about the WHPA, Sen. Murray’s work, and the danger of Murray’s opponent, Tiffany Smiley. You can watch the “highlight reel” of that call here:

Remember - Smiley ENDORSED the Texas anti-abortion bounty hunter law, the most restrictive abortion bill in the country. We can’t let her represent us in the Senate!

While the WHPA vote failed in the US Senate, we had action here at home. The State Senate joined the House in passing HB 1851, sponsored by Rep. My-Linh Thai of the 41st LD. The bill authorizes physician assistants, advanced registered nurse practitioners, and certain other medical providers acting within their scopes of practice to perform abortions and prohibits the state from taking action against a health care provider for assisting an individual in exercising the right to reproductive freedom. This bill will help make sure that Washingtonians - and the people who come to Washington seeking abortions because their own state has limited these rights - can get the care they need.

Note that this bill passed the Senate on a party line vote - every single Republican was opposed! The GOP is an anti-choice party and Washington is a pro-choice state. With Roe under threat like never before, we need to make sure voters know that access to reproductive health is actively under attack!

County Auditors - News in Spokane County - super-conservative GOP Rep. Bob McCaslin announced that he won’t be running for re-election to the legislature and will instead run for Spokane County Auditor. McCaslin was a Matt Shea supporter and one of the GOP legislators who’s spent the last year spreading conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and hanging out with the “MyPillow guy” Mike Lindell and his election fraud disinformation events.

It goes without saying that we CANNOT have people like this running our elections. Not only does it put the fairness and freedom of Spokane County at risk, but it would set McCaslin up to run for Secretary of State in the future – a position in which he could do even more damage.

We have to make sure we are ready for fights like these for election administration positions up and down the ballot! Trump has been criss-crossing the country recruiting candidates and raising money for conservative election administrators who’d be willing to help him steal an election. Conservatives like McCaslin stepping up here in WA is part and parcel of that strategy. We MUST fight back.

That means supporting folks like Vicki Dalton, the Spokane County Auditor, all the way up to our new Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs. Consider getting your local party organization to do an early endorsement of Secretary Hobbs, along with our other incumbents like Sen. Patty Murray and our Democratic Members of Congress. We need to support these folks sooner rather than later!

Capital Gains Tax Update - The capital gains tax on the profits from stocks and bonds of the ultra-rich that the legislature passed in 2021 was overturned in a court case this week in Douglas County. Rob McKenna, the attorney representing the very wealthy plaintiffs, shopped around for the most sympathetic judge he could find, and he got him. We will see this case appealed to the state Supreme Court by our Attorney General Bob Ferguson, so we’ll continue to track this and see what happens next.

What’s for certain is that none of us are giving up on the work to fix our upside-down tax code. We have the most unfair tax system in the country and it’s long past time that the rich pay their fair share. I was glad to see that just this week, the Senate joined the House in passing HB 1876, which would require that Tim Eyman-style anti-tax initiatives would include information on what government services would be cut under the initiatives right in the ballot description, so voters are better informed about what they’ll be voting on. We’ve got a lot of work to do, but I’m confident people are ready for a better, fairer tax code in Washington state.

Flex Your Democratic Muscles - With so much going on, I’m excited about all the action that local parties across Washington are taking to spread the word about what our Democratic leaders are doing and the importance of voting in these upcoming midterm elections. Folks across Washington are phone banking, doorknocking, and sharing information with their networks. I’m thrilled to see it happening. Groups like the North-Central Washington Democrats, the 26th LD Democrats (they have a super-competitive state Senate race this year!), the 23rd LD Democrats, and more are already active and contacting voters with the Coordinated Campaign! You can find an event near you at www.wa-democrats.org/organizingevents or send an email to organizing@wa-democrats.org to start a new phone bank or canvass!

With that, thank you all for reading! Let’s get to work and get it done!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

PS - I want to remind everyone that our organizers are working hard around the clock to ensure that every single Democrat statewide turns out to vote this November, but they still need your help. By becoming a recurring donor in our Blue Washington program, you will be supporting every single Democratic candidate in our state, driving progressive voter turnout, and ensuring we maintain our blue majority!

Our Blue Washington program specifically helps us build our organizing team and fund the resources they need to fight voter suppression and turn out every single Democrat. The more resources we have, the more we can accomplish!

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Tina's Weekly Wrap without Tina

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 23:18:03 GMT

Hello! Our chair Tina Podlodowski is on mid-winter break with family this week, so the staff of the Washington State Democratic Party is bringing you some of the news this week in her stead!

Ukraine - We’ve all been watching this week’s news of war in Ukraine, with Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked invasion. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine, and we also want to thank the brave anti-war protesters in Russia and elsewhere who have stood up to oppose this attack.

You can watch President Biden’s remarks from Thursday on America’s response to this invasion here:

While our focus must be on the situation in Ukraine, we can’t help but notice how, here at home, former President Donald Trump and many other conservative Republicans continue, even now, to praise and support Vladimir Putin and his invasion:

As Russia prepared to strike Ukraine and the United States rushed to defend neighboring allies in Europe, former President Donald J. Trump had nothing but admiration for President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.

He is “pretty smart,” Mr. Trump said on Wednesday at a Florida fund-raiser, assessing the impending invasion like a real estate deal. “He’s taken over a country for $2 worth of sanctions,” he said, “taking over a country — really a vast, vast location, a great piece of land with a lot of people — and just walking right in.”

Historians called the remarks unprecedented. “The idea that a former president would praise the man or leadership who American troops are even now traveling to confront and contain,” said Jeffrey Engel, a presidential historian at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, “is astounding.”

We hope for a resolution to this needless act of aggression as soon as possible and for Putin to be held accountable for his actions.

If you want to get involved, here is a list of meaningful ways you can help support Ukraine and refugees fleeing violence. United Help Ukraine receives and distributes donations, food, and medical supplies to internally displaced Ukrainians, anyone affected by the conflict, and the families of wounded or killed soldiers.

Supreme Court Nominee - Just this morning, President Biden announced the nomination of Federal Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the US Supreme Court! She is exceptionally well qualified and has the experience, character, integrity, and dedication to the Constitution and rule of law that is necessary to serve on the nation’s highest court. Not only will she make history as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, but she will also be the first public defender to serve in this powerful institution. Judge Jackson has a proven track record of attracting bipartisan support in the Senate. She’s been confirmed three times on a bipartisan vote in the US Senate – and there’s no reason to expect anything different as she is now considered for the Supreme Court.

We’re so excited that President Biden has continued to keep another promise he made during his 2020 campaign. More importantly, we cannot wait for the work Judge Brown Jackson will do and the perspective she will bring to a body that was all white (until 55 years ago) and all male (until 41 years ago).

Legislature News - With just a couple weeks left until the session ends on March 10th, legislative Democrats in the House and Senate released their budget proposals for 2022 this week. While the proposals from each chamber differ slightly, both would make important investments in public schools, housing affordability and homelessness prevention, job creation, and transportation. You can read more about the House and Senate proposals at those two links. We’re looking forward to action in both chambers and seeing our Democratic leaders come together to negotiate their final budget plan for the year.

Rick Scott and Tiffany Smiley’s Agenda - Did you see the story about GOP Sen. Rick Scott of Florida and the “agenda” he laid out for if Republicans retake control of Congress? While Senator Mitch McConnell won’t say what policies he’d pursue if back in power, and the RNC refused to even pass a platform in 2020, Scott is laying out an incredibly unpopular agenda of tax hikes and far-right, socially-conservative goals:

Let’s start with what is not in there: any proposal to bring down inflation (which Republicans have been hollering about for months); to increase wages or reduce income inequality; to prepare workers for the 21st-century economy; to provide relief from tariffs (which are essentially taxes); and to increase school performance on basic subjects.

What it does include is embarrassing. Start with this: “We will secure our border, finish building the wall, and name it after President Donald Trump.” Republicans had their chance to do this when the defeated former president was still in office and failed. Moreover, such a project would be so expensive that it has lost support in deep-red Texas. It’s also irrelevant to real border protection — so much so that it has become a punchline.

Then there are the massive tax hikes: “All Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount. Currently over half of Americans pay no income tax.” That would affect tens of millions of Americans, including many working-class Americans and seniors. Interestingly, many corporations pay no federal income taxes, but the plan is silent on that. It might be the most regressive tax plan Republicans have ever come up with.

We’ve got to make it clear that this is what Republicans are running on - including Tiffany Smiley, who is challenging our Senator Patty Murray, right here in WA. Smiley has been endorsed by Scott, campaigns with him, and is part of this same movement! This Washington Post article is a great resource to share on social media. We all need to make sure folks know that Smiley is a part of this!

Thanks for reading, as always!

Your WA Democrats Staff

Tina's Friday Wrap Up

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 23:31:31 GMT

Hello Democrats!

Have You Heard About Peter Thiel? - Even though Donald Trump is out of office, his venomous brand of far-right politics is alive and well in Washington State. He’s already released endorsements for multiple 2022 candidates including gun-toting gubernatorial also-ran Loren Culp and worst-of-the-worst 3^rd CD candidate Joe Kent. What do these two have in common? They’re both mounting primary challenges to Republican incumbents who voted for Trump’s impeachment in 2020, Dan Newhouse and Jaime Herrera Beutler.

Even more troubling than the endorsements themselves is the support that comes with them. Following Trump’s endorsement, billionaire far-right bankroller Peter Thiel put massive amounts of money behind both candidates.

Thiel’s support for WA State candidates is just one piece of the puzzle. He’s given more than $20M to extreme conservatives running in the 2022 midterms. Most notably two of his donations, at $10M each, share the record for largest gift ever reported to a single-candidate PAC (JD Vance and Blake Masters - both hyper-conservative Senate candidates).

Check out this piece from the New York Times for more background on Thiel - This statement is particularly chilling:

In one 2009 piece, Mr. Thiel, who called himself a libertarian, wrote that he had come to “no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible,” arguing that American politics would always be hostile to free-market ideals, and that politics was about interfering with other people’s lives without their consent. Since then, he has hosted and attended events with white nationalists and alt-right figures.

This is what we are up against, people. It’s no longer policy disagreements that separate us from the Republicans – it’s the belief (in our case) or rejection (in their case) that Democracy is worth upholding.

If we don’t fight back against Republicans with everything we’ve got, we could literally lose the ability to vote them out of office, and lose our democracy forever.

What are you doing to register, identify and engage voters right now?

Legislative Budget Updates - Last week I wrote to you about the Democratic transportation proposal in our state legislature to make major investments in our transportation and transit systems across the state. That “Move Ahead Washington” package will provide historic funding for preserving our infrastructure, combating climate change by reducing emissions, expanding safe, affordable transit options, and addressing harm inflicted on communities of color from our existing transportation system - all without adding a penny in gas tax.

Move Ahead Washington also includes significant funding to address the negative environmental, health, and economic impacts of past transportation policies. The package includes tribal and special needs transit grants, workforce development initiatives, and walking and biking projects for neighborhoods that have historically been excluded from these investments.

An update this week - one of the key pieces of legislation for Move Ahead Washington passed the Senate floor (SB 5974) on a 29-20 vote. Turncoat “Democrat” Sen. Tim Sheldon, who caucuses with the Republicans, joined with Democrats on the vote. It’s great to see this package of investments in transportation, jobs, and environmental protection moving forward!

On the operating budget side, we expect to see the release of the Democratic budget proposal next Monday, February 21st. We’ll pass along information on the budget proposal to you all once we have it, but I’m hopeful for a strong, bold proposal that will make investments in a lot of the needs that have been exposed by the pandemic - safer schools and child care, more support for students and teachers, public health, and social services to reduce homelessness and help build more housing.

Economic News - The good news for the American economy continues! This week, we learned that retail sales increased by 3.8% in January, exceeding expectations. This strong, inflation-adjusted increase reflects the resilience of the economy even in the face of the lingering pandemic.

This data builds on the historic economic progress we’ve seen over the last year and an extremely strong jobs report last month despite omicron, which was well above expectations. In 2021, the economy created 6.7 million jobs – the strongest year of job growth on record. The unemployment rate declined more than any year on record and we achieved a 4% unemployment rate years earlier than previously projected, thanks to the American Rescue Plan. Small business applications and inflation-adjusted household income are both up.

Democrats need to tell this story to voters! We know that there’s still more to be done to create an economy that works for all Washingtonians, but we can’t let the only news people hear be Fox News. In poll after poll, voters say that the economy is one of their top concerns in 2022. We can’t be silent, or let Republicans control the conversation by talking about inflation.

We need to tell the story about how Democratic leadership has brought back jobs and small businesses - how the American Rescue Plan (bitterly opposed by Congressional Republicans!) helped get our economy back on its feet and created historic numbers of new jobs.

When folks talk about inflation, we need to make the root cause clear - corporations are taking advantage of our economic recovery to jack their prices up as high as they can. They know that more people are working and making money and they want to make as much profit as they can, while they can. Yeah, gas prices are high - that’s not because of Joe Biden, that’s because Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell & BP made nearly $25 billion in profits last quarter.

Don’t take it from me - take it from the people who run the grocery store business:

You might not be excited about paying higher prices for meat and vegetables, but your grocery store is thrilled.

The rising prices for staples like milk and pork affect grocery stores too, as they have to pay more to their suppliers. But while they are raising prices under the guise of increasing supplier costs, they're adding a little extra on top of that.

When grocery stores' costs rise, stores will "mark up the full rate of inflation plus a little bit more," said Burt Flickinger, the managing director of retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group. For example, if the price of meat that a store pays to its suppliers goes up 6 cents a pound, the store might raise the price it charges for that same meat by 10 cents.

Stores are betting most customers won't balk at price increases because they need to buy groceries, after all, and will still consider shopping a bargain compared to eating out at restaurants. Prices for food at restaurants are growing faster than prices at grocery stores, according to Labor Department data, giving grocers more flexibility to charge you extra.

…

Leading grocery chains such as Kroger and Albertsons have said in recent days that they expect to benefit from rising prices. Sales boomed at these chains and other grocers during the early stages of the pandemic, but have slowed down in recent months as more people return to eating meals out.

"Our business operates the best when inflation is about 3% to 4%," Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said on an earnings call with analysts Thursday. "A little bit of inflation is always good in our business."

Kroger can pass off costs to consumers when inflation hovers around that mark, McMullen said, and "customers don't overly react to that."

"Businesses like ours have done well when in periods where the inflation was 3% to 4%," Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran said at an investor conference Tuesday.

Sankaran did not specify why inflation would help Albertsons, but his "sense is this inflation will just be passed through" to customers. Albertsons did not respond to a request for further comment.

We’ve got to be clear about what’s happening in America - President Biden and Congressional Democrats have taken great action to get folks back to work and our economy back on track. Greedy corporations are taking advantage of this positive momentum to boost their own profits by jacking up prices as high as they can. Democrats don’t need to stop and give up - we need to do more, to restrain corporate power and center the needs of workers and their families. That’s the story that we need to tell about our economy to win in 2022.

Mask Mandates - This week, Gov. Inslee announced that the statewide mask mandate will expire on March 21st. While masks will still be required in some settings and in private businesses that choose to, and local governments will still have the option to have mandates in place, this is new development as we recover from the Omicron wave of the pandemic!

I want to thank all the Washingtonians who have done their part to get the pandemic moving in the right direction - everyone who’s gotten vaccinated, the essential workers who’ve kept society moving, the healthcare workers who’ve taken care of us, and the scientists who discovered these incredible vaccines! I especially want to thank Gov. Jay Inslee for his strong leadership that’s made sure Washington has had the best response to COVID of any state in the country! Let’s all continue to be safe, but I feel good about where we’re headed!

Thanks for reading, and thanks for all your support and help towards winning this year.

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Rise by Maya Angelou, Shared by Laurie Kadet

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 12 Feb 2022 02:00:05 GMT

Rise (For Black History Month)

Still I Rise

BY MAYA ANGELOU

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?

Why are you beset with gloom?

’Cause I walk like I've got oil wells

Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?

Don't you take it awful hard

’Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines

Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?

Does it come as a surprise

That I dance like I've got diamonds

At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise.

Maya Angelou, "Still I Rise" from And Still I Rise: A Book of Poems. Copyright © 1978 by Maya Angelou. Used by permission of Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

Source: The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (1994)

Tina Podlodowski Weekly News

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 12 Feb 2022 01:57:08 GMT

Hello Democrats! Lots of news to share with you this week at both the state and federal level. Legislative Democrats are just passing the halfway point of session (with a big new transportation proposal), and we’re learning even more about what went down in the final days of the Trump presidency. Read on!

Democratic Transportation Plan - We had big news out of the legislature this week, where House and Senate Democrats rolled out a transportation infrastructure package with major support from elected officials, labor unions, transit advocates, pedestrian and bicycle groups, business groups, and environmental and social justice advocates.

The “Move Ahead Washington” package provides historic funding for preserving our infrastructure, combating climate change by reducing emissions, expanding safe, affordable transit options, and addressing harm inflicted on communities of color from our existing transportation system - all without adding a penny in gas tax.

Environmental investments include fulfilling Washington’s obligation to replace fish passage barriers, increasing access to public transportation, scaling up electrification, improving stormwater treatment, and more. Public transportation investments will allow for four new hybrid electric ferries to be added to the current fleet, two additional conversions of Jumbo Mark II ferries to hybrid electric, high-speed rail funding, and the expansion of transit routes.

Ground-breaking investments in multimodal options will ensure all Washingtonians are able to get around in ways that are safe, accessible, and affordable. Move Ahead Washington was designed using feedback from two years of community engagement to identify transportation needs and priorities.

The package allocates unprecedented funding for highway maintenance and preservation, coupled with Complete Streets projects, which will support safe streets and roadways for people all over Washington. Ongoing project highlights include funding Washington’s portion of the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River, improving the US 2 Trestle, and more projects — large and small — across the state.

You can see the specific project lists here for transit, bike/pedestrian, and highway.

Funding for the package comes from a variety of sources, including a tax on fuel that is exported out of state, so nobody in Washington will be paying for it. Additional funding comes from the passage of the Climate Commitment Act and the Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.Thank you to our wonderful Democrats in Congress for investing in infrastructure!

I’m excited to see what happens next with this package, and I hope that we’re able to see action on this during the second half of the legislative session! As a reminder, the last day of the legislative session is March 10th, so there’s just a month left for action on all our legislative priorities.

Big Public Safety Vote - Our state legislators took another big vote on public safety Wednesday evening and, voting along party lines, the state Senate passed legislation to prohibit the sale of high-capacity firearm magazines. SB 5078 will be a big step toward safety from gun violence and ending mass shootings in our communities.

We know that this bill will make a difference. Nine states already restricted magazine capacity, and six of those states now have a lower rate of gun violence than Washington, according to the state Attorney General’s office. Data shows that allowing the sale of high-capacity magazines is the single best predictor of mass shooting rates in a state. In our state, high-capacity magazines have already been used in mass shootings in Mukilteo, Burlington, Seattle, and Spokane.

Public safety is an especially important issue right now, and with Democrats in charge in the legislature, Washington State is leading the way in keeping our communities safe with reasonable laws around these deadly weapons.

Trump and Culp, Culp and Trump - Trump had a week of bad news, mostly around documents from his time as president. We all remember how Hillary Clinton was dragged through the muck as a candidate because of some deleted emails.I don’t think we should be surprised that what Trump did was far, far worse. First, there’s the finding that his administration had taken classified materials and documents out of the White House and removed it to Mar-a-Lago as his presidency ended:

The National Archives and Records Administration discovered what it believed was classified information in documents Donald J. Trump had taken with him from the White House as he left office, according to a person briefed on the matter.

The discovery, which occurred after Mr. Trump returned 15 boxes of documents to the government last month, prompted the National Archives to reach out to the Justice Department for guidance, the person said. The department told the National Archives to have its inspector general examine the matter, the person said.

Then yesterday came the news that there are unexplained gaps in Trump’s official call logs as the insurrection attempt of January 6th was occurring:

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol has discovered gaps in official White House telephone logs from the day of the riot, finding few records of calls by President Donald J. Trump from critical hours when investigators know that he was making them.

…

The committee has learned in recent weeks that Mr. Trump spoke on the phone with Mr. Pence and Republican lawmakers on the morning of Jan. 6 as he pushed to overturn the election. For instance, Mr. Trump mistakenly called the phone of Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, thinking it was the number of Senator Tommy Tuberville, Republican of Alabama. Mr. Lee then passed the phone to Mr. Tuberville, who said he spoke to the former president for less than 10 minutes as rioters were breaking into the building.

But many of the calls the committee is aware of did not show up in the official logs.

The revelations about incomplete call logs come as Mr. Trump is under increasing scrutiny for apparently violating the Presidential Records Act by ripping up some White House documents and taking others with him when he left office. The House Oversight committee on Thursday announced an investigation into what it called “potential serious violations” of the law, including that Mr. Trump took 15 boxes of White House documents to his Palm Beach, Fla., compound and attempted to destroy presidential records.

What does all this mean? It shows the extent to which Trump and his administration are attempting to avoid accountability - hiding and destroying documents, apparently including classified material, and breaking public records requirements. They are desperate to prevent the American people from knowing how terrible their administration was.

Trump waded into Washington State politics this week as well, of course, with an endorsement of sore loser gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp’s current run for Congress in the 4th Congressional District!

That makes two Trump endorsements here in Washington, with Culp’s endorsement joining conservative extremist Joe Kent’s, who’s running for Congress in the 3rd CD.

It seems to me that the Republican party is in complete disarray here in Washington, with the disgraced leader of their party now endorsing primary challengers to two of their own members of Congress! The Republicans are STILL the party of Trump (the resolution just passed by the RNC calling the January 6th insurrection “legitimate political discourse” proves it) and we can’t let them off the hook!

UPDATE on Key Tasks for Local Parties - For the past two weeks, I’ve emailed you about some of the key tasks that we NEED local parties working on as the Coordinated Campaign spools up for 2022. Just since last week’s email, we had new groups of party leaders and some PCOs from Ferry, Jefferson, Pierce, Snohomish, and Spokane counties step up! Can we count on you and your local party organization to be next?

The critical projects that we want our local party organizations to get started on right away are:

Early Endorsements - Don’t wait to endorse our great Democrats, like Sen. Patty Murray and Secretary of State Steve Hobbs. These early endorsements help build the groundwork for our organizing and voter contact around these candidates. It’s especially important for legislative candidates and folks in smaller districts, who don’t represent as many areas and who really want to be able to get their Democratic Party endorsements in their voter guide statements. The voter guide statements for both the primary and general elections are due in the middle of May and if your party waits until later than that to endorse, your LPO’s endorsements won’t be included in voter guide statements! That’s a big problem for our parties and for the candidates we support - make sure you have scheduled at least one early endorsement opportunity in April, at the latest.

PCOs Can (and Should) Start Doorbelling and Contacting Voters - For PCOs, the time to walk or call the voters in your precincts is NOW so that we can get that data back into Votebuilder ASAP. The data PCOs collect in the first quarter of this year is essential to the voter targeting every Democratic candidate will be able to do in the primary election and for the rest of the year. If needed, our Coordinated Campaign staff can help set PCOs up with a phone or canvass list, an appropriate script for their precinct, and either a listening or ID canvass - just ask us at organizing@wa-democrats.org.

Local Volunteer Teams - Join a local volunteer team! Our state party field organizers are already working to set up local volunteer teams and scheduling voter contact events with those teams. Search for events near you and sign up for your first shift of the year at https://www.wa-democrats.org/organizingevents/.

If you don't see an event near you to sign up for, invite three friends to join you in starting a new volunteer group, and let us know at organizing@wa-democrats.org. We'll work with you to set up a schedule and provide a script, lists, and training!

Thanks for reading, and for your support. Let us know if you’re up for stepping to the plate and taking action as our 2022 Coordinated Campaign gains steam, and we’ll be right there with you!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

PS - Many congratulations to the King County Democrats and Chair Shasti Conrad for their terrific Winter Soirée, which raised over $55K for their local efforts!

P.P.S - Maybe that’s why King County GOP Chair Joshua Freed decided to quit?

Tina Podlodowski Weekly News

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 18:50:28 GMT

Hello Democrats! It was wonderful seeing so many of you (virtually) at our state committee meeting last weekend, and I’m so excited for our state convention coming up in June in Tacoma! In between now and then, we’ve got a ton of work to do, so let’s get to it!

HUGE Voter Protection News - Our Democratic Washington State Auditor Pat McCarthy made major news this week with the release of an audit of our counties’ practices when it comes to rejecting ballots due to signature issues. These include instances when voters don’t sign their ballots at all and when voters are judged to have a signature on their ballot that don’t match their signature on file.

While fewer than 1% of ballots are rejected statewide, and there could be an incredibly rare handful of cases where someone is trying to sign someone else’s ballot, it turns out that there are some extremely important - and concerning - trends in the data.

It’s interesting to look at signature rejection rates across counties, but what’s far more concerning are the rejection rates across demographic groups:

Statistical modeling of the rejected ballots concluded that while voters younger than 26 account for only 10% of Washington’s voting population, they made up more than 30% of rejected ballots.

Meanwhile, modeling showed that white voters had the lowest rejection rate among ethnic and racial groups.

And “Even when controlling for other variables, we estimated Black voters were twice as likely to have ballots rejected than white voters,” according to the audit.

Non-English speakers were also more likely to have their ballots rejected. A separate analysis of King County estimated that voters casting ballots that were not in English had a nearly 50% percent greater likelihood of having their ballot rejected.

Read that again - Black voters were TWICE AS LIKELY to have their ballots rejected by their county elections office as white voters. This is voter disenfranchisement, right here in Washington state. And something we’ve tried to tell past GOP Secretaries of State!

Why is this happening? The audit talks about some explanations, like language barriers for voters who aren’t proficient in English or folks whose signatures had naturally changed over time. But the solution is leadership - for decades, we’ve had Republican Secretaries of State who haven’t taken this challenge seriously enough and haven’t been committed to ensuring all voters get their ballots counted - especially voters with limited English skills, and young voters, and Black voters. We need leadership that will make sure this gets fixed!

There are two main ways Washington State Democrats have been working to address this. First of all, there’s our state-of-the-art voter protection program, where we help voters with questions about the process for filling out and returning their ballots before the election, and we follow up with voters who had their ballots rejected post-election to make sure they have the information and help necessary to “cure” their ballots so they can be counted. Our voter protection and “ballot curing” program has been nationally recognized by the Analyst Institute as the best in the country, and you had better be sure we’ll be running it again this year!

Secondly, we’re making sure that we hold the Secretary of State’s office with a Democrat who can provide the statewide leadership we need to make changes at our county auditors’ offices, to end these unfair and racist disparities. I'm glad that we finally have a Democrat, Secretary Steve Hobbs, in that office, and we are committed to keeping it that way in this year’s midterm election!

Secretary Hobbs has talked a lot about what he plans to do to encourage voter registration, first-time voters, and inclusion and support of diverse voters. We’re planning on organizing some Zoom events for after the legislative session so you can hear directly from him. But in the meantime, ask YOUR county auditor or election official how they are going to respond to their disparate rejection rates in YOUR county. We’d like to hear what they say, and we must hold them accountable.

Announcing Upcoming Training Opportunities - The Washington State Democratic Party, in collaboration with the DNC’s Best Practices Institute, is excited to announce the launch of our 2022 State Party Campaign Bootcamp webinar training program!

The State Party Campaign Bootcamp Program is a free, two-day, virtual training program with supplemental, small-group coaching sessions to encourage community building and collaborative learning. This program seeks to support campaigns by ensuring that comprehensive training is free and accessible for Democrats working on campaigns across Washington.

Candidates will learn critical aspects of launching and running a successful campaign, hear from special guest speakers, and have the opportunity to hone in on subjects with individualized attention through additional coaching sessions with experts. This training is open to Democratic candidates, potential candidates, and campaign staff. Even if you haven’t decided whether you want to run for office this year, this training might provide you with helpful information for when you are making that decision, and to hit the ground running when you do. And if you are running, it’s a MUST for you and your team!

Click Here to Register!

The schedule will be -

Saturday, February 26: State Party Campaign Bootcamp–Crafting Your Campaign

9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Sunday, February 27: State Party Campaign Bootcamp–External Engagement

9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Tuesday, March 1: Media Coaching (pick one of these)

Session 1: 4:00 pm
Session 2: 5:00 pm
Session 3: 6:00 pm
Session 4: 7:00 pm
Session 5: 8:00 pm

Thursday, March 3: Call Time Coaching (pick one of these)

Session 1: 4:00 pm
Session 2: 5:00 pm
Session 3: 6:00 pm
Session 4: 7:00 pm
Session 5: 8:00 pm

CLICK HERE to submit your registration for the 2022 State Party Campaign Bootcamp Program! Registration will close on February 24th. We want a strong Washington turnout!

Key Tasks for Local Parties - Last week, I let you know about some of the key tasks that we NEED local parties working on as the Coordinated Campaign spools up for 2022, and I am really excited with the response we’ve received so far!. We’ve got doorbelling and phone banking events scheduled across Washington. Our new field organizer, Jesús Zamora, who just joined us from Houston, Texas, even has bilingual phone bankers recruited for some of his phone banking in Central Washington!

The four important projects that we want our local party organizations to get started on right away are:

Early Endorsements - Don’t wait to endorse our great Democratic incumbents, like Sen. Patty Murray. These early endorsements help build the groundwork for our organizing and voter contact around these candidates. It’s especially important for legislative candidates and folks in smaller districts, who don’t represent as many areas and who really want to be able to get their Democratic Party endorsements in their voter guide statements. The voter guide statements for both the primary and general elections are due in the middle of May and if your party waits until later than that to endorse, your LPO’s endorsements won’t be included in voter guide statements! That’s a big problem for our parties and for the candidates we support - make sure you have scheduled at least one early endorsement opportunity in April or sooner.

PCOs Can (and Should) Start Doorbelling - For PCOs, the time to walk or call the voters in your precincts is NOW so that we can get that data back into Votebuilder ASAP. The data PCOs collect in the first quarter of this year is essential to the voter targeting every Democratic candidate will be able to do in the primary election and for the rest of the year. If needed, our Coordinated Campaign staff can help set PCOs up with a phone or canvass list, an appropriate script for their precinct, and either a listening or ID canvass - just ask us at organizing@wa-democrats.org.

Black History Month and Lunar New Year - This Tuesday, February 1st, was a really fun day - it was both the start of Black History Month and the Lunar New Year, kicking off the Year of the Tiger!

Black History Month is a time to celebrate and remember the heritage of all African Americans and their contributions to the world! Black history is American history, and we honor Washington State's progressive African American leaders who have paved the way and inspired future generations.

From Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland - the first Black person (and Korean American) to represent Washington in federal office - to our Black legislators and local elected officials, we’re proud that Black leaders are ascending in the Washington State Democratic Party. This must continue! These last few months have seen the passing of Black leaders like Sen. George Fleming and Rep. Bill Smitherman, and we need to make sure that a new generation is elected and re-elected to office to carry on their legacy and their work (and create a new legacy!). I’m incredibly proud of the Black Democrats that we’ve elected in districts across the state, and I’m excited to support so many of them again for re-election in 2022!

For example, let’s hear it for our Legislative Black Caucus, led by Representative Jamila Taylor in the 30th LD. The all-Democratic caucus is up to a record nine members and is bicameral, with seven members in the House and two in the Senate. The group represents nine of the 25 Black lawmakers in Washington’s legislative history—the first member dating to Washington’s inaugural legislature in 1889.

Tuesday was also the start of a new Lunar Year! I hope that the Year of the Tiger brings you and your loved ones prosperity and good health! I loved this short video that Sen. Joe Nguyen posted on Twitter from the legislature’s recognition of the Lunar New Year - check it out!

Legislative Retirements Update - This week, Rep. Mike Sells of the 38th LD announced that he wouldn’t be running for re-election this year. We congratulate Rep. Sells on a tremendous record of service in the legislature as a champion for working people and higher education. Rep. Sells is a huge labor supporter (like our party!) and one of the leaders who helped bring a WSU branch campus to Everett, so all the Cougs out there should be sure to thank Rep. Sells for his leadership.

Other Democratic legislators not running for re-election include Sen. Reuven Carlyle of the 36th LD, Sen. David Frockt of the 46th LD, and Rep. Steve Kirby of the 29th LD, with more retirements possibly to come. I’m so appreciative of their service, and I’m looking forward to seeing the exciting Democrats we have running for office rising in the ranks to join us in the legislature next year!

As always, thank you all for reading and for your support!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's Friday Wrap Up

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 23:07:12 GMT

Hello Democrats! We are in the midst of our final preparations for tomorrow’s State Committee meeting and I’m so excited to talk with all our State Committee members about what we’ve been up to and our big plans for 2022! From our Coordinated Campaign to our Convention in June (in Tacoma this year!) there’s a lot coming up for our local party organizations to work on and engage in. Make sure you’re fired up and ready to go, because we are all counting on every Washington State Democrat doing their part this year!

Local Parties Getting Active - You all know that our local parties are the grassroots of this entire organization, and we count on you to lay the groundwork we need to win – now and in the future. It’s your year-round work starting NOW that sets us up in a position to be successful in the General Election nine months from now.

We’ve got four important projects that we want our local party organizations to get started on right away:

Early Endorsements - Don’t wait to endorse our great Democratic incumbents, like Sen. Patty Murray. These early endorsements help build the groundwork for our organizing and voter contact around these candidates. It’s especially important for legislative candidates and folks in smaller districts, who don’t represent as many areas and who really want to be able to get their Democratic Party endorsements in their voter guide statements. The voter guide statements for both the primary and general elections are due in the middle of May and if your party waits until later than that to endorse, you won’t be able to be included in the voter guide statement! That’s a big problem for our parties and for the candidates we support - make sure you have scheduled at least one early endorsement opportunity in April or sooner.

For example, I want to give a shout out to the local Democratic Party organizations that HAVE already endorsed Sen. Patty Murray!38th LD Democrats, Grant County Democrats, Chelan County Democrats, Douglas County Democrats, Franklin County Democrats, and the WA Democrats Native American Caucus all took early action to endorse her re-election. Get your LPO on this list next!

PCOs Can (and should) Start Doorbelling - For PCOs, the time to walk or call the voters in your precincts is NOW so that we can get that data back into Votebuilder ASAP. The data PCOs collect in the first quarter of this year is essential to the voter targeting every Democratic candidate will be able to do in the primary election and for the rest of the year. If needed, our Coordinated Campaign staff can help set PCOs up with a phone or canvass list, an appropriate script for their precinct, and either a listening or ID canvass - just ask us at organizing@wa-democrats.org.

Lobby the Legislature - Get involved in the legislative session and contact your legislators about a bill or bills that you support from our Democratic platform! You can get the email address for the legislators in your district from this page, or you can call the legislative hotline at 1-800-562-6000 (TTY for Hearing Impaired 800.833.6388) to leave them a message. The hotline staff will also fulfill requests for bills and other legislative documents and can answer questions about meeting times and places, and the legislative process. They’re open for calls from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday during the legislative session.

Some bills I’m interested in (and you should be too):

SB 5182, to repeal Tim Eyman’s wasteful, meaningless advisory votes on each year’s ballot. These are just propaganda to voters each year with no legal impact except to waste room on the ballot and time and money at our elections offices who have to count them.

This one is particularly important because we need to make sure all our Democrats are behind this bill so it can move forward. It wasn’t brought up for a floor vote last year, and we need to make sure our Democratic leaders know that this bill has strong support from the Democratic grassroots and that we expect to see this brought up for consideration.

Also take a look at:

SB 5078, banning high capacity magazines for guns. I don’t think civilians need guns with magazines that have more than 17 rounds of ammunition in them. Let’s make our communities safer from gun violence!
HB 1782, to expand opportunities for affordable housing in our cities. Let’s face it, we have an affordable housing crisis in this state, and we need to build more homes that younger people and folks working lower-wage jobs can actually afford! Right now we’re pushing folks out into sprawl with longer commutes and worse environmental consequences. We need to build affordable housing in our cities, and this bill will help make that possible.

Otherwise, find a bill that matches your biggest concerns and our Democratic platform, and pick up the phone and call your legislators!

School Levies on the Ballot - Many school districts across Washington state have levies on the ballot right now! For most of these, their election day is Tuesday, February 8th. Make sure you’ve double-checked your mail for a ballot! These levies provide critical funding for school district services and are so important for making sure we can support our teachers and school staff during these very challenging times. Check for your ballot and if you’re in a district running a levy right now, make a plan to get your ballot returned in a dropbox or postmarked in the mail by Tuesday February 8th!

Legislative Session Calendar Update - Next Thursday, February 3rd, is the deadline for bills to get a vote in their policy committee and pass to be considered further. Except for bills relating to the budget, a bill that doesn’t pass committee by that deadline is considered “dead” for the year. The clock is ticking and advocates need to be tracking their bills closely to make sure their top priorities have already passed out of committee or are scheduled for a vote next week. Both the House and Senate have begun floor action on some bills as well, so we’re starting to see legislation move back and forth between the chambers and towards the governor’s desk for signature!

The dates and the deadlines coming up are:

Last day for bills to pass policy committee in their chamber of origin - February 3
Last day for bills to pass fiscal committee in their chamber of origin - February 7
Last day for bills to pass the floor in their chamber of origin - February 15
Last day for bills to pass policy committee in the opposite chamber - February 24
Last day for bills to pass fiscal committee in the opposite chamber - February 28
Last day for bills to pass the floor in the opposite chamber - March 4
Last day of session - March 10

All these deadlines will be important for determining what legislation will pass or fail, and the days leading up to those deadlines will be crucial times for advocates to push for action on their bills.

As with last year, every legislative committee will be offering remote testimony options. You have the option of testifying live via video conference or phone, submitting written comments, and/or just noting for the record whether you are for or against a bill. Here are some of the “rules of the road” you should be aware of, if testifying live remotely:

Registering to testify does not guarantee you a chance to speak or speak at a specific time.
The committee chair may limit public testimony (for example, one minute per testifier) due to time constraints. Be prepared to testify at any point during the hearing.
Maintain proper committee protocol, which includes waiting to be acknowledged by the committee chair before speaking, ensuring testimony and any objects appearing in the background of video feeds are respectful and professional, and following rules for testimony established by the chair.

For those reasons, it’s a good idea to always combine your live testimony plan with written remarks that you can email to committee members and to the legislators from your own district, in case you aren’t able to deliver your full, planned testimony.

Here are some key links to help with remote testimony participation during the 2022 Legislative Session:

State Committee Meeting Tomorrow - Our January meeting of the Washington Democratic Central Committee is tomorrow morning - the action gets started at 9:00 a.m. Our state committee members will be working on issues like resolutions, the state convention, and more. Folks who aren’t on the committee canwatch on our Youtube stream here!

With that, I need to wrap up my remarks for tomorrow and get some rest tonight, because we’ve got a big day tomorrow! Talk to our state committee members then, and see more of you on the Youtube stream! Thank you!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 05:21:49 GMT

Hello Democrats!

One Year Into Biden’s Presidency - President Biden and Vice President Harris took office one year ago this Thursday amid several crises and promised to move quickly to deliver results for working families. That’s just what they’ve done.

In just one year, Democrats have:

Got Shots in Arms & Saved Lives: The President set up a historic vaccination program that resulted in more than 200 million Americans getting fully vaccinated this year – almost 75% of all adults. Millions of teenagers and children are now vaccinated, and tens of millions of Americans are getting booster shots. The President closed the racial equity gap in COVID vaccinations among adults. And, about 96% of schools have re-opened their buildings and welcomed students back to learn in their classrooms. All these steps have and continue to save countless lives.
Got People Back to Work: President Biden has spurred the fastest economic growth in decades and added 6.4 million jobs - the most ever recorded in one year. Weekly unemployment claims are at their lowest level since 1969. Economic growth is the strongest it’s been in two generations – and for the first time in 20 years, the U.S. economy has grown faster than China’s.
Passed Laws to Create Jobs & Rebuild Crumbling Infrastructure: President Biden got the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed -- the most impactful legislative agenda ever for a first-year president. The American Rescue Plan led to what experts estimate will be the lowest child poverty rate on record. The unemployment rate is down to 3.9% – two years faster than projected. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will create jobs, provide clean drinking water, upgrade our roads, airports, and rail, and is a critical, first step towards a clean energy future.

In spite of unprecedented crises and opposition from Republicans, the President and Congressional Democrats got an enormous amount done for the American people during the historic first year of the Biden Administration.

Some facts on the record firsts of Biden’s Presidency so far:

Jobs: President Biden’s first year was the greatest year of job creation in American history, with more than 6 million jobs created.
Unemployment Rate: The unemployment rate dropped from 6.2% when Biden took office to 3.9% – the biggest single year drop in American history.
Unemployment Claims: The average number of Americans filing for unemployment every week has been at its lowest level since 1969. When the President took office, over 18 million were receiving unemployment benefits; today only 2 million are — also the biggest single year drop in history.
Economic Legislation Passed: Most significant economic impact of any first-year president.
Child Poverty: Experts estimate the US reached its lowest child poverty rate ever in 2021.
Expanded Access to Health Care: Nearly five million Americans have newly gained health insurance coverage.
Reduced Hunger: The number of households reporting that they sometimes or often did not have enough to eat dropped by 32%.
Judges Confirmed: More judges confirmed to lower federal courts than any president since President Kennedy.
Judges That Reflect Our Nation: More Black women appointed to the US Court of Appeals than any president -- even over 8 years -- in history.
Cabinet: First majority non-white Cabinet in history, with most women in the Cabinet, including first female Treasury Secretary, first LGBTQ+ and Native American Cabinet officials, and first female Director of National Intelligence.
Climate Investments: Largest investments ever in climate resilience, the power grid, and electric vehicle chargers.
Clean Water: Largest investment and national, bipartisan plan to get safe and clean drinking water to all Americans.
Cleaner Cars: Strongest vehicle emissions standards ever, saving drivers money at the pump and reducing pollution.
Wind: First-ever approvals of large-scale, offshore wind projects.
Personnel: Most diverse Administration in history – most women, people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, first-generation American, and first-generation college graduates.

We all know there’s a lot left to be done. But we also need to celebrate the huge accomplishments we’ve achieved so far! We need to make sure that voters know what Democrats have delivered going into the midterm elections. Please help spread these accomplishments to your friends, networks, and social media. Don’t let people around you gripe about how “Biden isn’t doing anything” - if you hear or see folks saying that, let them know the truth! The first year of Biden’s presidency delivered major progressive policy, and I’m confident that we’ll see more action and even more progressive wins in his second year.

The Truth About the Board of Health - You might have heard about the right-wing conspiracies surrounding Washington’s Board of Health that led conservative protesters to rally at the Board’s meeting and to even make threats to some of its members. Apparently, some extreme conservatives were claiming that the Board was going to kidnap unvaccinated people and lock them up in quarantine. I’m sure none of you will be surprised to find out that this was completely untrue - yet another example of COVID misinformation raised by Republicans.

What’s interesting is that a UW expert at the Center for an Informed Public talked with MyNorthwest news about how this wasn’t just naturally spread, but was intentionally and strategically amplified by actual Republican candidates, including several running for Congress:

University of Washington’s Dr. Kate Starbird — an expert on misinformation and the co-founder of the Center for an Informed Public — spoke to CNN this week to describe the mechanics of a process she says is designed to instill fear and panic with claims that are then “strategically amplified.”

“I think people are afraid because they’ve been stirred up to be afraid, and these kinds of things can take root,” She detailed. “Then people — cable news hosts and others — are opportunistically amplifying these things to feed their financial models,” she detailed.

The claims related to the Washington State Board of Health were widely circulated around social media, and later received signal boosts from Republican Congressional candidates Joe Kent, Jesse Jensen, and Doug Basler, among others. But as it turns out, the Board of Health meeting in question wasn’t about COVID-19 at all. Rather, it was to discuss edits to outdated language in state laws originally written to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

That’s part of what Starbird says has been a common tactic in past years.

“This is something we’ve seen over and over again, and we know that conspiracy theories and rumors are often built off of old building blocks,” she detailed, citing past unproven conspiracy theories about FEMA planning to use major disasters as an impetus to imprison people in camps.

One of the Republicans spreading these conspiracies was Jesse Jensen, running against Rep. Kim Schrier in the 8th Congressional District. As the Seattle Times reported:

Jesse Jensen, a Republican challenging U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Sammamish, in the 8th Congressional District, fired off a press release condemning the health board’s “Gestapo tactics to come into your home and detain you and your family.”

Jensen wants very badly for voters to think of him as a “moderate” so he can win in this swing district, but here he is sending out a press release with completely false misinformation comparing the Board of Health to the Nazi Gestapo? This is completely unacceptable.

The problem with misinformation and conspiracy in the Republican Party is that it’s not just at their fringes. This is not just an issue with a few on the far-right; this is a central theme of their entire party at this point. Lying to spread fear and confusion among the base has been a part of the conservative strategy for decades, of course, but the degree to which it’s been taken over the mainstream of their party is now unprecedented. We Democrats MUST take a stand for truth and not let this go unchallenged. We must fight and win.

Voting Rights and the Filibuster - Like all of you, I was disappointed that the Senate vote to change filibuster rules and allow a fair, up-or-down vote on the Freedom to Vote: John R Lewis Act failed, 48 to 52. Voting rights is so important - it is one of those issues where it is better to fight and lose than not fight at all. That’s whyI’m glad that the issue was brought to the floor, even though it did not get enough votes. I thank our Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell for pushing to get this vote as far as it did.

First, like all of you, I’m angry at the conservative Democrats Manchin (WV) and Sinema (AZ) for joining Republicans on this vote on the filibuster rules. But Manchin and Sinema are not the only two people who voted the wrong way on this. Let’s not forget that every single Republican in the Senate voted against this, too. As Jonathan Weisman put it in the New York Times:

The remarkable vitriol being trained by Democratic activists on two members of their own party has largely given Republicans a pass for blocking the bill and standing by new state laws designed to limit access to the ballot box and empower partisan actors to administer elections and count votes.

To win in 2022, Democrats must reconstitute the anti-Trump majority who delivered the House, Senate, and White House two years ago. The best way to do that is to remind people of the crisis that originally sparked us into action has not receded. It has grown. We have to make this election a choice between Democrats and MAGA Republicans. We can’t do that if we keep the spotlight on Manchin and Sinema, no matter how much they frustrate us.

Second, this just makes it all the more important that we elect good people to our election administration positions across Washington. That means retaining our new Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and supporting folks for county auditor positions who will run our elections fairly and freely. Republicans across the country are running candidates for election jobs who might help support a coup like Donald Trump attempted in 2020. We can’t let them win – here or anywhere. We have to beat their attempts to pass anti-voting bills in state legislatures. Protecting the right to vote starts at the local and state level, and I’m committed to doing our part here in Washington.

Blue Washington Special Offer - Our organizers are working hard around the clock to ensure that every single Democrat statewide turns out to vote this November, but they need your help. Our Coordinated Campaign needs to hire more organizers and we are currently facing a $3M budget gap. We truly cannot do this without you, which is why I wanted to remind you about joining our recurring donor programBlue Washington. By becoming a recurring donor, you will be supporting every single Democratic candidate in our state, driving progressive voter turnout, and ensuring we maintain our blue majority!

OurBlue Washington program specifically helps us build our organizing team and fund the resources they need to fight voter suppression and turn out every single Democrat. The more resources we have, the more we can accomplish!

What better way to watch President Biden’s updates at his State of the Union this year than with a cup of Joe! So get your coffee in style with our new mug! Those who sign up with a donation of at least $10 monthly will receive this limited edition “Organizing Works” coffee mug with a message to remind us why Democrats win:

Sign up todayby clicking below! The earlier we can start organizing, the more we will be able to accomplish. Will you invest in a more progressive future for Washington?

COVID Tests - If you haven’t yet, sign up to get four free COVID tests from the federal government through USPS here! https://www.covidtests.gov Or, you can call 800-232-0233 or TTY 888-720-7489 to order them over the phone. In addition to the federal option, the state of Washington is also sending out free tests through https://sayyeshometest.org Both are super convenient to sign up, so let’s get these tests out to everyone ASAP!

And last, but not least, next Saturday, January 29th, is our state committee meeting! Our state committee members will be working on issues like resolutions, the state convention, and more - folks can watch on our Youtube stream here!

Thanks for reading and for your support as always.

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Balancing Our Tax Code

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 01:34:45 GMT

Dear Activist,

The Washington State Legislature is back in session this week and it’s time to remind them that the work of balancing our tax code has just started.

Send an email to your representatives now asking them to keep at it. By signing this email you’ll ask them to support ways to make our tax system more fair, like:

taxing billionaires who aren’t paying what they owe, like the rest of us (HB 1406), and
making the inheritance tax more equitable (HB 1465).

Last year, we came together and demanded that lawmakers ask the wealthiest Washingtonians to pay their share, like the rest of us. And we won!

Lawmakers made major investments in childcare and early education with a modest capital gains tax on the ultra-wealthy, which was an important step in balancing our upside-down tax code.

We aren't stopping now!

Send Your Email No

Be sure to tell them more about WHY you care and personalize your email.

Then join us throughout the legislative session as we raise our voices in support of a wealth tax for billionaires and a bill making the inheritance tax more equitable.

Let’s go!

Treasure Mackley, Executive Director

Invest In Washington Now
603 Stewart St Ste 819 Seattle, WA 98101

Tina's Weekly Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 01:26:43 GMT

Hello Democrats and happy Friday!

Voting Rights - Voting rights is the huge issue of this week. This coming Monday is MLK Day, and this day honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. must motivate all of us to engage on one of the great missions of his life - protecting the right to vote. It’s also the wish of the King Family that we stand resolute and do everything in our power to elevate every voice and every vote.

This week, in Atlanta, GA, the President and Vice President forcefully defended the fundamental right to vote and called on Congress to stand on the right side of history by passing voting rights laws that prevent voter suppression, ensure full access to voting by mail, expand access to drop-boxes, and more.

The Freedom to Vote Act takes on election subversion to protect nonpartisan election officials from intimidation and interference; activists from the Civil Rights Movement knew that these officials could help or harm efforts to eliminate voting rights discrimination and this influence remains true today The bill would also get dark money out of politics and create fairer district maps by ending partisan gerrymandering, a tactic deployed relentlessly during the Jim Crow Era to disenfranchise Black voters. Meanwhile, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act restores the strength of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, another legacy of Dr. King’s leadership, and allows the Justice Department to stop discriminatory laws before they go into effect.

Both acts have now been combined into one omnibus bill, known as the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act. This bill includes important proposals to combat voter suppression and election sabotage as well as provide new public disclosures of money spent to influence elections.

Senate Republicans have blocked these bills – and oppose even debating them. That’s why President Biden made it clear that he supports changing the Senate rules to prevent a minority of Senators from blocking action on voting rights. If the Senate can change the rules so Donald Trump can block Obama’s Supreme Court nomination and seat his own conservative Justices, we should be able to change them to protect the heart and soul of our democracy. I’m glad to say that our own Sen. Patty Murray also is loudly and proudly standing up to pass these bills, along with the rest of our exceptional delegation.

At consequential moments, history presents a choice. Lawmakers have a choice to make on which side of history they stand on. Do they want to be on the side of Dr. King? Or George Wallace? Do they want to be on the side of John Lewis? Or Bull Connor? Protecting the constitutionally-protected right to vote is a sacred responsibility – and Republicans who want to stand in the way of this are going to be judged by history.

And let’s be clear - this is not a vague or theoretical issue. The right to vote is actively and intentionally under attack. Republican legislatures across the country are passing laws like prohibiting volunteers from giving water to folks waiting in line to vote and closing DMVs in communities of color so that eligible voters face even more obstacles to get the new forms of ID Republicans are requiring at the polls. Here in Washington State, GOP legislators have proposed ending universal vote-by-mail and continue to question the integrity of our elections. These challenges are real, and they are happening now.

This Monday on MLK Day, if you have the day off work, I hope you’ll take some time to engage on this issue. Contact your elected officials, talk with some friends to make sure they both know about voter suppression AND that they are registered to vote, if eligible. Write a social media post – find something to do to help move this issue forward. Call our Senator Patty Murray's office at 202-224-2621 and thank her for stepping up to help lead the Senate towards action on these critical bills! Access to the ballot is the foundation of our democracy, and we can’t let the progress earned by the sacrifice of leaders like Dr. King be taken away by vote-suppressing politicians.

State of the State - The legislative session kicked off this week, and Governor Jay Inslee gave his State of the State Address about his agenda for the 2022 session. He talked about the importance of combating climate change, ending homelessness, and more, with an emphasis on the urgency of addressing these issues NOW and not kicking the can down the road. I can’t agree more - voters expect and deserve action! You can read Inslee’s address here or watch it on TVW:

COVID & Hospitals - This week, Governor Inslee also took action to help support Washington hospitals, as many have been struggling due to COVID. More and more COVID cases are coming in and many hospitals don’t have the beds and staff to match, leading to non-emergency procedures being canceled and continuing stress and burnout on our hard working doctors, nurses, and healthcare staff. Inslee’s order activates the National Guard to work in hospitals and COVID testing sites in some of the hardest-hit areas of Washington. I hope that this surge in personnel is able to help alleviate the pressure on our medical system as we get through the worst of the post-holiday and omicron COVID rise.

So many of us are experiencing this in our own families - just this week my 92 year old mom was turned away from hospitalization because there wasn’t a bed for her, and needed specialists who could not be accessed for care. This is NOT the fault of medical and support personnel - this is about a lack of personal responsibility and care for the community when it comes to vaccinations and the simple act of masking.

I ALSO want to remind everyone how irresponsible the WA GOP leaders have been on COVID. Remember when their Senate Republican Leader John Braun told the Columbian newspaper that it wouldn’t be a bad thing if more people got COVID?

It sure seems like a bad thing to me - for so many reasons.

Or how House Republican Leader J.T. Wilcox said that hospital capacity concerns never pan out here?

Our hospitals are in crisis! How out of touch can you be? With more than 1M cases in our state, and more than 10,000 dead, this is the height of callousness, ignorance, and loyalty to a dying ideology over care for the people they are supposed to serve.

If people like Braun and Wilcox were running Washington state, it would be a disaster, with countless more deaths, more people sick, and more pain and misery. I’m so glad that we have Inslee’s leadership through this pandemic.

Blue Washington Special Offer - Our organizers are working hard around the clock to ensure that every single Democrat statewide turns out to vote this November, but they need your help. Our Coordinated Campaign needs to hire more organizers and we are currently facing a $3M budget gap. We truly cannot do this without you, which is why I wanted to remind you about joining our recurring donor program Blue Washington. By becoming a recurring donor, you will be supporting every single Democratic candidate in our state, driving progressive voter turnout, and ensuring we maintain our blue majority!

Our Blue Washington program specifically helps us build our organizing team and fund the resources they need to fight voter suppression and turn out every single Democrat. The more resources we have, the more we can accomplish!

Sign up today by clicking below! The earlier we can start organizing, the more we will be able to accomplish. Will you invest in a more progressive future for Washington?

Campaign Finance Update - This week had news on the campaign finance front - candidates running for state office had to file their C4 reports for December, and many federal candidates reported their fundraising for the fourth quarter of 2021. On the federal level, I’m thrilled and not at all surprised that Sen. Patty Murray was able to announce strong grassroots support for her campaign - she outraised her Republican opponent, with an average online donation of $25.77 this quarter and more than 17,000 contributions in the fourth quarter alone, with contributors from every county in Washington state. That support shows that the Democratic base, together with our networks, are engaged in this race and enthusiastic to support Sen. Murray, which is exactly the kind of energy we need going into these midterm elections.

On the state level, I was interested to see “independent” Secretary of State candidate Julie Anderson’s C4 report on her campaign’s spending. Anderson has filed against Democrat Steve Hobbs - our first Democratic Secretary of State in nearly 60 years.

For this “independent,” the staff whom she’s hiring seem to make clear how she’s leaning politically - her campaign treasurer is Jason Michaud, who works for conservative candidates across Washington, including House Republican Minority Leader Rep. J.T. Wilcox. And for her PR campaign, she hired a Republican communications operative named Bobbi Cussins, who used to work for the state House Republican Caucus in the legislature and for conservative advocacy groups like the Association of Washington Business. Doesn’t sound too “independent” to me!

Consider getting early endorsements from your local party organizations for both Senator Murray and Secretary Hobbs, as we will need EVERY Democratic vote to help them to victory.

DNC LGBTQ listening sessions - The DNC's Coalitions Team will be hosting a number of listening sessions in late January/early February to hear directly from LGBTQ leaders across the country about how we can better support and engage LGBTQ communities in every state. We would love to have good Washington representation! These listening sessions will be facilitated by the DNC Coalitions Team and the goal is to better understand how they can support and engage with LGBTQ communities across the country.

I think this is a great opportunity to provide feedback to the DNC Coalitions Team, but we need to send them names for consideration by next Tuesday, January 18th. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, reply to this email with your name and contact information, and we can pass it along to the DNC!

One last FYI - make sure folks are watching out for our next state committee meeting coming up Saturday, January 29th. I’m looking forward to connecting with all our state committee members on the important work we have ahead of us and getting the ball rolling on a big election year! We will have a few special guests join us for the meeting as well, and you’ll be able to stream it live on Youtube to watch! You won’t want to miss it!

Thank you so much for your support as always! Stay healthy and safe!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina Podlodowski Weekly News

Douglass MacKenzie — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 18:08:56 GMT

Hello Democrats! I hope 2022 has been a good new year for you so far and that you and your loved ones have been safe and healthy! We have a lot to catch up on already, and with the legislative session starting next Monday, we’ll have 60 days of important state-level politics, policy, and action coming at you. Let’s start with this week’s news!

Anniversary of the January 6th Insurrection - There has been so much press around the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection attempt by Donald Trump and his radical GOP allies, so I won’t overly belabor the discussion here. However, this isn’t something to brush off. We absolutely must remember that January 6th, 2021, was one of the darkest days in our democracy’s history, as we witnessed our nation’s own Republican leaders incite a violent siege on our Capitol. We can never forget that violent attack against American democracy, the fear we felt for every member of our Congressional delegation, Capitol staff, and Capitol police, and – importantly – how we got to that point, starting with Trump's electoral loss in 2020.

And since January 6th, 2021, Republicans across Washington and the country have continued to promote disinformation and undermine faith in our elections. They’ve sown distrust, then used that distrust as an excuse to roll back voting rights in states, cover up responsibility for their role in promoting right-wing political violence, keep their supporters engaged and enraged, and expose Americans – from election administrators to school superintendents – to death threats and violence.

We are not immune in Washington State at all - GOP legislators Robert Sutherland, Vicki Kraft and Brad Klippert continue to promote their party’s lies, and try to pass legislation that undermines the vote here in the Evergreen State: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/three-wa-republican-legislators-used-taxpayer-money-to-attend-mike-lindells-election-conspiracy-conference/

GOP leaders like J.T. Wilcox and John Braun just shrug at such blatant lies and anti-government actions coming from within their party, and turn away. We can’t tolerate the insidious attacks on democracy taking place across the aisle.

The claims about the 2020 election are far from the first example of conservative misinformation and surely won’t be the last. We cannot let our guard down against these attempts to sow division, confusion, and hate. It’s critical that we all call out those responsible for the lies and manipulations that led to this extremism and its manifestation in an attack on the Capitol, so that nothing like the January 6th insurrection attempt can ever happen again in this country.

Two links I want to share with you - first, I thought that President Biden and Vice President Harris spoke very well about the importance of this anniversary and their perspectives on it. You can watch President Biden and Vice President Harris’ remarks here:

And secondly, a story from last February, where our own Sen. Patty Murray told the story of her own narrow escape from a violent mob inside the Capitol:

We have to remember this. We have to take it seriously, and we have to recognize that Republicans are still at work to undermine our elections and spread disinformation. Our very democracy remains at stake in 2022.

That’s why we’ve kicked off our 2022 Coordinated Campaign and we need all of you as a part of the team NOW to build towards winning this November. We’ve got organizers on the ground, with more to come. We need to connect our organizers with activists like you, who are ready to step up and build our party, get Democrats motivated, and lay the groundwork we need to get out the vote and win in these midterms and beyond. Click here to get connected with our organizers and our local Neighborhood Teams all across Washington state. We need your help early for this massively important year.

Legislative Session & What You Need To Know - Next Monday, January 10th, the 60-day “short” state legislative session begins for 2022. We’ll go on to talk more about some of the important issues the legislature will be considering this year, but wanted to start with some of the groundwork information we all need to know about the session, the schedule, and how to get involved.

First, the key dates and the deadlines that bills have to move forward by to stay alive:

Start of session - January 10, 2022
Last day for bills to pass policy committee in their house of origin - February 3, 2022
Last day for bills to pass fiscal committee in their house of origin - February 7, 2022
Last day for bills to pass the floor in their house of origin - February 15, 2022
Last day for bills to pass policy committee in the opposite house - February 24, 2022
Last day for bills to pass fiscal committee in the opposite house - February 28, 2022
Last day for bills to pass the floor in the opposite house - March 4, 2022
Last day of session - March 10, 2022

Registering to testify does not guarantee you a chance to speak or speak at specific times.
The committee chair may limit public testimony (for example, one minute per testifier) due to time constraints. Be prepared to testify at any point during the hearing.
Maintain proper committee protocol, which includes waiting to be acknowledged by the committee chair before speaking, ensuring testimony and any objects appearing in the background of video feeds are respectful and professional, and following rules for testimony established by the chair.

Here are some key links to help with remote testimony participation during the 2022 Legislative Session:

Bills to Watch - The legislature considers hundreds of bills every year, and we won’t attempt to summarize them all or cover every issue here. Members of our state party advocacy committee are the point people for identifying key bills that relate to our party’s platform and tracking their progress - you can reach them by emailing here. But each week throughout the session, I want to touch on a few bills that I’m particularly interested in, and update you on what’s going on with them.

One bill I have my eye on is SB 5182, Sen. Patty Kuderer’s bill to repeal Tim Eyman’s silly “advisory votes” - more like push polls on the ballot each year that mean nothing, waste taxpayer money, take up valuable space on the ballot, and give propaganda opportunities to anti-government conservatives. These anti-tax political messages with incredibly biased language have no place on our ballot, and many of them are on bills only tangentially even related to tax issues. In 2019, an earlier version of this bill actually passed the Senate on a bipartisan basis, with three Republicans in favor, because even they recognized it was silly to waste money on these meaningless votes. I’d love to see this bill come back and for us to get these push polls off our ballots. It needs action in the House - please contact your state representatives and urge them to vote for this bill.

And with redistricting in recent political history, I’m closely tracking Sen. Rebecca Saldaña’s SB 5597, a bill to strengthen the Washington Voting Rights Act when it comes to “cracking” and “packing” communities of color in districts. It sets up better tests for identifying violations of the VRA, helps collect more data and reporting from state and local governments, and establishes a preclearance process for evaluation of proposed political boundaries. These are key steps for helping ensure we have districts that were drawn in a non-discriminatory way.

We’ll continue this series next week with some additional bills I’ve got my eye on, and updates on any of the major actions happening in the first week of session!

COVID Update - I think you’ve all seen how COVID cases are skyrocketing over the past few weeks, and how hospitalizations are rising quickly as well. The Washington State Medical Association, the group representing Washington’s doctors, sent a letter to Gov. Inslee yesterday about how our medical system is now in a state of crisis.

I’m glad that our leaders are doing what they can to help keep us safe. Gov. Inslee announced this week that Washington state will begin distributing millions of at-home coronavirus tests and masks and will expand vaccination clinics to help more folks get convenient access to vaccines and booster shots.

I also want to thank our new Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs for taking a big step for the safety of his office’s employees. His predecessor, Republican Kim Wyman, was the only statewide office that did not impose a vaccine requirement for their workers. Thankfully, reversing that step was one of the first things Secretary Hobbs did in office, and SOS employees are already speaking out to say thanks. Having Democrats in office makes a difference!

Democrats Deliver - Federal Ban on Surprise Medical Bills - We need to make sure that Washington voters hear about the great things that our leaders are delivering on. One such policy went into effect just this week: a federal ban on surprise medical bills for out-of-network care, with our own Senator Patty Murray leading the charge here.

For too long, countless patients have been surprised by exorbitant bills for care they thought was covered by their insurance. Now that the No Surprises Act is in full effect, that all ends. If you get health coverage through your employer or have an individual health insurance plan, these new rules will:

Ban surprise bills for emergency services, even if you get them out-of-network and without approval beforehand.
Ban out-of-network cost-sharing (like out-of-network coinsurance or copayments) for all emergency and some non-emergency services. You can’t be charged more than in-network cost-sharing for these services.
Ban out-of-network charges and balance bills for supplemental care (like anesthesiology or radiology) by out-of-network providers who work at an in-network facility.

This can all sound complex, but the bottom line is that folks will be protected from big out-of-pocket medical costs that can come as a surprise for people who didn’t do anything wrong. These are the sort of things that we need our leaders to continue doing - and for us to be telling our friends and networks about.

People need to know that our Democratic leaders are making good things happen, and we need to support our leaders like Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Kim Schrier in the 2022 midterm elections to keep it up!

Did I mention that we’ve got our Coordinated Campaign officially up and running and we need you getting involved early? We know that year-round organizing and voter contact is better than just waiting until October when voters are being swarmed with TV ads and mailers. Click here to connect with our organizers and Neighborhood Teams across Washington!

Thanks for reading as always!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

WA Dems New Years Message

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 01 Jan 2022 04:37:13 GMT

Hello Democrats! While our office is closed this week, I wanted to take this Friday as an opportunity to share some thoughts on the past year and the coming one.

As the first year of Joe Biden’s presidency wraps up, I’m still impressed at what our elected Democrats have been able to deliver. Back in March, Democrats in Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, which provided the public health funding needed to get us all vaccinated and the support for schools so that we could get kids back in classrooms. This fall, they passed an infrastructure bill that creates jobs, invests in our roads, bridges, and public transportation, and provides a big step forward towards combating climate change. These are big, important pieces of legislation, and we shouldn’t forget that! While I want Congress to continue pushing to pass the Build Back Better bill, paid family leave, voting rights protections, and more, I also want to recognize and celebrate what’s already been accomplished. This has been a big year for our Democrats in Congress and President Biden!

I also want to recognize Gov. Jay Inslee and our Democratic state legislators. Gov. Inslee’s leadership has been sterling throughout the pandemic, with a powerful response to COVID that has literally saved – and will continue to save – thousands of lives. If it was up to the Republicans and Washington state was run like Ron DeSantis runs Florida, it would have been a disaster. But beyond the pandemic, legislative Democrats passed an incredible agenda of major policy reforms last session. From a capital gains tax so the rich start to pay their fair share, to much-needed reforms to policing and law enforcement, to some of the strongest clean energy legislation of any state in the country, 2021 was a fantastic session for advancing our progressive agenda. We should be so proud of the work that our state Democratic leaders are doing for us.

And I want to spotlight the countless Democrats across Washington who took the bold and brave step of running for office in our local elections this year. Running for office is scary and difficult, and I want to thank everyone who stepped up with a vision to make their community better – whether they won or lost. With our Rooted To Win program, we were able to highlight important local candidates across the state. Many candidates won – including Democrats in Spokane and Vancouver – despite being massively outspent by their conservative opposition. Local Democrats were able to flip extreme, conservative QAnon city councils in cities like Sequim and SeaTac. I was so glad that a number of Democrats - many of them people of color - were able to run and win all over the state. While we have to be concerned about national trends for the midterm elections next year, these local races give me hope. Democrats across Washington were able to run and win in 2021, and I plan for us to do the same in 2022.

What’s the plan for next year? Another Coordinated Campaign to get out the vote for our Democratic ticket! In my time as chair, we’ve gotten to run two very different Coordinated Campaigns. In 2018, we were able to run a “normal” campaign, focused on doorbelling and volunteer events. As you know, 2020 had to look very different. With phone and text banking, digital organizing, and virtual events, we were able to re-elect Gov. Jay Inslee and Rep. Kim Schrier, take the State Treasurer’s office back from Republicans, and win important legislative races. While we don't know what COVID will look like in 2022, I think we’d all still prefer a 2022 Coordinated Campaign that looks more like 2018 than 2020, though.

None of us know what next year will look like and what the safe ways to campaign will be at different points in time. What I can commit to you is that we’ll do everything we can to campaign and win safely across Washington. We’ll have organizers doing everything possible to activate our volunteers and get out the Democratic vote. We know the Republican base will be motivated by their misinformation and Fox News, and we’ll need a strong Democratic turnout to overcome and to beat them. I know that with your help and support, we can run that campaign, tell the stories of the big successes for Washington’s working families that Democrats have passed, and win across the state. It’ll be hard work, but I’m up for it, and I know you all are too.

Thanks for reading and for spending your year with us. I look forward to another great year together.

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's weekly Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 01:26:28 GMT

Hello Democrats!

Our 2022 Coordinated Kickoff Last Night - We had a fantastic turnout from all around the state last night for our 2022 Coordinated Campaign kickoff. We were joined live by special guests like Senator Patty Murray and our new Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, and we heard from Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and several of the terrific and hardworking Rooted To Win candidates who ran for local office this year! Thanks Hugo Garcia, Danny Herrera, Sarah Perry, and Zack Zappone!

We all know how high the stakes are going into the 2022 midterm elections (visions of 2010 and 2014 in my head - ugh), but our speakers were a great reminder of the role that we all have in winning races. From steering the ship in Washington D.C. to knocking on doors in your local district, ALL Democrats have a part to play in making sure we can win next year. We’re counting on some folks, like our members of Congress, to pass great legislation that we can all campaign on. For other folks, that might be making a monthly contribution, or organizing your friends and neighbors to get out the vote. But we ALL have a responsibility to step up and get involved - so make sure you’re ready to do your part. Our great Rise and Organize efforts begin after the new year - and I’m looking forward to seeing you in person as I travel around the state! Got a great event or kickoff coming up? Make sure Anna knows so we can be there - anna@wa-democrats.org

If you weren’t able to attend last night but you’re still able to make a contribution to help get organizers on the ground, we’d be so grateful to have your support! You can contribute online here! And, you can watch Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal’s terrific speech here!

WATCH CONGRESSWOMAN JAYAPAL’S 2022 KICKOFF VIDEO HERE

If you’re able to make a monthly contribution to support our 2022 organizing work, consider becoming a recurring donor with Blue Washington! Plus, the next 6 people to sign up for Blue Washington will get a “Proud Washington Democrat” beanie to help keep your head warm this winter! Consistent monthly support helps us scale up our program and hire organizers with confidence, and we’d love to have you on board for 2022!

Off to the Association of Democratic Chairs (ASDC) Meeting - Next week I’ll be in Charleston, South Carolina, for the meeting of the ASDC with our Vice-Chair David Green and Coordinated Campaign Director Diane Bedwell. The ASDC does great work to help our state Democratic chairs and parties support each other, learn from each other, network, and make our party stronger in all 50 states! Both Diane and I will be leading training sessions about what we do in Washington while there - thank YOU for being a part of our work, work that serves as “best practices” around the nation.

I’ll be holding live social media conversations with other State Party Chairs and ASDC and DNC staffers while in Charleston about what’s happening in their states and how they are getting ready to win in 2022. Who do you want to hear from? Remember, Democrats can succeed no matter where we are, whether that’s in cities or rural areas, on the coasts or in the Midwest, in swing districts or in places where we’ve got a lot of party building to do. I’m so excited to bring you the best of our best - let me know!

Keep your eyes on our social media for videos of these chats as the week goes on, and on my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds. (Did you follow me? If not, go to Twitter and Instagram right now - @tinapo) Next Friday, I’ll plan to share links so you can see some of the amazing democrats from across the country that we’re talking to and learning from!

Thank You to Kerri Ebanks - This week, we’re saying goodbye to our Digital Director, Kerri Ebanks, who has decided to take her talents back to her Southern roots, and be closer to family during these turbulent times. For more than two years, Kerri has been a vital member of our team, and we will all miss her tremendously. Here’s a message she wanted to share with you:

I am never really one to say goodbye, so this message is more of a "see you later." Working with the Washington State Democrats has been one of the best opportunities of my life. I am so glad that you all chose me. I appreciate the knowledge and insight that you all bring to our events and meetings, serving as a constant reminder that this work means much more than what happens at my desk. Because of you, I've learned a lot about what it means to elect Democrats that will work for the people, and I appreciate each of you for embracing me and my talents.

With gratitude,

Kerri

I know every local campaign, party, and organizer who has benefitted from Kerri’s excellent digital expertise joins me in thanking her for her service to our party and wishing her the very best for the future! And be sure to visit her in NOLA!

Honoring Sen. George Fleming - Former state Senator George Fleming passed away earlier this week, and we want to take a moment to recognize his accomplishments. Sen. Fleming represented the 37th Legislative District from 1968-1990. The second Black Senator ever elected in Washington and the first to chair the Senate Democratic Caucus, Sen. Fleming was a tireless advocate for the underrepresented. Among his many accomplishments were the creation of the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises and the Housing Finance Commission, both of which still serve Washingtonians. Fleming led legislative efforts to create a state holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, and mentored activists and candidates who have themselves become leaders for Washington state, including Gary Locke, Ron Sims, and Bruce Harrell.

I am glad to see that Rep. John Lovick was overwhelmingly nominated by the 44th Legislative District PCOs to replace our new Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs in the Senate. Rep. Lovick is a devoted public servant and would be the third Black man to serve in the Senate, standing on George Fleming’s shoulders. We are still waiting for the Snohomish County Council to finalize the appointments in the 44th, but I'm thrilled that our party is putting forth a strong Black legislator for this seat to carry on George’s legacy.

Memorial for Jack Arends - I know many of you knew Jack Arends, who passed away this July. Jack made international news last year as one of our state electors for Joe Biden, when he gave a powerful speech on the legislative floor about his terminal illness and his responsibility to cast that electoral vote with the time he still had with us. We are so glad and thankful that he was able to do that before he passed on. A memorial service for Jack will be held next Tuesday over Zoom, on the anniversary of his electoral college vote - details in the image below:

Thanks to everyone for reading and supporting the party, and on to 2022!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's Friday Wrap Up

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 04 Dec 2021 03:06:27 GMT

Hello Democrats! As the end of 2021 approaches, now all eyes are on 2022 and the all-important midterm elections. Action is already heating up!

Big Redistricting News - This morning, the State Supreme Court released an order in the redistricting case declining their authority to draw new maps for our legislative and Congressional districts, and accepting the final map proposal agreed to last month by the bipartisan Redistricting Commission shortly after their deadline. This is huge news for determining our political landscape for the next decade.

The Court didn’t weigh in on the maps other than whether they met the deadline, saying “The court has not evaluated and does not render any opinion on the plan’s compliance with any statutory and constitutional requirements other than the November 15 deadline.”

In other words, the Court ruled that the maps met the requirement as to whether they were turned in “on time.” As to the content or quality of the maps, the Court was silent, and we expect there may be lawsuits on that point from a variety of groups.

There has been a great deal of controversy over whether these maps complied with the Voting Rights Act and Washington state law, and that would likely be the basis of any suits. With all the twists and turns this process has taken, I’m not sure anything would be a surprise anymore. But at this point, we should prepare for 2022 under the assumption that these are the maps until the next Census.

You can see the Redistricting Commission’s Congressional map here and their legislative map here. They have zoomable maps so you can see where you’ll be under these maps and how your district is changing. Make sure you check these out! And remember, all legislative district candidates for 2022 must live in their districts as detailed on these maps.

Also, the legislature can make minor changes to the maps, but changes require a two-thirds vote to do so. As a result,any changes are usually small and not to the advantage of one party or the other. We’ll also get information out to legislative district parties about reorganization as this process continues. But with this big news! Now it’s on to 2022 campaigning!

Congressional Map:

Legislative Map:

Legislative map zoomed in on Central Puget Sound:

2022 Republicans for Office - We had several new candidates declare for office this week - many of them Republicans.

In the 8th Congressional District, Republican King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn declared against our own Rep. Kim Schrier, joining 2020 GOP 8th Congressional District candidate Jesse Jensen and 2020 GOP Attorney General candidate Matt Larkin in the race. We’ll see if all three actually file come May but, regardless of which Republican comes out of the primary, we’ll need to work hard and support Dr. Kim Schrier! Dunn made no secret of his “allegiances” on the first day of his campaign, saying he wouldn’t have voted to impeach Donald Trump after the January 6th insurrection attempt; he is another far-right Republican begging for Trump-allied PAC bucks, and we’re going to have to make sure voters know that.

In the 3rd Congressional District, ultra-conservative Republican state Representative Vicki Kraft of the 18th LD declared that she’d be joining the primary to challenge Republican Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler. GOPer Joe Kent is a super-conservative challenger already running against Herrera Beutler - he had been endorsed by Donald Trump and had Congressman Matt Gaetz come to the district to campaign with him. Looks like those two will battle it out for the far-right. Still, Kraft is one of the most conservative members of the state legislature, so we’ll see what happens between the two of them.

In the Secretary of State race, GOP state Senator Keith Wagoner of the 39th LD announced a challenge to our new Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs. Wagoner, of course, has no elections management experience to speak of, and has been a reliably conservative vote throughout his time in the legislature. He voted AGAINST the WA Voting Rights Act, AGAINST same-day voter registration, AGAINST campaign finance transparency, and so much more that’s necessary for fair and free elections. We’ll see who else declares for this seat, but we need to make sure to hold this position for Democrats in this critical special election!

On our side, in the 42nd Legislative District, our Democratic state Rep. Sharon Shewmake is stepping up to run against the repugnant Republican Sen. Doug Ericksen. Ericksen is an absolutely terrible senator, known forworking as a lobbyist for the Cambodian dictatorship instead of on behalf of his constituents,skipping votes to work for Donald Trump,skipping votes (again) to go to El Salvador, andtaking so many free meals from oil company lobbyists that they literally had to change the law to address his behavior. He’s one of the strongest opponents of environmental protections in the entire legislature! He won re-election in 2018 by just 46 votes -- one of the closest legislative races in state history. This race is one to watch in 2022.

We’re also hearing rumblings about Republican legislative challengers in some of our South King County swing legislative districts like the 30th and 47th - it’s critical that we hold these districts, so make sure folks are ready to support our Democrats in these LDs!

So with candidates coming forward, action is heating up! We all need to be ready to give our all in 2022 and overcome the typical challenges of a midterm election in order to win across Washington. Which brings me to...

Our Coordinated Kickoff Fundraiser - I wanted to remind you all about our Coordinated Campaign Kickoff Fundraiser coming up next Thursday, December 9th! We know 2022 is going to be a big year, and it’s critical that we have all of your support to run the very best campaigns we can to win across Washington. Our Coordinated Campaign is proven to be a lean and effective voter contact machine - we’ve been nationally recognized for effective and innovative programs, while having a far smaller budget than other state parties like Wisconsin and Ohio - but we can’t count on big national support to make this all possible. We need Washingtonians to step up to make sure we can fund the campaign work we need to win in 2022.

Senator Patty Murray is joining the event program as our live keynote speaker – rounding out a bill that includes Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, several of our great 2021 Rooted to Win candidates, and our new Democratic Secretary of State, Steve Hobbs!

In recognition of all you do for our Party, we would like to invite you to attend the event at a reduced rate! Please follow this link to purchase a discounted, $25 ticket!

https://act.myngp.com/Forms/8454807271058179840

We hope you can make it!

Sen. Patty Murray and Veterans’ Legislation - President Biden signed four pieces of legislation into law this week that are truly good for Washington state's veterans. They'll create real economic opportunity for when active-duty service members return home, make college more affordable for veterans and their families, help ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs works for all veterans, and help get veteran moms the care they need.

Legislation like the Hire Veterans Health Heroes Act, the Colonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act, and the Protecting Moms Who Served Act are the sort of policies that we need our Members of Congress to be passing so our veterans get the support they need -- and deserve -- after their service to our country. I’m very glad that our Democratic Congress was able to move these bills through - you can read more about these bills here!

Supreme Court on Roe v Wade - This week, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a Mississippi abortion case that threatens to overturn the legal right to an abortion established by Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Making predictions during these appearances is always tricky, but the Court's conservative Justices seemed to signal that they were prepared to throw out decades of precedent and overturn Roe altogether. And judging from the loaded lines of questioning pursued by the Court's archconservatives, things do not look good.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett seemed to suggest that abortion wasn't necessary because people can give their children up for adoption. Justice Brett Kavanaugh deemed the potential overruling of Roe v. Wade a return to "neutrality," comparing it to some of the most celebrated cases in the court's history, including those establishing marriage equality, racial equality, and Miranda rights.

The Court's progressive Justices did warn, forcefully, that overturning Roe would permanently damage the Court's reputation as a nonpartisan institution but the conservative Justices seemed unfazed by this.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor led an expert line of questioning, exposing the consequences that repealing Roe would have, describing how the Supreme Court has supported a woman’s right to abortion for decades, and how legally ungrounded a repeal would be. While she dismantled the right wing’s arguments, we know that the GOP is less concerned about truth and what’s right, and more concerned with exercising whatever power they have, however they can.

This was pretty shocking stuff to watch. I don’t know how long the Court will take to come to a decision (it appears that the ruling is most likely to be announced in June 2022) but the conservative majority put in place by Donald Trump and Senator Mitch McConnell is not encouraging. We need to hold the Democratic Senate this year to ensure that President Biden is able to continue to fill court appointments with his nominees. Republicans in Washington’s own legislature have already introduced bills to ban abortion - even in cases of rape. This is going to be a major issue in next year’s elections.

That’s what we’ve got for this week - happy Friday!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

What We Are Grateful For

Douglass MacKenzie — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 02:49:24 GMT

Hi all,

I hope this finds you and your family looking forward to an enjoyable weekend full of good company and food . Traditionally, it is a time where we reflect upon our lives, what has gone well in our day-to-day living and how fortune has smiled upon us. Certainly, we can view the past year for the 23rd Legislative District (LD) the same way. To that end, I am thankful for:

**The 136 members of our LD.

Dues from members provide the funds from which we are able to make good-sized financial contributions to our endorsed candidates. Our members also support our candidates individually with both financial contributions and their time in volunteering for their campaigns. Thanks to these efforts we had a very successful results in our local campaigns: Bainbridge Island City Council members Joe Deets, Brenda Fantroy-Johnson and Clarence Moriwaki and Bremerton Mayor Greg Wheeler and City Council member Jennifer Chamberlin won their races.

**That our LD helped lead the way in getting support for, and passage of, a Washington State Democratic Central Committee (WSDCC) resolution on orca and salmon recovery which includes the removal of the Snake River dams.

Our very own Kathy Canderle, State Committee Member (SCM) and member of the WSDCC Resolutions Committee, was the point person for our LD. As Marc Sullivan of Save Our Wild Salmon and the Sierra Club stated, "It's worth mentioning that the original initiative for this resolution did not come from SOS or the Sierra Club. The 23rd LD Democrats and the state Democrats' Environment and Climate Caucus had each already drafted a resolution for submittal to the state party when we first contacted them. We've provided some support in herding the resolutions along, but this was organic, bubbling up from the Democratic base."

**That Bainbridge Island will likely stay within the 23rd LD when the redistricting is finished.

Our other SCM, Ted Jones, served on the WSDCC’s committee on redistricting. He was assigned to review the map proposed by Redistricting Commissioner April Sims. This meant examining the demographics of the areas and how the proposed map aligned with the Commission’s concerns: protecting fair and effective representation, maintaining and creating communities of interest, respecting Tribal sovereignty and the government-to-government relationship with Tribal partners and centering and engaging communities that have been historically underrepresented. Ted learned how to manipulate the mapping tool and created a power point to explain the process. His work was lauded by Ed Martinez, co-chair of the WSDCC Redistricting committee. The proposal to remove Bainbridge Island from the 23rd was panned by virtually everyone and people shared that opinion with the Redistricting Commission either through testimony or emails.

**That our Precinct Committee Officers (PCOs) are active and involved and our past chairs have been replaced by an equally dynamic duo.

Our former PCO chairs, Debbie Hollyer and Carollynn Zimmers, did a tremendous job all year keeping our PCOs informed and active on issues concerning our LD as they arose through weekly and monthly meetings. Debbie was also instrumental in organizing the appointment process for the recently vacated positions of County Sheriff and County Clerk. She insured that as many people as possible were involved in developing the candidate questions and other information needed by the resident PCOs who would be choosing and rank ordering the top three people for the county commissioners to consider. People commented positively on how well done it was. Laurie Kadet and Cam Keeble have taken over with support from Carollynn as needed.

**That our Events committee did an amazing job with our annual Salmon Dinner and Auction despite the pandemic.

Chaired by Erin Phillips and Ginny Bell, the event raised more than the live auction held two years ago! That $25,000+ will provide a good basis for us as we get into the 2022 election cycle where keeping our Democrats in office will be paramount.

**That our LD is ably supported by folks whose ongoing work enables the LD to function:

Our Communications committee led by Doug MacKenzie and Colleen Hogan Taylor for getting out the 23rd messages and event/meeting invites all year long;

Our Treasurer, Hallette Salazar, who keeps us kosher with the PDC and makes sure we have the funds available for the work we do;

Our Secretary, Chris Cancailosi, whose minutes remind us what we need to do;

The Executive Board who provides the necessary support and advice to direct the LD work.

I am thankful for all the work our LD members do – as it is said, I couldn’t have done it without you!

Be safe and have a great Thanksgiving!

Val

Tina's Weekly Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 23:31:45 GMT

Hello Democrats! The 2021 election may be over but it’s been another busy week in state and federal politics. Things just don’t slow down, and I appreciate that our Democratic leaders are continuing to push hard to deliver big wins for our party and the people of our state. Here’s the news:

Update On Redistricting - Since I emailed you Tuesday afternoon about the status of the Redistricting Commission and their work, there have been new developments. While the Commission did not pass maps before their Monday night deadline, on Tuesday evening they presented Congressional and legislative map proposals that were what they intended to pass. You can see those map proposals on the Commission website here. At a press conference yesterday, all four Commissioners -- both Democrats and both Republicans -- endorsed the maps.

In addition to the Commission website, you can see their proposed maps in Dave’s Redistricting software:

CDs: https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::3e5ef4a0-0acc-4615-82d5-9867bf46aa83

LDs: https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::4d870853-f977-4de1-80d8-b28dddd77c5c

Since the Commission did not pass their maps in time, despite the hard work and dedication of our Democratic Commissioners and their staff, the jurisdiction for drawing the new district boundaries goes to the Washington Supreme Court. There is a lot we don’t know about how the Court will conduct the process. Again, the maps and process are in the hands of the Washington Supreme Court and out of the control of the caucus appointees now.

There has been additional speculation that the maps may not reflect the required minority/majority districts required under the Voting Rights Act. I suspect this will be a focus moving forward. You can read one analysis of that issue here:

https://latino.ucla.edu/research/washington-state-redistricting/

As of this writing, the Court has asked for a sworn declaration from the non-voting Commission Chair detailing the actions and votes of both November 15th (deadline day) and November 16th (the day after). I suspect the answers will determine much of the process the Court takes - but again, that’s only speculation. Here is that order:

https://www.courts.wa.gov/content/publicUpload/Supreme%20Court%20Orders/Supreme%20Court%20Order%20No%2025700B675%20111821.pdf

We understand that the Court is putting together a website for sharing information and communicating what steps they might be taking - more on that when the site is live.

You can read some of the news coverage of this week in redistricting here:

https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/washingtons-redistricting-failure-what-went-wrong-and-what-happens-now/

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/state-redistricting-panel-urges-high-court-to-look-at-its-maps/

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/nov/19/after-chaotic-final-meeting-monday-redistricting-c/

https://southseattleemerald.com/2021/11/17/state-supreme-court-to-draw-redistricting-lines-after-commission-misses-deadline/

The Washington State Republican Party has already sent out email blasts asking their supporters to spam the email accounts of the Supreme Court Justices with messages; I’m skeptical that this sort of thing is helpful to their “cause” and, frankly, appalled that they would do this. We still don’t know anything about what kind of process the Court is going to undertake and I would strongly encourage our local party organizations not to do anything rash and hurried that could be counterproductive. Don’t be like the Republicans are, here:

This is obviously hugely important for the politics of our entire state. Please trust that we will keep folks updated on how to productively engage, as we did during the Commission’s process throughout this summer and fall. Let’s be thoughtful and strategic, rather than haphazardly rushing into anything.

I want to sincerely thank our Democratic Commissioners and their staff for their hard work throughout this process, and everyone who weighed in and engaged. Kara Briggs and Ed Martinez co-chaired our Redistricting Committee; they did a tremendous job of getting folks to testify before the Commission and submit letters and emails. We had fantastic shows of public engagement at all of the Commission’s public testimony meetings. Thanks to Kara and Ed, all of the members of our state party Redistricting Committee, and to everyone who testified or wrote in.

Build Back Better Passes The House - In tremendous news, the Build Back Better Act passed the House early this morning! This is a monumental step to once again deliver for the middle class. No thanks to a single Republican in the House, the Build Back Better Act will lower costs for working families, create good-paying jobs, and cut taxes — all without adding a cent to the debt. These investments are exactly what Americans voted for when they took to the polls to elect President Biden, and the United States Senate should move quickly to get President Biden’s Build Back Better Act across the finish line.

The Build Back Better Act will deliver for Washington by:

Cutting taxes for working families: This bill will extend the expanded Child Tax Credit increases of up to $300 per month, per child, and provide a tax cut of up to $1,500 for 358,300 low-wage workers in Washington.

Lowering health care costs: Closing the Medicaid coverage gap to help millions of Americans gain health insurance, extend the American Rescue Plan’s health insurance premium reductions for those who buy coverage on their own through 2025, and help older Americans access affordable hearing care by expanding Medicare.

Lowering child care & family care costs: This legislation will provide access to child care for 470,000 young children per year from families earning under 2.5 times the Washington median income, ensuring these families pay no more than 7% of their income on high-quality child care. It will also expand access to free, high-quality preschool to more than 181,000 additional 3- and 4-year-olds per year and increase the quality of preschool for children who are already enrolled.

Making the largest investment to combat the climate crisis in history: This bill will cut pollution, reduce energy costs, and create good-paying jobs with a transformational investment to ensure America leads the clean energy economy.

You can read more details about the BBB bill and its benefits for Washington state in our state-specific fact sheet here. Thank you so much to our Democratic members of the House of Representatives - Suzan Delbene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith, and Marilyn Strickland - for moving this major legislation through the House!

Coordinated Campaign Kickoff Event 12/9 - We sent around a save-the-date earlier, but I wanted to get you all the details on our Coordinated Campaign Kickoff Event coming up on December 9th!

We are pleased to invite you to hear from great Democratic leaders, including our soon-to-be WA Secretary of State Steve Hobbs, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, a selection of our terrific 2021 Rooted to Win candidates, and more great speakers to be announced!We hope you will come together with folks from all over Washington State to get fired up and plot the course for an even more successful 2022. Here are the full details:

Thursday December 9^th

4:30pm: Sponsor Reception

5:15pm: Main Event

RSVP Online Here

Zoom Details Provided Following RSVP

$50 – Silver Ticket – Admission to Main Event

$100 – Gold Ticket – Admission to Main Event and Sponsor Reception

Please join us for a celebration of victories won and victories to come! You can RSVP online here – and Joe Barden (joebarden@wa-democrats.org) can always help with questions!

Swearing-in Our New Secretary of State - Next Monday, our new Democratic Secretary of State Steve Hobbs will be sworn in, and I’m so excited to congratulate him on this appointment. Politically, it’s a huge development that no statewide Republican elected officials will remain on the West Coast. But this also is a chance to make sure that we have an SoS who’s a strong supporter of voting rights and access to the ballot - not someone who had to be pulled and dragged in that direction. I know (soon-to-be) Secretary Hobbs is going to do a wonderful job in this role.

In an interview with Crosscut, even outgoing Republican Secretary Kim Wyman said about Hobbs, “I think he's going to be fair and make sure that he's representing everyone.”

I don’t know what Republican is going to run for this seat, but given how their party has sued over non-existent fraud, undermined faith in our elections again and again, and pushed legislation to repeal universal vote-by-mail and make it harder for people to vote, I have to imagine whoever makes it through their primary will not be a fair leader dedicated to defending democracy. It is SO IMPORTANT that we hold this seat, and it’s going to take a lot of hard work to do it.

A Challenger for Doug Ericksen - I was happy to see our state Representative Sharon Shewmake in the 42nd Legislative District announce this morning that she’d be running against GOP Sen. Doug Ericksen this year! Ericksen is an absolutely terrible senator, known for working as a lobbyist for the Cambodian dictatorship instead of on behalf of his constituents, skipping votes to work for Donald Trump, skipping votes (again) to go to El Salvador, and taking so many free meals from oil company lobbyists that they literally had to change the law to address his behavior. He won re-election in 2018 by just 46 votes -- one of the closest legislative races in state history. This race is one to watch in 2022.

Advocacy Committee’s Legislative Priorities Survey - It’s that time of year again! With the Washington State Legislature’s 2022 session quickly approaching, the state party Advocacy Committee is getting ready to advocate for the issues that YOU care about. Please take three minutes to fill out this survey to let the committee know what legislative priorities are important to you as they finalize our 2022 Legislative Priorities (and if you’re interested in the 2021 Priorities, they’re on our website here)!

That’s what I’m looking at this week! I am excited to see what comes next in redistricting, and for our Rooted To Win candidates to have their victories certified as the election process comes to a formal close. I’m thrilled about the action on BBB, and I know our Senator Patty Murray will be hard at work to deliver big on this for us in the Senate. Here’s to another big week of news!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 04:52:25 GMT

From: Tina Podlodowski <chair@wa-democrats.org>

Sent: Friday, November 12, 2021 3:00 PM
To: Tina Podlodowski <chair@wa-democrats.org>
Subject: Friday News & Action With Tina Podlodowski

Hello Democrats! This November is turning into quite a busy month - with election results, the big infrastructure bill passing Congress, a new Secretary of State, the deadline for redistricting next Monday (expect to hear from me about that as soon as we know the details), and so much more happening! I’m feeling full of excitement and ready for action as we go into 2022 and those hugely important midterm elections. I hope you do too!

Election Wrap-Up - Now that pretty much all the votes are counted in our 2021 local elections, I wanted to update you on how our Rooted To Win candidates fared. Spoiler alert: two-thirds of our Rooted to Win candidates around the state WON their races and that’s just awesome. Electing more Democrats, in more races and places, is how we will win up and down the ballot moving forward.

We had three candidates who were behind on election night come back to win now - Kim Harless for Vancouver City Council, Hugo Garcia for Burien City Council, and Kristina Michele Martens for Bellingham City Council. Congratulations to all three of these candidates for sticking with it and making the strong GOTV push needed to get them over the finish line!

I want to specifically congratulate some of our candidates who overcame massive special interest spending from conservative PACs in their races. Kim Harless in Vancouver was outspent 10-1 by her opponent and the PAC supporting him, and Zack Zappone was outspent 3-1, and both went on to win. We’re never going to have the kind of money that the conservative side does, but this shows that we can win even when we’re outspent. When Republicans spend so much money on mailers full of lies and distortions, we can come back with smart, effective organizing and messaging campaigns that turn out our base, win over persuadable voters, and overcome the barrage of GOP money. We’ve done it time and again, and I bet we’ll have to do it again in a lot of our legislative races next year.

It’s interesting - folks have said “Terry McAuliffe lost the Virginia gubernatorial in a close one, what a bad omen for Democrats.” Folks in Seattle have said “a Republican won Seattle city attorney in a weird race between two candidates on the far extremes of the spectrum, what a bad omen for Democrats.” But that’s not what I saw happen in Washington state. I saw a whole lot of Democratic wins. I saw Democrats beat QAnon city councilmembers in Sequim and SeaTac, and keep cities like Burien under progressive control, plus make gains in Renton, Vancouver, College Place, and in school boards all around the state. I saw Democrat Sarah Perry beat the established incumbent Republican Kathy Lambert by a huge margin in East King County. I saw Kim Harless and Zack Zappone beat opponents who massively outspent them. I saw Democrats in every corner of the state win big, tough races against fierce conservative opposition - Whatcom, Walla Walla, Cowlitz, all over. There’s no doubt that 2022 will be a tough midterm, they always are for the party holding the presidency. But there’s a lot to be optimistic about in these Washington 2021 election results.

Our New Secretary of State - You may have seen the news this week that Governor Jay Inslee announced his appointment for who would replace Republican Kim Wyman in the Secretary of State’s office - our Democratic legislator from the 44th LD, Senator Steve Hobbs!

I want to congratulate Senator Hobbs on this historic appointment - the first person of color and member of the AAPI community to serve as our Secretary of State. He’s worked to help pass so many of the major voting reforms we have here in Washington including the Voting Rights Act and same-day and automatic voter registration. He’s respected on both sides of the aisle in the legislature and has worked to solve big, complex problems - a skill that’s so important in the Secretary of State’s office.

I look forward to Sen. Hobbs taking over the Secretary of State’s office and making sure that we’re running the best, fairest, most open elections of any state in the country, where we all have the chance for our voices to be heard. It’s so important that we Democrats fight hard to hold this position in next year’s special election, and I’m looking forward to working with all of you to make that happen. I think you all know how important to me it is to have a Democrat in this seat - let’s keep it that way in 2022.

Weekend Reading - If you’re inside hiding from the rain, here are some stories I’d recommend checking out from this week. We saw a lot of news come out about the January 6th insurrection attempt by Trump and the Republicans to try to overturn the presidential election results. It’s so important that we continue to remember what Republicans tried to do that day and make sure they can never succeed. We can't only talk about what happened in the past - voters expect our party’s messaging to focus on the future, and how Democrats are helping working families succeed - but we also can’t let these guys off the hook and forget about their attack on our democracy.

Trump Defends Trying to Hang Mike Pence as 'Common Sense' - NY Mag (this one is particularly shocking!)
Why White Racists Vote for Black Republicans - NY Mag
The Man Who Made January 6 Possible - The Atlantic
Gov. Inslee announces pick for Washington's new Secretary of State - Crosscut
Donors threatened to shun the GOP after Jan. 6. Now, Republicans are outraising Democrats - Washington Post

And while I have NEVER been a Tom Brady fan, I do admire his work ethic and discipline as does our staff - every day, every little bit, every time we “lose by less” in the Republican areas and grow our share in the Democratic areas, we are making gains for the future. Check this story out: Tom Brady's secret is self-discipline

We will need to do a little bit, every day in 2022, to come out with wins in November.

Save The Date, December 9th - In order to celebrate our 2021 victories and get 2022 started on the right foot, the Washington State Democrats will be hosting a virtual celebration on Thursday, December 9th! We hope you will join folks from all over Washington State to hear from key Democratic leaders and plot the course for an even more successful 2022.

Stay tuned for a complete announcement of event details next week, but for now, please save the date for this virtual 2022 Coordinated Campaign kickoff on the evening of December 9th. We hope you will join us to celebrate this exciting moment and support our efforts!

More Infrastructure Bill Resources - HERE is an updated toolkit that the Democratic National Committee put together in English and Spanish to help you talk to your friends, neighbors, and community about President Biden delivering on his promise to the American people with the major Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal that Congress just voted to send to his desk, in addition to his bold and historic Build Back Better Framework, with resources such as message guidance, social media content, graphics, and more. We want to be as loud as possible about this win for the American people, so please continue to share this with your networks, along with the Washington-specific content that we have here:

Child Tax Credit Signup Window - One of the fantastic policies in the American Rescue Plan was the expanded Child Tax Credit, which is sending $200-300 per kid to families all across the country. This is a huge investment in helping people pay their bills and getting our economy back on track after COVID, and we appreciate the work that our Washington Democrats in Congress have done to pass it and are doing now to make it permanent (and no thanks to all three Republicans who voted against it!)

Families of over 60 million children are already receiving the Child Tax Credit - $3,600 annually for children under 6 and $3,000 for kids between 6 and 17 – but families who haven’t signed up and earn too little to have to file taxes are missing out. Folks who don’t file taxes must actively sign up by November 15 to get their payments this year. Between now and November 15, those families can go to GetCTC.org, an easy to use tool to sign-up for the Child Tax Credit. This tool, created by Code for America, in collaboration with the White House and Treasury, is in English and Spanish and is mobile friendly, and most families can complete it within about 15 minutes.

Build Back Better Info - With the passage of the big infrastructure bill, our next priority in Congress is the Build Back Better investment in essential programs like combating climate change, funding preschool, and more.

This Build Back Better framework will level the playing field and make corporations and the wealthiest pay their fair share, so that middle-class families can finally get a shot at getting ahead. It is a transformative investment in climate, care, and kids that will lower the costs of programs families depend on, help people get back to work, and strengthen the economy.

This bill will be the most transformative investment in children and caregiving in generations – transforming the lives of millions of families , saving parents thousands of dollars, and adding two years of free, universal schooling to our public education system for the first time in over a century. It will be the largest effort to combat climate change in history. It will cut taxes for tens of millions of middle-class families. And It is the biggest expansion of affordable health care in a decade. Here are links with more information on how important this bill is - let’s keep this fight up and get this legislation passed!

· Build Back Better Framework

· How the Build Back Better Framework Helps Black Communities

· How the Build Back Better Framework Helps Latinx Communities

· How the Build Back Better Framework Helps Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Communities

· How the Build Back Better Framework Helps Native American Communities

· How the Build Back Better Framework Helps LGBTQI+ Communities

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy your weekend!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

P.S. - It’s been reported that GOP Sen. Doug Ericksen is in El Salvador right now, sick with a serious case of COVID, and asking folks to send an overnight shipment of Regeneron monoclonal antibodies to him, and I sincerely wish him the best for his health.

He is up for re-election next year in LD 42 and I would like him to be in good enough health that we can run against him hard and hold him accountable for working as a lobbyist for the Cambodian dictatorship instead of on behalf of his constituents, skipping votes to work for Donald Trump, skipping votes (again) to go to El Salvador, and taking so many free meals from oil company lobbyists that they literally had to change the law to address his behavior. Be well, Senator!

Tina's Weekly Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 22:41:42 GMT

Hello Democrats! As election week continues, I’ve been very encouraged by the ballot counts in later days where we’ve seen many progressive candidates gain ground. Hugo Garcia in Burien was losing on election night and he’s ahead now. Kim Harless in Vancouver is now just 41 votes behind her conservative opponent after having been outspent 10-1 by a huge special interest PAC expenditure. Hugo and Kim are both Rooted to Win candidates from our inaugural cohort. I’m really looking forward to seeing tonight’s drop of Clark County results for Kim’s race, and races all over our state!

While the Virginia governor’s race was a disappointment nationally, I think we saw some very good omens here in Washington state, like flipping the Sequim and SeaTac City Councils. Washington State Democrats had some big wins - more than two-thirds of our Rooted To Win candidates have won their elections, including some very tough and competitive races where we were up against major, conservative special interests! We know that next year’s midterm is going to be a tough political environment, but I think these local election results across Washington show that we still have a lot to be optimistic about. We can win, but it’s going to take a lot of work.

That’s why I want to talk to you about our plans for the 2022 Coordinated Campaign!

Our Coordinated Campaign is the GOTV organizing and field program we run to turn out voters for Democratic candidates up and down the ballot, all across the state. As I know you all know, last year we had to totally change our campaign strategy due to the COVID pandemic. We completely overhauled the program we had been planning and building for two years and quickly pivoted to a fully virtual program. We paved the way nationwide on a new type of campaigning -- one that prioritized the safety and health of Washingtonians here at home.

Despite the massive shake-up early in the year, our team was able to successfully execute on a new, fully digital plan and the 2020 Coordinated was a success. Overall, Democratic share of the vote in 2020 increased by nearly 4 points compared to 2016. Democratic share increased in every county in the state, ranging from 4 to 14 points gained.

We know that our voter contact efforts work. In 2020, of the voters we were able to contact in our GOTV universe, 80.97% turned out to vote. Of the voters in our universe that we attempted to contact but weren’t able to, 65.91% turned out to vote. That’s an increase among the people we contacted of over 15 points. Our ability to reach people makes a real difference in the likelihood to vote among Democratic base voters.

This year, we’re excited to plan a more “normal” Coordinated Campaign. We’re going to take the good lessons we learned in 2020 about digital organizing and constituency outreach, and join that with the proven Coordinated Campaign model of direct and in-person voter contact. A Coordinated Campaign will typically knock on 1.5 million doors over the course of the summer and fall, and we want to be able to do that -- and more -- in 2022! We’ve seen candidates and campaigns be able to door knock this year with the appropriate precautions and we expect to be able to safely campaign next year.

We plan to hire at least 25 field organizers and 25 deputy field organizers so that we’re able to campaign all across the state. I say it all the time: every race and every place! And we’re also going to continue our award-winning and nationally-recognized voter protection program.

We’re going to need a lot of help from you all to make this happen. It takes thousands of volunteers to help us get the door knocks and voter contact that we need to get out the vote. We are going to be counting on you to help be a part of that.

This also costs a lot of money. We don’t get the national funding from the DNC that Wisconsin or Florida do; we have to run a lean and mean program and we can’t afford to waste resources. Nearly all of our Coordinated Campaign budget goes into staff (unionized!) salaries and benefits: the people on the ground doing the work to recruit and train volunteers and organize communities.

We’re thankful for every donation that people like you make to support that work, but the most important ones are our recurring supporters in the Blue Washington program. The continued support that we can count on from our recurring donors means that we can reliably budget future expenditures with the confidence that your contributions will be there for us. Just as we need to make payroll for our organizing team every month, we need your support every month. You can sign up to be a recurring donor for us here.

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Upcoming Communications Training - I’ve emailed you before about communications training webinars done by our friends at Connections Lab, who also did the messaging training at our Rural Summit this summer and at our last state committee meeting. They’ve got an upcoming series of trainings about some of the science behind how our brains process information and how to use that information to more effectively persuade and message when we’re making our political arguments. The cost is “pay what you can” and I encourage interested folks to check them out and learn!

Science Trek: The Liberal and Conservative Zoos

Monday, November 8 at 5:00 PM

We talk about Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, progressives and centrist Democrats -- but the reality goes much deeper. We'll explore the taxonomy of both liberals and conservatives and see how identifying people correctly changes how we target our messaging. This webinar is FREE with an optional Pay What You Will to support the work of Connections Lab. Register for Science Trek: The Liberal and Conservative Zoos

Science Trek: Propaganda - A Look at its Purpose and Effectiveness

Monday, November 22 at 5:00 PM

Propaganda is everywhere and it's a surprisingly effective tool. Yet if we are to message with honesty and integrity, it is a tool we should not use. We'll explore what we are up against, how to expose it and what our alternatives are. This webinar is FREE with an optional Pay What You Will to support the work of Connections Lab. Register for Science Trek: Propaganda

Science Trek: The Art and Science of Persuasion

Monday, December 13 at 5:00 PM

Brain science shows that human minds are easily fooled and that erroneous ideas and beliefs, once learned, are hard to shake. How do we get around that? We'll look at some of the unlearning we must do and we'll explore persuasion methods including some from sales (!) that will help you persuade with honesty and integrity. This webinar is FREE with an optional Pay What You Will to support the work of Connections Lab. Register for Science Trek: The Art and Science of Persuasion

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October Jobs Report - Thanks to the leadership of President Joe Biden and Senator Patty Murray and their work to pass the American Rescue Plan earlier this year, America continues to add jobs at a record pace – 620,000 a month, on average, and over 5.6 million total since President Biden took office. Because of the success of that bill, our economy has the resilience we need to weather the challenges posed by this virus, more Americans are going back to work, and more Americans feel safe going back to work.

This week’s jobs report showed that America added 531,000 jobs in October and the unemployment rate fell to 4.6% -- the lowest level since the beginning of the pandemic.

Before the Rescue Plan passed, the Congressional Budget Office projected we wouldn’t reach 4.6% unemployment until the fourth quarter of 2023. Today’s report shows that the economy reached that rate two full years earlier than projected, thanks to the Rescue Plan – a bill that not a single Republican supported – and the President’s vaccination strategy.

Unemployment has decreased this year more than any other year in US history. That’s huge news, and we have our Democratic leaders to thank.

We’ve made tremendous progress in the last nine months, and our leaders have an opportunity to build on that in the coming days by passing President Biden’s economic agenda. The Build Back Better and infrastructure bills would do even more to create jobs and get America out of the pandemic. I’m excited to see action on this legislation soon!

Thank you as always for reading!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 22:09:07 GMT

With just a day left before election day, this is such an exciting time. Many folks get their ballots in during the last few critical days; if you haven’t made a plan to return your ballot yet, do so right away! A special plea to voters ages 18-35 - that demographic is lagging around the state and it’s time to stop procrastinating!

You can submit your ballot in a dropbox or via USPS as long as it is postmarked by Tuesday. You can check out the list of ballot dropboxes near you (and the other resources we have) at www.wa-democrats.org/iwillvote. Or call our voter protection hotline at 206-309-VOTE and our volunteers can provide assistance!

If you have already voted, connect with a local candidate in your area and see if you can do some critical last-minute volunteer work with them. Some campaigns are doorbelling this weekend (weather looks great!) and others are running remote phone banks and text banks. Every candidate should have something for you to help get out the vote in your community! We anticipate that many races will be won or lost by just a handful of votes, so every voter we communicate with in the next few days will make the difference!

Here are some graphics that I encourage folks to share on their personal social media and on their local party organization’s account to help spread the word!

Secretary of State - As you probably heard, Washington’s Republican Secretary of State Kim Wyman announced this week that she’s resigning her position in mid-November to take a job with the Biden-Harris administration, working on protecting elections from foreign interference. While she and I haven’t always seen eye to eye, I have a lot of hope for her future work to defend our democracy against malicious overseas actors and keep our elections free and fair.

This means that Governor Inslee will appoint a replacement and we’ll have a hugely important special election in 2022. It’s critical that we win this race in 2022 and elect a responsible, effective Democrat who will work to make our elections more equitable, so all Washingtonians can participate in our political process with an accessible voter registration program.

We’ve seen how Republican politicians have spent the last year calling into question the integrity of our elections and alleging nonexistent fraud. They’ve filed completely ungrounded lawsuits, including the ones that the State Democratic Party is now intervening in to dismiss in federal court. They’ve spread conspiracies and nonsense to try to undermine confidence in our elections, our democracy, and, ultimately, our government as a whole.

I worry about how the Republican primary for this seat is going to go next year, and what horrible candidate the state GOP will support (will Loren Culp jump in?). I’m not holding out hope for them to advance another Wyman-esque administrative candidate; I expect we’ll see one of the types who still claims that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and Culp and who will aggressively work to suppress the vote and disenfranchise Washingtonians.

It almost feels like a cliche to always be talking about how high the stakes for 2022 are, but I can’t emphasize enough how much trouble our state will be in if someone like Doug Ericksen or Robert Sutherland manages to hold statewide office, including Secretary of State. You can be sure that the Washington State Democratic Party is committed to fighting hard to elect someone who will defend our democracy against the nonsense attacks of the Republican Party.

New Build Back Better Framework - It’s been so difficult to keep up with the news coming out of Washington D.C. about the busy negotiations around President Biden’s Build Back Better reconciliation bill. Washington’s representation has been a major part of this work, and I want to especially thank Senator Patty Murray for her critical leadership in the Senate working to persuade Senators Manchin and Sinema. I am also grateful for Representative Pramila Jayapal’s organizing in the House to ensure that we get a strong, progressive package that meets the needs of the moment and of the future.

Yesterday, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a package that they believe should pass both chambers of Congress. This Build Back Better framework will level the playing field and make corporations and the wealthiest pay their fair share, so that middle-class families can finally get a shot at getting ahead. It is a transformative investment in climate, care, and kids that will lower the costs of expenses families depend on, help people get back to work, and strengthen the economy.

This framework will be the most transformative investment in children and caregiving in generations – transforming the lives of millions of children, saving parents thousands of dollars, and adding two years of free, universal schooling to our public education system for the first time in over a century. It will be the largest effort to combat climate change in history. It will cut taxes for tens of millions of middle-class families. It is the biggest expansion of affordable health care in a decade. As the President said, it’s a big darn deal.

Children & Caregiving: Preschool, child care and care for older loved ones is prohibitively expensive for middle-class families. Build Back Better will deliver two years of free preschool for more than 6 million children – which costs an average of $8,600 per year – and increase the quality of preschool for many more children already enrolled. Research shows that every $1 invested in high-quality early childhood care and education can yield $3 to $7 over the long-run, in the form of improved health and education outcomes, increased likelihood of being employed, and higher earnings in adulthood.

The last time America added years of free schooling was more than 100 years ago. This is an investment in our kids and in our global competitiveness. Build Back Better will ensure that no middle-income family pays more than 7% of their income on child care and will help states expand access to high-quality, affordable child care to about 20 million children per year. The framework also delivers affordable, high-quality care for older Americans and people with disabilities in their homes, while supporting the workers who provide this care. And Build Back Better will give 35 million families a major tax cut by extending the expanded Child Tax Credit. This is a historic proposal that will save middle-class families and enable families to work and succeed in the economy.

Climate: Scientists have been warning us for years that extreme weather is going to get more extreme. We’re living it in real time now. Extreme weather cost America $99 billion in 2020, and this amount will only increase with inaction. Build Back Better will cut greenhouse gas emissions by well over one gigaton by 2030, reduce consumer energy costs, give our kids cleaner air and water, and create hundreds of thousands of high-quality jobs. BBB advances environmental justice by investing in a 21^st century clean energy economy – from buildings, transportation, industry, electricity, and agriculture to climate smart practices in our lands and waters.

The framework expands access to rooftop solar and home electrification, cutting the cost of installing solar for a home around 30% and shortening the payback period for a family by approximately five years. And BBB will create manufacturing credits for solar and onshore and offshore wind, creating millions of good-paying jobs building clean energy technology. These investments will ensure that we can meet our goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions between 50 and 52 percent below 2005 levels by the year 2030.

Health Care: Before the American Rescue Plan, even people with health insurance struggled to pay their premiums. About 30 million people were uninsured in 2019, before President Biden took office, and coverage under the ACA (even with the premium subsidies) was too expensive for many families. The President believes no one should lie in bed wondering, “what will I do if she gets cancer?” or “will I go bankrupt paying for this procedure?” Build Back Better will reduce premiums for more than 9 million Americans by extending the expanded Premium Tax Credit, deliver health care coverage to up to 4 million uninsured people in states that have locked them out of Medicaid, and help older Americans access affordable hearing care by expanding Medicare.

Build Back Better will improve our immigration system, consistent with the Senate’s reconciliation rules. And the framework is paid for by rewarding work, not wealth – and ensuring that the super-wealthy and corporations pay their fair share and can’t cheat on their tax bills. No one making less than $400,000 will have their taxes raised

I’m looking forward to the next steps but between this package, the American Rescue Plan, and the bipartisan infrastructure bill, this Congress and the Biden Administration are in a position to pass some truly transformative legislation to help meet the needs of working families across America. We are finally making a transformative investment in climate, care, and kids that will lower the costs of things families depend on, help people get back to work, and grow the economy.

Emerge Candidate Training - Are you a Democratic female-identified individual who’s considering running for office in Washington? You should connect with the candidate training and recruitment organization Emerge Washington! Applications are open for Emerge WA's 2022 cohort. This is a great opportunity to learn more about being a candidate, participate in useful training, and get connected to a powerful network of other political women who are elected, past candidates, or running (and will win!) this year.

Classes start in January and meet one weekend a month until May. Emerge provides you with the training you need to run for office and win, including access to the network of Emerge alumnae. Read about the application process on Emerge's website and apply today. Applications close November 12th -- two weeks from today. To learn more about the Emerge WA signature training program, please visit their website and attend an upcoming information session via Zoom, some of which are regionally based.

Upcoming virtual info sessions: RSVP to Emily@EmergeWA.org

November 4th at 7 PM: Northwest WA

November 7th at 7 PM: General statewide session

Blue Washington Baseball Hats - We know that party building and grassroots organizing has to be sustainable, year-round work. To support that, we need sustainable, year-round funding. Recurring donors are some of the most important donors we have - their long-term and ongoing investment makes our long-term organizing possible.

Our Blue Washington program was specifically designed to recognize and reward our recurring donors! Blue Washington members get special news, access to member-only programming, and receive cool merchandise. To learn more about the perks and how to sign up, click here!

For a limited time, those who join with a minimum monthly donation of $10, through Election Day, will receive this limited edition baseball cap with a message that all Democrats know to be true:

Sign up today (has to be before the end of the day on Election Day!) to receive your hat AND additional perks, all while supporting a truly grassroots movement!

Please invest today so we can continue to pass policy that leads Washington to a more progressive future! Help us earn victories at every level of government by becoming a Blue Washington donor today.

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 22:44:25 GMT

Hello Democrats! It’s an exciting time to be in politics, with ballots out now and folks voting every day! Turnout is on track to be ahead of 2017 or 2019 in many counties, so clearly there’s a lot of enthusiasm out there for these important local elections. Everyone - make a plan to get your ballot in ASAP if you haven’t already, and if you have, remind your friends, family, and neighbors to do so! It’s critical that we have every Democrats’ voice heard this year. Below you’ll find graphics to share to help get out that vote!

Vaccine Mandates Are Keeping Us Safe - This week, Gov. Inslee’s vaccine mandate for state employees went into effect, and it has been a huge success. Nearly every state employee has now gotten vaccinated or had a safe accommodation approved - a massive increase over the past couple months. We have a Washington state workforce now that’s a lot safer than it was this past summer, both for themselves and for the people who rely on and interact with state employees.

It’s important to know that these vaccine mandates and measures like restaurants and bars asking for proof of vaccination are making a real difference in our COVID recovery. COVID cases in WA have dropped by 50% since early September, according to the Department of Health:

The report found that COVID-19 prevalence — the percent of residents with an active virus infection — has been declining significantly since early September. Last month, the state reported that virus prevalence was at a new high at 0.94%, or about 1 in every 106 people in the state. On Thursday, researchers reported prevalence around 0.41%, or 1 in every 244 Washingtonians.

he newest estimate reflects about a 50% drop in residents with an active COVID-19 infection since last month.

We can’t let the Republicans and their allies in the conservative media distract us from the fact that WHAT WE ARE DOING IS WORKING! While we might have a long way to go before we beat COVID, we’re on the right track. Brandi Kruse’s podcast and now-former WSU football coach Nick Rolovich might be all fired up, but these public health measures are still the right thing to do for the health and safety of Washingtonians.

And the public is on our side - poll after poll after poll all show broad public support for the measures being taken by the Biden and Inslee Administrations. I haven’t seen any poll results published yet of Washington or of the country that doesn’t have majority support for these public health measures. People want to be safe and healthy and they want their fellow Americans to do what it takes to make us so.

We need to stand firm and continue these public health measures - they are working, they are making us safer, and the people are on our side.

GOTV Tour Update - We’re halfway through our virtual GOTV tour, and I’ve been having a fantastic time hearing from many of ourRooted To Win candidates from across Washington state. I’m so proud of ALL of these folks for stepping up and taking the brave action to run for office this year. We all understand how important these 2021 local elections are to shaping the future of our communities and our party. Electing local progressive champions helps shape better policy and builds the bench for future Democratic candidates. We all have to do our part to help Democrats win across Washington state! That means all of us voting and making sure that our friends, family, and neighbors do so as well.

We’ve got five more virtual GOTV tour stops left, starting with South Puget Sound tomorrow afternoon, and I hope you’ll join us.

The events will be broadcast on Facebook live, and the details and links to RSVP to the remaining events are:

South Puget Sound - Saturday, Oct 23, 1 PM -RSVP here

Whatcom County - Tuesday, Oct 26, 5:30 PM -RSVP here

SW Washington - Tuesday, Oct 26, 7:30 PM -RSVP here

Spokane - Thursday, Oct 28, 5:30 PM -RSVP here

South King County - Thursday, Oct 28, 7:30 PM -RSVP here

All the details are also up on our website here - this is a great, convenient link to share on social media or over email to get the word out!

Graphics to Share - We’ve got a bunch of graphics for the upcoming events and we encourage people and their local parties to share these for events in their area so more folks know about them. Help us spread the word and drive turnout!

Senate Republicans Vote to Filibuster the Freedom to Vote Act - This week, Senate Republicans struck another blow to American democracy. They channeled the spirit of Senator Strom Thurmond and harkened back to some of the Senate’s darkest days by filibustering a crucial voting rights bill.

The right to vote is at the core of our democracy. It is the great equalizer. For many Americans, this right is personal -- almost sacred. We know the stories of hooded mobs and literacy tests. We know our vote was fought for with the blood, sweat, tears, and lives of generations of activists. We know how far we’ve come and we never want to go back. But Republicans have made it abundantly clear that they are willing to prioritize political games and their own power over our fundamental rights. They’ve chosen to serve the Big Lie over the American people.

The right to vote is just that: a right. We should be working to make it easier, not more difficult, for every eligible American to participate in free and fair elections. And yet, Republican leaders across the country have engaged in a relentless, surgical campaign to restrict voting rights and make it harder for people, especially people of color, to make their voices heard.

Republicans know they can’t win without cheating, and the anti-voter regulations put in place by Republican governors and legislatures nationwide are nothing more than a blatant attempt to silence voters in order to cling to power.

Our democracy is at stake, and Senate Republicans didn’t even have the courage to allow debate on the issue. Their partisanship knows no bounds. They’ve chosen to be active participants in the undermining of our democracy. It is truly unconscionable.

The Democratic Party will never stop fighting to secure and protect the right to vote, and I’m proud that our Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell were part of the charge to get this bill moving in the Senate. We know, along with the majority of Americans, that a vote is an expression of hope — hope that change is possible, hope that our voices matter, hope that the elected officials we put our faith in will deliver for our communities.

Communications Training Opportunity - I wanted to let everyone know about a great communications narrative coming up this Monday, October 25, at 5 PM. It’s run by the Connections Lab (who did amazing training work at our Rural Summit and our last State Committee Meeting) on how we can use the Race/Class Narrative to frame our political arguments. While the wealthy and powerful rely on race and class divisions to weaken democracy, separate communities can reclaim their power by joining together across race and class, and messages using this narrative and framing can be more effective than just talking about race or class alone.

This event is FREE with an optional pay-what-you-will donation to support the work of Connections Lab. You will receive a Zoom link after registering. Register here for Zoom Link

Update on COVID-19 Vaccinations for Ages 5-11 - We expect the final FDA and CDC decisions on Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine authorization for kids ages 5 through 11 in the next couple of weeks. In anticipation, the Biden-Harris Administration is releasing its operational plan to ensure that vaccines for this age group are available, accessible, and convenient, should the FDA and CDC authorize the vaccine for this age group.

This plan will ensure that we have the supply, the sites, and the support needed to get our nation’s children vaccinated and protected against the virus:

The Biden Administration has secured ample vaccine supply for our nation’s children. As soon as the vaccine is authorized by the FDA, we will begin shipping millions of doses nationwide. States, Tribes, and territories are working to ensure that doses are distributed efficiently and equitably across their jurisdictions.
Over the past month, the Biden Administration has been planning with governors, pediatricians, pharmacies, community health centers, and other vaccine providers. States, Tribes, and territories will continue to receive an unprecedented level of support, including full reimbursement from the federal government for vaccination operations and outreach programs.
Parents will be able to get their kids vaccinated through providers and in settings that they and their kids know and trust. Vaccines for kids ages 5 through 11 will be available through a range of health care providers that parents rely on to meet their children’s needs, including pediatricians, family doctors, children’s hospitals, pharmacies, and community health centers.
- More than 25,000 pediatricians and primary care providers have enrolled to administer vaccines, and we are working with states to enroll more.
- Tens of thousands of local pharmacies across the country in the federal pharmacy program will offer vaccinations for kids ages 5 through 11.
- Community health centers and rural health clinics across the country will provide vaccinations for kids. Hundreds of community health centers, which serve 3 million kids ages 5 through 11 nationwide in predominantly underserved communities, will be set to vaccinate kids.
- Over 100 children’s hospitals and health systems across the country will partner with local community- and faith-based organizations to stand up vaccination sites – including ones that are open on nights and weekends so parents can vaccinate their kids at a time that works for them.
- To make vaccinations even more convenient, the administration will work with state and local leaders to help bring vaccination clinics to hundreds of schools nationwide.

The start of this pediatric vaccination program will depend on the independent FDA and CDC processes and timelines. However, these planning efforts mean we are ready to begin vaccinations in a matter of days following a final CDC recommendation.

Our Voter Protection Hotline Is Live - Just a reminder that with ballots out and drop boxes open, we’re working with our team of Grassroots Democrats to offer our voter protection services again to help ensure that Washingtonians have the support they need to cast their ballots and make their voices heard. We run one of the strongest and most effective voter protection programs in the country. We take extensive steps to ensure every voter’s right to vote is protected, that folks get the support they need to return their ballots, and their votes are counted.

Our voter protection team assists hundreds of voters every year and makes a proven difference! We have volunteer attorneys staffing the hotline at (206) 309-VOTE from 9 AM to 8 PM daily, ready to answer any and all voter protection questions. If you happen to miss those hours, please leave a voicemail with a detailed explanation of the issue you're having, and one of our amazing volunteers will get back to you as soon as possible! We also maintain a database of Washington’s 400+ dropbox locations onwa-democrats.org/IWillVote and update this information daily to ensure every voter can easily cast their ballot!

This is an important resource for helping everyone access the ballot and we want all Democrats to know they can take advantage of this and share the information with their friends, family, and neighbors to ensure everyone can get their ballot in and their vote counted! Please share this information with everyone you can!

An Ask From Our Democratic Friends In Virginia - The important governor's race in Virginia is getting closer every day, with latest polls showing Gov. Terry McAuliffe within the margin of error to beat Trump-endorsed Glenn Youngkin. We all worked so hard last year to defeat the Trump agenda and we can’t let this election turn back the tide in a crucial swing state. 200,000 voters have yet to mail back the vote-by-mail ballots they have in their hands, on their kitchen counters, and in their homes. The DNC is asking folks from other states (like us in here WA) to pitch in with phone banking help. You can sign up here to join if you're available to help make some phone calls to Virginia Democratic voters!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Mon, 11 Oct 2021 19:57:18 GMT

Hello Democrats! What a big week of news it’s been, and I expect things will only get more exciting between now and November.

We’re Suing to Stand Up For Voting Rights - I’ve made it clear that a commitment to defending voting rights and our democracy is my number one priority as your state party chair, and we had the chance to put that into action this week. After Republican activists filed lawsuits across the state demanding baseless Arizona-style “audits” of the 2020 election results, I knew we had to respond. I called up our attorneys and this week we filed motions to intervene in and dismiss these lawsuits in Clark, Franklin, King, Lincoln, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, and Whatcom counties.

These lawsuits are little more than warmed-over versions of the meritless ‘fraud’ claims that the Trump campaign and its supporters have filed across the country since the 2020 election and continue to be uniformly rejected by every court to have considered them. It’s disappointing and frustrating that these allegations of voter fraud keep getting circulated by Republicans without evidence. They seem to think that their path to power is by discrediting our democracy and riling up a far-right base with conspiracy theories. They are using it all as an excuse to push voter suppression legislation and undermine confidence in the results of the 2022 and 2024 elections, well in advance of voting. Washington state voters deserve better than this and we expect that these lawsuits will be promptly thrown out by the courts.

You can read about our interventions on our state party website, or in the Seattle Times, the Everett Herald, or the Columbian newspapers. This work is very important and I’ll plan to keep you updated with developments. Legal work is expensive, however, and the fact of the matter is that this is putting a strain on many areas of our program. Any resources we spend doing this work are resources we can’t use to improve our GOTV infrastructure and get ready for successful elections in 2022. Please consider helping us with what will be tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/legalhelp

Redistricting Testimony - This Tuesday was the public testimony hearing on the legislative maps proposed by Washington’s four Redistricting Commissioners. The meeting was five hours long and had more than one hundred testifiers; it’s great to see so many people active and engaged in this process.

I was glad to see that in general, the testimony was strongly in favor of the Democratic maps. People across the state talked about the importance of centering their communities of interest - out of more than one hundred testifiers, I only heard one person use the GOP’s talking point that “competitiveness” and GOP-friendly political outcomes should be prioritized over keeping communities together and drawing maps that make sense for real communities. This is a major point in favor of the Democratic approach, especially when so many people supported our maps, specifically. Whether it was having a majority-Hispanic district in the Yakima Valley (Dem maps do, GOP maps don’t), keeping Bainbridge Island with Kitsap County (Dem maps do, GOP maps don’t), keeping Mount Vernon unified in one LD (Dem maps do, GOP maps don’t), or on many other issues, people denounced the GOP gerrymanders and supported the Democratic maps.

Tomorrow morning at 10 AM, the Commission will be taking testimony again, this time on the Congressional maps. You can tune in and watch on TVW through www.redistricting.wa.gov

Tuesday night went well, but we need to keep submitting written testimony. When submitting written testimony atwww.redistricting.wa.gov, we strongly encourage you to customize it to your local area and your specific concerns, but make sure to include a couple key points that matter everywhere:

The Commission’s job should be to focus on maintaining communities of interest and keeping cities and counties together, not on electoral outcomes.
The Republican maps propose huge and irresponsible gerrymanders.
We support the Democratic proposals that will help make sure community voices are fairly heard.

These are the key messages we need to get across! With just a few weeks until the November 15th deadline, it’s critical that we get in our written testimony sooner rather than later.

We’re putting together a folder of resources for local parties and activists to share about getting involved with redistricting -you can access it here. In the folder is a recording of the live testimony training that our Redistricting Committee put together, along with some graphics that the state party staff designed and is ready to share on social media. We’ll continue adding content to this folder for you to access and help support your advocacy efforts.

Kathy Lambert’s Racist Ads - A lot of folks in King County might have heard about the racist ads sent out by GOP King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert this week. Lambert’s mailer portrays Democratic challenger Sarah Perry as a marionette and calls her a “socialist puppet.” Holding the puppet strings are King County Councilmember Girmay Zahilay (the only Black member of the County Council) who’s joined by Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Sen. Bernie Sanders. The image is offensive and I won’t copy it here, but it’s in the Seattle Times story if you care to see it firsthand.

The ads - and Lambert’s doubling down in support of them when questioned - were so offensive that even the conservative Seattle Times editorial board flipped their support to drop Lambert and endorse Sarah Perry!

I joined our King County Democratic Party Chair Shasti Conrad in penning an open letter thanking Zahilay and the Democrats on the King County Council for standing up against these terrible ads, and Sarah Perry for her courage to take this race on and run hard. While we also thank the Times editorial board for taking the strong and unusual stance of flipping their endorsement, there are many other supporters of Lambert that should be called upon to do the same.

Lambert got just 40% of the vote in the August primary, with Sarah Perry and another Democrat combining for just under 60% of the vote, so Lambert is seriously vulnerable and these desperate ads show how weak her position is. King County Council District 3 voters need to step up and get her out of office, and we encourage folks to go to www.electsarahperry.org to support and get involved in Sarah’s campaign.

We also need to recognize that this problem is about more than just one candidate and one campaign. The Republicans use racist (and sexist, and xenophobic, and antisemitic) imagery all the time, in elections across this state and across the country. We have to make sure that our party and voters are holding them accountable when they do by fighting back as hard as we can. We should be prepared to see more ugly ads and bad behavior from the other side as ballots go out next week, and even worse next year in the 2022 midterms. We can’t tolerate this kind of racism in campaigning, and we stop it by fighting back and winning. That takes a whole lot of hard work from all of us and I’m glad you’re on our side.

Voter Protection Hotline Update - With the general election approaching, we’re starting our voter protection program again to help ensure that Washingtonians have the support they need to cast their ballots and their voices are heard. We run one of the strongest and most effective voter protection programs in the country. We take extensive steps to make sure every voter’s right to vote is protected, that folks get the support they need to return their ballots, and their votes are counted.

Our voter protection team assists hundreds of voters every year and makes a proven difference! We have volunteer attorneys staffing the hotline at (206) 309-VOTE from 9 AM to 8 PM daily, ready to answer any and all voter protection questions. If you happen to miss those hours, please leave a voicemail with a detailed explanation of the issue you're having, and one of our amazing volunteers will get back to you as soon as possible! We also maintain a database of Washington’s 400+ dropbox locations on IWillVote.com and update this information daily to ensure every voter can easily cast their ballot!

Blue Washington! - I want to make sure everyone is familiar with our state party recurring donor program, Blue Washington. Organizing and party building is long-term work that takes sustained effort, and that means we need long-term and sustained funding to make it happen. While we deeply appreciate every contribution we get, having recurring donors means we can count on them as a sustained funding stream to support these longer-term organizing projects that look past just the next month or the next year.

By becoming a recurring donor, you will be investing in a blue future all while receiving exciting perks that’ll keep you engaged with our movement! This program specifically helps fund the resources that organizers need to keep fighting for our progressive values in communities across the state. To learn more about the perks and sign up, click here!

Additionally, those who sign up with a minimum donation of $10 through Election Day will receive this limited edition baseball cap with a message that all Democrats know to be true:

Legislative Retirements - We’ve had big news from the Democrats in two of our senate seats recently - our wonderful Sen. Jeannie Darneille of the 27th LD, who announced that she’ll be stepping down next month to take a new job leading the new Women’s Division at the Department of Corrections, and Sen. David Frockt of the 46th LD, who announced that he won’t be running for re-election next year.

Sen. Darneille has been a champion for folks in need for a long time. I first got to know her back when she was Executive Director of the Pierce County AIDS Foundation in the 1990s. In the legislature, she has a well-earned reputation as a determined fighter for social justice issues. As chair of the Senate Human Services, Reentry & Rehabilitation Committee, she has sponsored and/or facilitated the passage of landmark bills to expand our social safety net, improve the child welfare system, reform the juvenile justice and criminal legal systems, reduce racial disproportionality in those systems, and expand services and opportunities for people who are returning to their communities after experiencing incarceration. We know she’ll bring this same commitment to helping folks in her work at her new job to reform and improve our criminal justice system.

Sen. Frockt has been one of the longest-running advocates for tax reform in the legislature. He was one of the key players in the legal and political strategy to get Eyman’s 2/3rds initiatives ruled unconstitutional and was one of the major advocates for making our tax system fairer with a capital gains tax on the profits of the sale of investments. He’s taken on many other issues as well, though, from getting us on the path to public universal health care, reforming our education funding models, expanding access to higher education, and stopping tuition increases at our colleges and universities. All Washingtonians owe both senators an enthusiastic thanks for their committed service.

The 27th LD Democrats will be holding their meeting to nominate appointees to replace Sen. Darneille on Saturday, October 16th. In advance of that meeting, the 27th LD Democrats will host an open virtual forum for prospective candidates for the Senate appointment tomorrow, on Saturday, October 9th at 10 AM. Candidates will be allowed 5 minutes to introduce themselves and discuss their platform and vision. There will be up to 3 questions from voting 27th LD PCOs and the event will be recorded, open to the public, and made available on social media. If you’re interested, you can register for their event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkcu-hpj0oE9XMgHGUhhTNHRhON5ExIZpH

Thanks for reading as always!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

WA State Democratic Party Intervenes In Election Lawsuits

Douglass MacKenzie — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 21:26:29 GMT

The Washington State Democratic Party yesterday filed motions to intervene in and to dismiss lawsuits filed by Republican activists demanding unlawful Arizona-style “audits” of the 2020 election results in counties across the state

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 7, 2021

The Washington State Democratic Party yesterday filed motions to intervene in and dismiss lawsuits filed by Republican activists demanding baseless Arizona-style “audits” of the 2020 election results in counties across the state.

The lawsuits were filed in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, Whatcom, Lincoln, Franklin, and Clark counties, all by a group called the Washington Election Integrity Coalition United, nearly a year after the November 2020 elections. The plaintiffs assert, without explaining the factual basis for their claims, that the county auditors engaged in widespread “election fraud” and that 400,000 votes were added, 6,000 votes were flipped, and “thousands of voters were removed” in “one or more statewide races before, during, and/or after the election”. They offer no evidence to support any of these allegations.

The Democratic Party’s motion to dismiss clearly lays out how these lawsuits are baseless, without evidence, and contrary to Washington law. The motion argues that no basis exists to challenge the long-certified results of the 2020 election.

“These lawsuits are little more than warmed-over versions of the meritless ‘fraud’ claims that the Trump campaign and its supporters filed across the country after the 2020 election and that were uniformly rejected by every court to have considered them. The Washington State Democratic Party is proud to stand up and fight back against these despicable attempts and false narratives to undermine our democracy,” said Washington State Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski. “It’s disappointing and frustrating that these allegations of voter fraud continue to be circulated by Republicans without evidence. They seem to think that their path to power is by discrediting our democracy and riling up a far-right base with conspiracy theories. They are using it all as an excuse to push voter suppression legislation and undermine confidence in the results of the 2022 and 2024 elections well in advance of voting. Washington state voters deserve better than this and we expect that these lawsuits will be promptly thrown out by the courts.”

These are not the only election lawsuits filed in Washington state. Republican gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp, now running for Congress, sued Secretary of State Kim Wyman in December 2020 claiming that there were “intolerable voting anomalies” and that the election was “at all times fraudulent.” Culp and his attorney Stephen Pidgeon withdrew that lawsuit in January 2021 after the Attorney General’s office warned Pidgeon that the state intended to file a motion to dismiss the case and to ask the judge to impose sanctions for making meritless claims in a court of law. Pidgeon is currently under investigation by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel at the Washington State Bar Association for unprofessional conduct relating to this lawsuit, based on a complaint filed by the Washington State Democratic Party earlier this year.

Besides the lawsuits, the Washington State Republican Party has formed an official “Election Integrity Committee” chaired by former GOP legislative candidate Bill Bruch. Republican legislators, led by Rep. Robert Sutherland of the 39th legislative district, Rep. Vicki Kraft of the 17the legislative district, and Rep. Brad Klippert of the 8th legislative district, have also supported these baseless claims of fraud and hosted an “Audit WA” event in August, at which Republican legislators and activists alleged election fraud without proof.

Outside of Washington, the Republican Party has worked tirelessly to undermine the results of the 2020 election across the country, from the attempted insurrection to overturn the electoral college results on January 6, 2021, to Donald Trump’s lawyers seeking a legal argument under which the Vice President could throw out the electoral college results, to the “audit” of the Maricopa County election results in Arizona, and more. These latest lawsuits in Washington appear to be part of a larger national strategy by the Republican Party to undermine public confidence in our electoral system.

“These attacks on our democracy should outrage every American, regardless of their political affiliation,” said Podlodowski.

###

For reference, the lawsuits in question are:

Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Kimsey, No. 21-2-01775-06 (Sept. 16, 2021), DKT 1; Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Wise, No. 21-2-12603-7-KNT (Sept. 22, 2021), DKT 1; Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Anderson, No. 21-2-07551-9 (Sept. 21, 2021), DKT 1; Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Fell, No. 21-2-04302-31 (Sept. 16, 2021), DKT 1; Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Bradrick, No. 21-2-00949-37 (Sept. 10, 2021), DKT 1; Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Hall, No. 21-2-01641-34 (Sept. 21, 2021), DKT 1, Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Beaton, No. 21-2-50572-11 (Oct. 5, 2021), DKT 1; Washington Election Integrity Coalition United et al. v. Schumacher, No. 21-2-00042-22 (Oct. 4, 2021), DKT 1.

The motion filed by the state party can be read here.

Tina's Friday Wrap Up and Comments from Val

Douglass MacKenzie — Sun, 03 Oct 2021 00:58:46 GMT

Hi all,

There’s lots of good stuff here. Please share as appropriate. Please encourage as many people as you know to send in comments – we need to make sure our views are heard!! Remember our Redistricting Info Meeting is this coming Wed, Oct 6, Zoom, 7 pm. Hope to see you all there!

Val

From: Tina Podlodowski <chair@wa-democrats.org>
Sent: Friday, October 1, 2021 3:00 PM
To: Tina Podlodowski <chair@wa-democrats.org>
Subject: Friday News & Action with Tina Podlodowski

Hello fellow Democrats! Another big week of news on the redistricting front, as Congressional maps came out on Tuesday and testimony meetings start next week!

If you do only ONE thing for democracy over the next five days, we simply MUST have you submit testimony to the Redistricting Commission!

Congressional Map Proposals Out - Congressional district map proposals were presented this week from the four members of the bipartisan Redistricting Commission. You can see the four Congressional maps from the two Democratic and two Republican commissioners here, along with the legislative map proposals from last week here.

The Seattle Times framed the contrast between the Democratic and Republican maps quite accurately:

As they did with legislative maps proposed last week, the Republican commissioners, Joe Fain and Paul Graves, are aggressively pushing for more favorable competitive boundaries for the GOP, which now holds three of the state’s 10 House seats.

The Democratic commissioners, April Sims and Brady Piñero Walkinshaw, proposed maps that would more likely maintain the status quo partisan split, and said they’re hewing to legal requirements including fair representation and uniting communities of interest.

This is what it comes down to - Republicans are proposing maps that help their party win. Democrats are proposing maps that follow the law, have fair representation, and make sense for real communities. Do the people of Washington want GOP gerrymanders or do they want maps that represent the voices of voters? That’s what this process will come down to, but expect the Republicans to hold on, kicking and screaming.

Don’t just take my word for it - the nonpartisan and independent Campaign Legal Center examined all eight proposed redistricting maps under four distinct measures of partisan gerrymandering: the efficiency gap, partisan bias, the mean-median difference, and declination. The four Republican maps scored a perfect 16-0 in favoring Republicans, while the four Democratic maps were split evenly 8-8. The CLC report includes clear descriptions of the bias measures and the reasoning behind their calculations. This is independent and mathematical proof of the GOP’s bias.

When you look at it, GOP Commissioner Fain’s map is just silly, and has no basis in reality (or law). Exactly, why does his map split the city of Shoreline between the 7th and the 1st Congressional districts? Why does he have that “peninsula” of the 10th CD reaching up into King County? Is it because that's where rumored GOP candidate David Vander Pol lives? You know - the same David Vander Pol who is president of the company that employs GOP commissioner Paul Graves for his day job? Also, Fain’s proposal splits Whidbey Island and almost every county in Western Washington -- why? Any guesses?

Meanwhile, GOP Commissioner Graves talks about “majority minority” districts in an effort to support his Congressional gerrymandering. Well, he surely didn't show the same “care” with his legislative maps, where he broke the Washington State Voting Rights Act in failing to draw a majority Latinx district in the Yakima Valley. It’s clear that Graves leaves the districts of his Republican friends alone - on average, the three current GOP Congressional districts retain 96% of their voters in the Graves maps. In contrast, the Democratic districts are torn apart for political gain; these seven districts would keep an average of only 63.7% of their Democratic voters under his proposal.

We get that Republicans want to draw maps that help them win elections, but it shouldn't be done by disenfranchising communities of interest or by breaking the laws governing this process that were passed by the state legislature. You just can't draw lines down the middle of every county you don't like because it suits your desire to make GOP districts. It’s disappointing, but it comes as no surprise that the GOP Commissioners are pursuing this marginalizing and harmful agenda.

At the same time, we Democrats need to work hard to make sure our voices are heard in this process. The deadline for the Commission to finalize the next decade’s maps is November 15th - not far away - and I’m told that they’ll begin negotiations in earnest on Monday. That means that NOW is the time to get crucial testimony submitted.

Redistricting Testimony Needs To Happen Now - Since the Commission has to finalize their maps by November 15th, it’s important that us Democrats speak up and are heard as early as possible to maximize our impact. We don’t have a lot of time to get our input submitted!

Live meetings to submit testimony are next Tuesday and Saturday, but submitting written testimony is just as important.

When submitting written testimony at www.redistricting.wa.gov, we encourage you to customize it to your local area and your specific concerns, but make sure to include a couple key points that matter everywhere:

The Commission’s job should be to focus on maintaining communities of interest and keeping cities and counties together, not on electoral outcomes.
The Republican maps propose huge and irresponsible gerrymanders.
We support the Democratic proposals that will help make sure community voices are fairly heard.

These are the key messages we need to get across! Please don’t delay!

Redistricting Resources - We’re putting together a folder of resources for local parties and activists to share about getting involved with redistricting - you can access it here. In the folder is a recording of the live testimony training that our Redistricting Committee put together, along with some graphics that the state party staff designed and ready to share on social media. We’ll continue adding content to this folder for you to access and help support your advocacy efforts.

GOP and “Biblical Citizenship” - I just wanted to share with you what my GOP counterpart, state party Chair Caleb Heimlich, is up to these days.

He’s doing an event on “Biblical Citizenship In Washington State” with the hateful former state Senator Mark Miloscia, who argues that the Democratic Party is literally in league with Satan and that another civil war is imminent. The Biblical Citizenship Movement is truly frightening - advocating for a theocracy that would overthrow our American democracy, and rooted in misogyny, racism, homophobia, and xenophobia.

The teachings of Christ preach that we should love each other, take care of the poor and the hungry, and embrace peace instead of war. Miloscia and his ilk have perverted Christianity to a gospel of hate and exclusion. I think it’s shameful that Caleb Heimlich is espousing the same and participating in this training and outreach. This is wildly out of touch with the voters of Washington state and I won’t stop reminding folks about all of this taking place, right in our backyards.

This is EXACTLY what you get when someone signs up as a member of the WA GOP.

And by the way, there is still a pandemic going on! I hope that everyone at this indoor event is vaccinated, but I’m not holding out much hope that they’ll be requiring proof of vaccination, wearing masks, or implementing any measures to keep people safe. Irresponsibility is clearly what we should expect from Republicans at this point.

GOP Votes To Cut Off Help For Afghan Refugees - Remember how concerned some Republicans were about helping Afghan refugees just a few months ago when the Biden Administration was ending the war in Afghanistan? Didn’t take long for Republicans in the U.S. Senate to show their true colors, in this Washington Post story:

The evenly divided Senate narrowly turned back a Republican amendment Thursday that sought to curtail assistance to Afghan refugees who were rapidly evacuated to the United States and that would have made it more difficult for them to obtain Real IDs.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) sought to attach the amendment to legislation to fund the government into early December, which is expected to pass later Thursday with bipartisan support. Cotton’s amendment received 50 votes, one short of the number needed to succeed. The tally broke along partisan lines.

In addition to providing stopgap funding to keep the government open, the spending measure includes emergency funding for the resettlement of Afghan refugees who fled amid the takeover of the country by the Taliban and U.S. military exit.

Cotton’s amendment sought to cut off housing, food and medical aid, among other assistance, as of March 31, 2023, for Afghans who were granted parole to quickly enter the United States.

It’s disappointing that a small number of Republicans showed care and humanity towards people in need for once, then their party turned around to attack them for doing so immediately after. The cynicism and brutality of their party can be shocking.

If you want to help Afghan refugees, I encourage you to support our local Refugee Women’s Alliance. Their website has more information about how to help.

Ending on Something Fun - our hard-working state party staff might never forgive me if I didn’t share a link to the Katmai National Park’s “Fat Bear Week” competition, where people vote on pictures of big grizzly bears and declare which are the fattest. It’s a very silly thing, but bears having enough weight amassed to survive a winter of hibernation is a matter of survival (especially for mother bears supporting cubs) so this is serious business for them. Tracking the competition is a fun way to have a laugh for a few minutes - there’s voting on the bears every day through Tuesday October 5th, and you know I can never resist encouraging people to vote.

Thanks as always for reading and have a great weekend!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

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Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 25 Sep 2021 18:38:05 GMT

Hello fellow Democrats! We’re busy getting ready for tomorrow’s big state committee meeting so I wanted to forward around the email I sent on Tuesday with the major news of the week - redistricting legislative maps and the fraud lawsuits being filed by Republicans against some of our county auditors, Arizona-style. Catch up below if you missed Tuesday’s email!

Next Tuesday, Commissioners will release their Congressional district map proposals, but I expect the Republicans will have gerrymandered theirs just the same as they did their legislative maps - we just need to wait and see.

It’s absolutely critical that you engage with the redistricting process - it sets the “playing field” for all elections in our state for a decade.

In the meantime, I encourage everyone to tune into our state committee meeting tomorrow, starting at 9 AM! During my Chair’s Report early in the agenda, I will go into detail about how partisan and unconstitutional the Republican maps are... they do not follow the statutes and consequently they should NOT be considered in this process. State committee members will have votes to take and actions to consider, but PCOs and other folks in the party can watch along on our Youtube live stream here.

Make sure you check out the info below about redistricting and getting involved in the advocacy process and about our party’s redistricting committee over the next crucial weeks.I’ll work to keep folks in the loop about developments with these lawsuits and the next steps we’re taking with legal counsel to help defend Washington from these conspiracy attacks. As always, thanks for reading!

With gratitude,Tina Podlodowski

FW: Big news day - maps and lawsuits!

Hello fellow Democrats! It’s been a huge news week here in Washington and I wanted to reach out to you with an update on the action.

Legislative Redistricting Maps!

This week, the state’s bipartisan Redistricting Commission released their legislative district map proposals for each of the four caucuses - House and Senate Democrats and Republicans. You can see the four maps here: https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/commissioner-proposed-maps

These maps will define state politics for the next 10 years and have a major part to play in who controls power in the legislature, so they are hugely important. We’ll need to run an incredibly strong voter contact program next year to make sure we’re connecting with voters who are in a new district for the first time in a decade. We’ll need to communicate with them about their new district and new elected officials to make sure we can protect our Democrats and beat the Republicans. And for our local LD parties, we’ll have to reorganize all of our local parties to match the new boundaries (LDs only - counties stay the same of course) - it’s going to be a big deal and a lot of change.

It’s clear from looking at the maps that the Republicans are pulling out all the stops to make this process as gerrymandered as possible. Both the House and Senate Republicans have drawn maps that put their political desire to elect as many Republicans as possible first. (what did you expect?)

They have ignored their legal obligations under the RCW to respect cities and counties, keep districts contiguous, and listen to public comment and testimony. It’s shameful what they’ve done and Washingtonians demand better.

The process of negotiating these districts goes until November 15th, when they’re finalized. Next week, the commissioners will release their proposed congressional district maps, and in early October they’ll take public testimony on their proposals. Our state party Redistricting Committee will be working hard to equip folks with the skills and information they need to offer good, effective testimony and push the commission to draw the best districts possible!

The committee held a training on the redistricting process and advocacy last Friday - you can watch that here. This is very important information for anyone who wants to give testimony on their districts. Testimony has to be short - under 90 seconds - so you have to be crisp, concise, and address your key issues quickly. If the commission can’t come to agreement and the Supreme Court has to draw these maps, then public testimony could be hugely important. It’s also important to be submitting written testimony in parallel with your verbal testimony, and this training provides some great examples of how to keep those written letters concise and impactful.

The schedule for future Redistricting Commission action is:

Tuesday, September 28 – Commissioners will each release their proposed congressional district map.
Tuesday, October 5(7 p.m.) –Statewide Virtual Public Outreach Meeting to receive feedback on state legislative map proposals.
Saturday, October 9(10 a.m.) -Statewide Virtual Public Outreach Meeting to receive feedback on congressional map proposals.
Friday, October 22 – Deadline to ensure full consideration of third-party map submissions by the Commission.
Monday, November 15 (11:59 p.m.) – Deadline for Commission to submit final maps to the Legislature.

Your LPO has representatives to the State Party Redistricting Committee - remember to connect with them FIRST. Additionally, please sign up to volunteer to provide testimony HERE and a member of the Redistricting Committee will reach out to you.

GOP’s New Voter Fraud Lawsuits In WA

We’ve all seen how Republicans across the country have spread the “Big Lie” that Trump supposedly won the 2020 election and it all got covered up by voter fraud. We’ve seen the people in states like Arizona who conduct “investigations” of this conspiracy and how they’ve always come up with nothing. Well guess what the GOP is pushing here in Washington now?

In just the past few days, Republicans in Snohomish, Clark, and Whatcom Counties have filed lawsuits calling for Arizona-style “audits” to hunt for nonexistent voter fraud.

Let’s remember the facts - election results in Washington state get audited and recounted every year. We had a hand recount in an incredibly close legislative election in King County last year, and the count showed that the recount barely changed from the initial results. Our elections are not filled with fraud, and the Republicans who claim that they are, well, are openly lying to us all.

These Republicans never have proof and never find any actual fraud. Why are they doing it? Because they know that it gets their base riled up, it brings in the fundraising dollars, and it gives them momentum to pass the voter suppression legislation that they need to actually compete in elections.

I don’t intend to let them get away with it here in Washington. After learning of these lawsuits, my first call was to our state party’s lawyers, asking how we can help stop these bogus efforts. Legal fees are very expensive but our party is not going to stand by while Republicans assault the very bedrock of our democracy, not while I’m chair. If you can make a donation to help cover the costs of our legal fund, I’d appreciate it. I’ll talk more about this at the state committee meeting this weekend, but I wanted to flag this for folks now. We can’t stand by while this happens.

Tax Town Hall Reminder

Just a quick reminder - this week was the first of the Washington state legislature’s tax system town halls, for the East region - LDs 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 16.

Over the past two years, the Tax Structure Work Group, co-chaired by Rep. Noel Frame (LD 36), has conducted economic analyses and held initial listening sessions to find out how the Legislature can create a more equitable, transparent, and stable tax code for working families and small businesses.

The Tax Structure Work Group is hosting seven virtual Tax Town Halls, one for each of seven regions in Washington. Each Town Hall will offer two identical sessions, one in the afternoon (2:30 - 4:00 p.m.) and one in the evening (6:30 - 8:00 p.m.).

These Tax Town Halls will be 90-minute, interactive listening and sharing sessions, so you’re invited to come prepared to share your thoughts with your neighbors, local businesses, elected officials, and extended community. All members of the public are welcome - you don't need to be an accountant or tax expert to participate! The sessions will be conducted remotely on Zoom – if you have any questions or accessibility concerns please contact info@taxworkgroup.org.

All residents and businesses of Washington state are welcome to join and provide feedback. Find your region and the date for your meeting and sign up today at taxworkgroup.org.

Lastly, this Saturday is our September state committee meeting! WSDCC members should be ready for a big day and other folks from around the state will have the opportunity to tune in to the proceedings over on Youtube. Thanks so much and keep up the good work!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Redistricting - Maps and Lawsuits

Douglass MacKenzie — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 00:34:21 GMT

From: Tina Podlodowski <chair@wa-democrats.org>

Sent: Tuesday, September 21, 2021 4:45 PM

To: Tina Podlodowski <chair@wa-democrats.org>

Subject: Big news day - maps and lawsuits!

Hello fellow Democrats! It’s been a huge news day here in Washington and I wanted to reach out to you with an update on the action. Normally we do these emails every Friday, but there’s so much going on right now I just couldn’t wait!

Legislative Redistricting Maps!

Today, the state’s bipartisan Redistricting Commission released their legislative district map proposals for each of the four caucuses - House and Senate Democrats and Republicans. You can see the four maps here: https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/commissioner-proposed-maps

The schedule for future Redistricting Commission action is:

· Tuesday, September 28 – Commissioners will each release their proposed congressional district map.

· Tuesday, October 5 (7 p.m.) – Statewide Virtual Public Outreach Meeting to receive feedback on state legislative map proposals.

· Saturday, October 9 (10 a.m.) - Statewide Virtual Public Outreach Meeting to receive feedback on congressional map proposals.

· Friday, October 22 – Deadline to ensure full consideration of third-party map submissions by the Commission.

· Monday, November 15 (11:59 p.m.) – Deadline for Commission to submit final maps to the Legislature.

GOP’s New Voter Fraud Lawsuits In WA

In just the past few days, Republicans in Snohomish, Clark, and Whatcom Counties have filed lawsuits calling for Arizona-style “audits” to hunt for nonexistent voter fraud.

Tax Town Hall Reminder - Eastern WA Region This Evening

Just a quick reminder - afternoon and evening the first of the Washington state legislature’s tax system town halls, for the East region - LDs 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and 16.

All residents and businesses of Washington state are welcome to join and provide feedback. Find your region and the date for your meeting (again, east is tomorrow!) and sign up today at taxworkgroup.org.

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 23:28:45 GMT

Hello fellow Democrats and I hope everyone had a wonderful week! It looks like we have one last weekend of sun before the fall weather returns - will you be out there lit dropping or door knocking? There are literally thousands of great candidates in our state to choose from, and if you can’t decide, check out our Rooted to Win candidates here: https://www.wa-democrats.org/rootedtowin/ Another cohort will be added to these 39 in just a week or so.

Big COVID Vaccine News -

The Biden Administration is taking a strong step to help make sure all Americans who can get vaccinated are doing so by requiring all employers with 100+ employees to ensure their workforce is fully vaccinated or show weekly negative testing. By expanding these mandates, we can boost overall vaccination rates -- the most effective way to keep people safe and save countless lives. You can read more about this new measure, and the other steps being taken by the Biden Administration to end the pandemic here:

Vaccinating the Unvaccinated: President Biden announced vaccination requirements that cover an estimated 100 million Americans – two thirds of all workers – including all employees in the federal government and those at most health care settings
Further Protecting the Vaccinated: President Biden announced there will be enough booster shots available to everyone for free as soon as they are authorized – with a national distribution system ready, providing easy access for all eligible Americans, and ensuring Americans know where to get a booster.
Keeping Schools Safely Open: The President called on all governors to require vaccinations for all teachers and staff, will require vaccination for educators at federal Head Start Programs, and is helping increase regular testing at schools. And, any teacher or school official whose pay is withheld by a governor will have that pay restored by the federal government – 100%.
Increasing Testing & Requiring Masking: The President’s plan will ensure that every American – no matter their income – can access free, convenient tests. The plan expands easy-to-use testing production through the Defense Production Act, makes tests more affordable, expands free pharmacy testing, and sends free rapid tests to food banks and community health centers. The plan also continues to require masking for interstate travel and on federal property.
Protecting Our Economic recovery: The President announced several programs that will help ensure the U.S. economy continues to grow, including an expansion of the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan program so small businesses can borrow up to $2 million to keep their businesses strong.
Improving Care for Those with COVID-19: The Administration is strengthening its surge response, with nearly 1,000 personnel already deployed across 18 states and the Department of Defense doubling the number of their teams deployed to support hospitals. The Administration is also increasing the weekly pace of monoclonal antibody shipment.

Some will say this is controversial, and, to a few, it might be. But the fact is that these vaccine mandates are wildly popular. Take a look at the polling done this August in some key battleground states:

People want to be safe, people support vaccines, and people support these mandates, no matter how much of a fuss conservative politicians and die-hard Trumpers try to make of them. These mandates are the right thing to do for safety, and that’s why they’re popular with the American public.

Meanwhile, next door in Idaho, hospitals are now filled with so many COVID cases that they may have to triage patients and ration or deny care for some. My heart breaks for the families there who must be terrified about what could happen if a loved one gets sick or even has a “normal” medical emergency, like a car accident or a heart attack. It’s important to recognize that this is what Washington State Republicans would be doing here in Washington if they had power - the GOP would be stopping mask usage and vaccine requirements just as Idaho did, and we’d be in as deep of a crisis as our neighbors to the east. Elections truly have consequences, and it’s a public health necessity that we keep people like Loren Culp, John Braun, and J.T. Wilcox out of power.

A Whole Boatload of Talking Points, Info, and Resources - We often hear from folks about how they’re looking for more information and other resources about some of the major events of the day. Well, good news! We’ve got a whole boatload of stuff we’ve assembled for you on the work that the Biden Administration and Democrats are doing on the issues that are important to communities across the country. This is information that you can share, refer to, and get informed by, so you can do a better job of representing Democrats in your community and spreading the word about the great work being done by our party for the people of this state and this country.

Haiti:

USAID Continues to Deliver Critical Aid to Haitians

COVID:

Build Back Better:

Child Tax Credit:

ChildTaxCredit.gov – a one-stop-shop for information about the CTC, including information about how non-filers can sign up for payments.
GetCTC.org – Simplified Tax Filing to Claim Your Child Tax Credit. The Code for America CTC Non-filer Sign-up Tool (website – English and Spanish). This is where people sign up to for the Child Tax Credit.
The Code for America CTC Non-filer Sign-up Tool Help Guide (PDF - English). This guide is meant for navigators and assisters. It outlines what's going on at each step, so that they know how to respond to common questions and can understand what will happen if people go down a rare corner of the flow. Navigators can also access a navigator resource website (in English and Spanish).
The Code for America GetCTC demo (Video – English). This video is a quick tour of how to use GetCTC, the simplified tax filing portal.
READOUT: Treasury, White House, and Code for America Host Call to Discuss Collaboration and Launch of New Bilingual and Mobile-Friendly Sign-Up Tool for Advance Child Tax Credit

Hurricane Ida:

Housing:

Fact Sheet: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces Immediate Steps to Increase Affordable Housing Supply

Immigration:

Jobs Report:

Jobs Day Talking Points

Reproductive Rights:

Voting Rights:

Statement from the Vice President on New Texas Voting Restrictions

Campañas con Calidad (3C) Spanish Language Training Program - The Washington State Democratic Party, together with the DNC and ASDC Best Practices Institute, are excited to announce the launch of our Campañas con Calidad (3C) Spanish Language Training Program!

Campañas con Calidad is a free, six-part, on-demand training course that covers a variety of campaign skills needed to run successful campaigns. 3C trainings are conducted entirely in Spanish, and are targeted towards Spanish speaking individuals who are looking to organize and win campaigns in Latinx communities. These trainings are available for on-demand viewing in the BPI Victory Vault to commemorate the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month here in September!

Training topics include framing and relational organizing, field organizing, digital mobilization, technology, communications, and fundraising. Register for the BPI Victory Vault today to gain access to this exciting training program!

¡El Partido Demócrata de Washington, junto con el DNC y el ASDC Best Practices Institute, se complace en anunciar el lanzamiento de nuestro programa de capacitación en español Campañas con Calidad (3C)!

Campañas con Calidad es una programa de capacitación en línea, gratis, de seis partes, que cubre una variedad de habilidades de campaña necesarias para construir campañas exitosas.

Los entrenamientos de 3C se llevan a cabo íntegramente en español y están dirigidos a personas de habla hispana para ganar campañas en comunidades latinx. Estas capacitaciones estarán disponibles para su visualización a pedido en el BPI Victory Vault para conmemorar el inicio del Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana.

Los temas de capacitación incluyen organización relacional, organización de campo, digital, tecnología, comunicaciones y recaudación de fondos. Regístrese hoy en BPI Victory Vault para obtener acceso a este programa de capacitación.

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The Facts on Police Accountability Bills - You may have seen some misinformation about the police accountability legislation passed this year by the state legislature and what it does. Politically-motivated Republicans are trying to spread bogus information about these bills, claiming that they’ll make us less safe in attempts to heighten the issue and win midterm elections next year. The fact is, these are good bills that will make us safer, reduce instances of bias and unnecessary police violence, and that the public strongly supports.

Truth In Washington is an informational campaign to get the word out about the facts of these bills - check out their website here, and please share as broadly as you can. They have some great graphic content on the site that can be used on social media, and have links to polling that you can download and read yourself.

Thanks for reading, mask up, vaxx up, and stay safe!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sun, 05 Sep 2021 01:37:17 GMT

Texas - You’ve probably read about the horrible abortion bill in Texas already this week, but we have to discuss it here. This is such a major event with massive implications to come.

In May, Governor Abbott signed the strongest anti-abortion law in the country, Senate Bill 8, which went into effect on this week on September 1. It bans abortion six weeks after conception — when many pregnant people don’t even know they’re pregnant — thus criminalizing about 85% of abortions in Texas. There are no exceptions for rape, incest. Opponents of the bill had asked the U.S. Supreme Court to stop the law from taking effect. It declined to do so on a 5-4 vote, with all three of Trump’s Supreme Court picks on the wrong side.

Disturbingly, S.B. 8 puts ordinary people in charge of enforcement. Anyone — at all — can sue any individual who “aids or abets,” or even intends to abet, an abortion in Texas after six weeks into a pregnancy. Anyone who advises a pregnant person seeking abortion (including a spouse or partner), gives them a ride, provides counseling, staffs a clinic, and so on, can be sued by any random stranger. If the plaintiff wins, they pocket $10,000 plus court costs, and the clinic that provided the procedure is closed down. So S.B. 8 enables nuisance lawsuits to ruin abortion providers, along with anyone accused of aiding and abetting — or intending to abet — an abortion. And the enforcers will be ordinary citizens, well, self-appointed vigilantes actually. These vigilantes are already compiling info and dossiers on their friends and neighbors. Find this impossible to believe? Check out: www.prolifewhistleblower.com

Obviously, this is a disaster for all Texans. And as with so much, the hurt will be felt most keenly by those on the bottom of the economic ladder and communities of color, who don’t have the financial ability to travel to other states or access the tools and resources that the wealthier do when they need abortions. It shows the failure and evil of Trump's Supreme Court picks, who barely even justified their decision. It shows what fascism looks like right here at home.

This story also shows the critical importance of voting for pro-choice candidates. Now, I know what some of you will say in reply to this: “Tina, we did vote! We elected Biden and this terrible thing still happened! How can your solution just be to keep voting?” That’s a fair question. While neither you nor I can vote for new Texas legislators, and we can only vote here in Washington, we still have to recognize that Democratic control doesn’t necessarily last forever - unless we work every day to make it last. A woman’s right to abortion is not in our state constitution, only in law - a law which we know the Washington Republicans would love to repeal. They’ve applauded the Texas abortion bill and have started work on such a bill in almost every state. Just look at what the Chair of the King County Republicans posted:

We all know that midterm elections can be a challenging political environment for the president’s party, and here in Washington, the right to abortion will be on the ballot with every choice (Dem or GOP) just as it will be in every state. We cannot afford to think that “it can’t happen here.” It can - if we don’t stop it. This threat to the right to abortion means it’s more important than everbefore that we protect our pro-choice legislators, and to expand our majorities to the supermajority it would take to embedthe right to abortion into our state constitution, protecting this right from potential fluctuations in partisan control.

And in Texas, we’re joining our friends at the Texas Democratic Party in encouraging folks to support their local abortion funds, which directly help pregnant people access abortions. This link goes to a fundraising page split between Support Your Sistah at the Afiya Center, West Fund, Lilith Fund, Frontera Fund, Whole Woman's Health Alliance, Inc., Texas Equal Access Fund, Jane's Due Process, Clinic Access Support Network, The Bridge Collective, and Fund Texas Choice - a list of Texas abortion funds assembled by local experts on the ground. It’s not a political contribution, it’s direct support for the folks who are on the front lines of providing care and support pregnant people in Texas who need help getting an abortion, and it’s very important that we stand up for them.

This wasn’t even the only bad bill going into effect in Texas this week! House Bill 1927 permits people to carry handguns without a permit, unless they have been convicted of a felony or domestic violence. This measure was not popular in the state. 59% of Texans - including the Texas Police Chiefs Association - opposed it. And Texas also just passed new voting restrictions that allow partisan poll watchers to have “free movement” in polling places, enabling them to intimidate voters and elections staff. Texas Governor Greg Abbott is expected to sign that bill in the next few days.

What we’re seeing is a Republican U.S. Supreme Court that’s willing to let GOP state legislatures run roughshod over our rights. Working together, they are attacking our right to abortion, our protections against gun violence, the health of our very democracy, our right to vote, and so much more. State legislatures are a battleground where we must fight and win - in Washington, in Texas, and in every state in the nation.

The hope I can offer you is that these are fights we can -- and will -- win. We’ve seen how over the past few years, we’ve reshaped our Washington state legislature, flipped the Senate majority from red to blue, brought in fantastic classes of progressive, pro-choice champions, and elected the most diverse legislatures in history, with record numbers of Democratic women of color taking office. We have done this and we can do it again - here and elsewhere. It takes work and money, and we don’t always win every race, but it can be done. It’s what must be done.

Labor Day - It’s Labor Day weekend, and a good opportunity to reflect on the enormous contributions that unions have made to our society. If you appreciate having weekends, thank labor unions! The power of workers united is crucial for countering the corporate power of capital and ensuring that the people get a voice in their workplaces, our politics, and our society at large.

Here in Washington, we’re happy to have worked with our allies in labor to support causes like reforming our state’s upside-down and unfair tax code, raising the minimum wage, passing paid family and medical leave, and enacting critical workplace protections and safety measures.

I’m also proud that our state party staff is in our 4th year as a unionized workforce as members of IUPAT, and that we’re able to make sure that we’re providing fair wages and benefits for the workers who help make possible so much of the work that Washington State Democrats are able to accomplish.

If you’re gathering with your family and friends this weekend for a barbecue or a picnic (COVID safely, I hope!) please take a moment to consider the sacrifices and work done by labor unions and workers to get us here today. We stand on the shoulders of giants, who had to fight Pinkertons, and faced violence and retribution from bosses and corporations - and still do.

Redistricting Commission Announces Key Dates - Now that the Census Bureau has finally released the final data required for drawing maps in our redistricting process, our state’s bipartisan Redistricting Commission has announced important meeting dates for presenting their map proposals and soliciting feedback:

Tuesday, September 21 – Commissioners will each release their proposed state legislative district map.
Tuesday, September 28 – Commissioners will each release their proposed congressional district map.
Tuesday, October 5(7 p.m.) – Statewide Virtual Public Outreach Meeting to receive feedback on state legislative map proposals.
Saturday, October 9(10 a.m.) - Statewide Virtual Public Outreach Meeting to receive feedback on congressional map proposals.
Friday, October 22 – Deadline to ensure full consideration of third-party map submissions by the Commission.
Monday, November 15 (11:59 p.m.) – Deadline for Commission to submit final maps to the Legislature.

We all need to have these dates on our calendars because the map proposals we see from the commissioners this month and the feedback they receive from the public in October will be critical for laying out the political groundwork for the next decade in Washington. Local party organizations need to be aware of what’s being proposed in their legislative and Congressional districts, and ready to provide feedback to ensure that the maps are representing communities of interest and drawing lines that let Democrats fairly compete.

As these dates come, we’ll be working with our state party’s Redistricting Committee to share information out to all our local party organizations about what we see being proposed and how they can get involved, but tracking these key dates is the first step. In the meantime, the redistricting commission has made a “Draw Your WA” tool where the public can advocate on behalf of your communities of interest by drawing the boundaries of areas that should stay together. You can use the tool here:https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/participate/draw-your-wa

Our state party’s Redistricting Committee hosted a great webinar training on how to use the Draw Your WA tool, along with third-party mapping software like the freeDave’s Redistricting tool. We encourage folks who want to get involved and learn more about redistricting and their communitiesto watch the webinar here.

Stories From Those Helped By Biden Agenda - We’re working with the DNC to collect stories from folks who’ve been positively impacted by the Biden agenda so far. If you have a compelling story about how you’ve been helped and you think you can tell it well - maybe how the Child Tax Credit funds have helped you pay for something you’ve been putting off or make an investment in your future, or how the public health funding helped you get vaccinated and protect you and your loved ones from COVID - fill out this form to share your information for a bank of stories that we can call from to talk about the successes of this administration so far!

GOP Karaoke - Ending the email on a moment of levity - I could not stop laughing at this video of the incredibly extreme conservative Sen. Phil Fortunato of the 31st Legislative District singing a strange, anti-vaccine parody of the Buffalo Springfield classic “For What It’s Worth.” I’m not sure Fortunato understood particularly well the original lyrics of the song and the point that it was making, but that didn’t stop him from making a fool of himself.

It goes without saying that I don’t endorse his message in the least, but give it a watch and get a sense of what we’re up against. This guy’s up for re-election in 2022:

Thank you as always for reading, and I hope you enjoy the weekend!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 23:53:21 GMT

Hello Democrats and happy Friday! It’s our first Friday after the primary election and there’s so much to cover.

Digging in on Primary Election Results - Who else had an exciting Tuesday night watching the primary results come in? We’ve got some great races and amazing candidates across the state and some of these were quite exciting - like the Spokane City Council race where the 2nd and 3rd place candidates are just two votes apart right now! Don’t let anyone ever tell you your vote doesn’t count.

Obviously we don’t have the final results yet - about a third of the ballots remain to be counted - but I worked with our data team on some analysis of the results so far, and here’s what we’re looking at.

Overall, turnout statewide as of August 5th is at 26.6%. When looking at partisan breakdowns, Democrats (60+ support score range) are turning out at higher rates than those in the 0-40 support score range (aka Republicans). We’re also seeing strong results among the cohort of Democrats who have low likelihood of turning out, but a high likelihood of supporting Democrats when they do vote - the low turnout score, high support score categories. These reliably progressive, but sporadically voting, Democrats are our top GOTV targets, and it’s a good sign that our campaigns are doing their jobs when these folks are getting their ballots in.

Looking at when different votes were matched back, we see that throughout the primary, our high support Democrats have consistently turned out at higher rates than our GOP counterparts.

We’re also looking at relatively high turnout amongst the BIPOC population in Washington. These are groups that tend to lean more Democratic when they vote, and often vote at lower rates. We need to make sure that our party, and our candidates, are working to connect with these voters and drive turnout here so their voices are heard and their votes are impactful.

What this all says to me - Democrats are fired up and still voting. I wish turnout was higher overall, but I’m glad to see Democrats beating the GOP in turnout across the state. Now we need to focus on doubling down for the general election.

In the general election, we’ll have the opportunity to put some of these D-on-D primaries behind us, and focus on some of the races that only had two candidates and weren’t on the primary ballot. I’m looking at seats like the city of Sequim and beating the Qanon city council appointees, electing Democrats in Central and Eastern Washington and rural Western Washington city councils like Richland, Spokane, Walla Walla, Longview, Blaine, Ferndale, and winning in competitive county council seats in Whatcom, Snohomish, King, and elsewhere. There’s a lot on the map and I know that every county has local candidates we can support and work with. Let’s get to it!

Rooted To Win - With the primary over, it’s more important than ever that candidates get connected with our Rooted To Win program, to identify and highlight good Democrats running for local office across the state! If you or somebody you know is running for office this year, make sure you’ve filled out our (short) form at https://www.wa-democrats.org/rootedtowin to get involved!

Infrastructure Bill Has Benefits for WA - With more details coming out about the current infrastructure bill, we can see some of the huge benefits that this legislation would have for Washington state. You can read our fact sheet about what the bill has for WA here! That includes investments in transportation, electric vehicles, broadband, and more. While we continue to advocate for an additional reconciliation package that can do even more on issues like combating climate change, this current bill would be a major investment in jobs and infrastructure for Washington state.

Federal Eviction Moratorium Extended - As people across the country struggle with the economic impacts of the COVID pandemic, we know that right now would be a terrible time to evict countless Americans due to an emergency outside of their control. Here in Washington I’m glad that Gov. Inslee, and our Democratic leaders, have been able to enact strong tenant protections that help keep families in their homes, and provide economic relief for both tenants and landlords. At the federal level, this week the Biden Administration extended a federal eviction moratorium for the vast majority of counties in the US. I want to recognize and thank those who advocated strongly for this measure, like Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri, and the Biden Administration for taking this action. We can recover from this pandemic and support tenants and landlords alike without forcing a counterproductive and hugely harmful wave of evictions. I’m glad that our Democratic leaders are helping to make that happen.

Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO -We're saddened by the passing of Richard Trumka, the President of the AFL-CIO. He was a legend who fought for years for working families and the labor movement. We send our condolences to his friends, family, and brothers and sisters in labor. We're committed to honoring his legacy by fighting for the values and movement that he championed - investing in infrastructure, supporting workers rights and organizing, raising wages and benefits that help working families, solidarity among all working people, and so much more. Personally, I had the honor of meeting with Rich many times, and as two kids raised in #UnionStrong Polish immigrant families, we shared a commitment to creating opportunities for all. He will be missed.

Economy on the Mend - While we know we have a long way to go to fully recover from the COVID pandemic and build an economy that works for all Americans.the jobs numbers released this week show that President Biden and Democrats’ economic plan to build back better from the bottom up and the middle out is working. Millions of Americans are getting back to work, and working families in Washington are seeing the results -- no thanks to Republicans who tried to stand in the way. Passing legislation like the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan will help keep this progress coming and will ensure that the benefits of a growing economy are shared by all.

The unemployment rate fell to 5.4 percent in July, down from 5.9 percent in June. he United States has now recovered approximately 75 percent of jobs lost during the pandemic.

In the past six months, the economy has gone from creating only 60,000 new jobs a month to creating 60,000 jobs roughly every two days. In total, the economy has added a record-shattering four million jobs since the president took office.

Paychecks are growing at the strongest rate before the pandemic since 2006, as companies are competing for workers and boosting wages as a result.

A newanalysis by the Urban Institute estimates that President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will lead to a nearly 45% decline in the number of Americans living in poverty this year.

More from the Rural Summit - Last week we shared with you some video content from our first ever rural summit - this week, we’ve got more! It was so much fun talking with and learning from folks from across Washington and the Western US about how Democrats can compete and win in rural areas. This is essential work for a strong, competitive party, and I’m committed to making sure the Washington State Democrats always compete in rural Washington. Watch more clips from the summit here:

Tina discussing the importance of the party competing in rural areas.

Communications training with Connections Lab - people raved about this after the summit, it’s super useful!

We did the rural summit while I was in Walla Walla for our tour of Central and Eastern Washington - next week, I’m planning to head down to Southwest Washington to visit our Democrats down there! I’m looking forward to visiting with folks in Clark, Cowlitz, Thurston, Pierce, and more - should be a great time, and stay tuned for updates and photos from out on the road!

As always, thanks for reading and for your support. Keep up the good work, and on to the 2021 general election!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's Weekly News Wrap

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 24 Jul 2021 01:16:12 GMT

Hello fellow Democrats! I’m on the road right now, driving out to Spokane for a few days touring around Central and Eastern Washington!

I’m so excited to see some of our Central and Eastern Washington Democratic friends in person after a whole pandemic’s worth of time away! Our Communications Director, Alex Bond, and I are going to be visiting Spokane, Walla Walla, the Tri-Cities, and Yakima. Along the way we’ll be meeting local Democratic candidates and activists, catching up on how everyone’s been, and connecting over the work that we need to do this year, next year, and beyond. Over the course of this trip, we are going to come up with strategies to build the Democratic party, support and grow the grassroots, compete electorally, and win in Central and Eastern Washington! There are a lot of major local races this year that we want to get informed on. We also want to learn about the work that people have been doing this year so Democrats from all over Washington can help our rural party organizations be as successful as possible. Plus, it’ll just be great to see some of my friends on this side of the mountains again! Follow along with me on Facebook and Twitter - I’ll probably be posting a bunch there about how it’s going. This will be fun!

One of the events I’m most excited about while we’re out here is our rural summit on Sunday morning!

This summit will involve communications training, a panel featuring partner organizations serving rural communities, issues important to rural engagement, and sessions on how folks in urban and suburban districts can most effectively work with rural voters. This will be capped off with a keynote from the Chair of the Democratic Party of Nebraska and author of Harvest the Vote, Jane Kleeb.It’s not too late to RSVP - click here!

Ballots are Out - Ballots are out, and people are voting! This is an important time to be doing get-out-the-vote work and supporting the local candidates that our party organizations have certified and endorsed. 2021 is an exciting opportunity to build the bench locally and to lay the groundwork for big wins next year in 2022!

Turnout is ahead of where we were at this point in the voting window during the 2019 primaries two years ago. It’s great to see folks getting their ballots in. Higher turnout is good for democracy and good for Democrats, so let’s keep it up!

The more voters we can identify, volunteers we can activate, and relationships we can build, the more successful these upcoming midterm elections will be! So please, make a plan to get your ballot in right away! Make sure your friends, family, and neighbors do, too! We can’t wait for presidential and mid-term election years to try and get sporadic Democrats in the habit of voting.

As in past years, we’ve started our voter protection program again to help ensure that Washingtonians have the support they need to cast their ballots and their voices are heard. We run one of the strongest and most effective voter protection programs in the country. We take extensive steps to make sure every voter’s right to vote is protected, that folks get the support they need to return their ballots, and their votes are counted.

Our voter protection team assists hundreds of voters every year and makes a proven difference! We have ten volunteer attorneys staffing the hotline at (206) 309-VOTE from 9 AM to 7 PM daily (8 PM on election day), ready to answer any and all Voter Protection questions. If you happen to miss those hours, please leave a voicemail with a detailed explanation of the issue you're having and one of our amazing volunteers will get back to you as soon as possible!

We also maintain a database of Washington’s 400+ dropbox locations and ADA accessible voting centers onIWillVote.com. We update this information in real-time to ensure every voter can easily cast their ballot!

You can get links to our voter protection resources at https://www.wa-democrats.org/iwillvote!

Make a plan for when you will get your ballot into a dropbox or the mail, and make sure you do so before the Tuesday, August 3rd, 8:00 pm deadline!

Four Organizing Projects for Local Parties - At this point, I hope all our local party chairs and vice-chairs have heard about our four main organizing projects for local parties this year. We’re making it as easy as possible to help local parties build the Democratic brand in their areas and lay the groundwork for strong results in 2021 and 2022. Investing in four different groups of voters will pay off in the long-run:

Contacting and finding out more about voters for whom we have little data. We need to know more about some of these voters so that we can target them appropriately next year, for persuasion and GOTV. By contacting them and having a conversation, we can begin building a deeper relationship between them and the Democratic party, and find out how best to communicate with them through the rest of the cycle and beyond.
Reaching out to likely Dems who didn't vote in 2020 and finding out why. Unfortunately, too many likely Democratic voters still aren't getting their ballots in, and we want to find out why. By building relationships with these voters and listening to their issues and concerns, we can get them ready to vote this year and next!
Re-registering likely Democratic voters who've been purged from the voter rolls by the Secretary of State's office. Thousands of Democratic voters are purged from the voter rolls every year by the Secretary of State's office, and we know many of them are people who are still alive, still living at the same address, and still should be eligible to vote. We can identify these people, let them know they were purged, and get them re-registered to vote.
Registering non-registered voters. There are still so many likely Democrats who fall through the cracks of our automatic voter registration system - we need the face-to-face touch to reach them and get them registered.

This work is so critical to building for success this year and in 2022. Our organizing department is ready to help support all our local parties in this effort. But local parties must opt-in to these programs to make sure that we can give everyone the attention and support they need to succeed. Chairs or vice-chairs need to contact organizing@wa-democrats.org to let us know that you want to participate and who your local party organization's point of contact will be. Once we have that information, we will provide more detailed training and materials about how to access these lists, scripts, and target universes in Votebuilder.

And for more information on our Rooted To Win program that will help lift up local Democratic candidates, please review this document here and encourage local candidates in your area to contact us and get involved!

Wildfires Across WA - You’ve probably heard about the fires already happening across Washington state, including the Red Apple fire near Wenatchee, the Cedar Creek and Cub Creek fires around Winthrop and Mazama in the Methow Valley, the Chuweah Creek fire near the Colville Tribal Reservation, the Lick Creek Fire in SE WA, and more. It’s incredibly scary that so many large fires have started this early in the summer, and many of them are human-caused. Please be careful! While I hope most of us have the sense not to be playing with matches in the backcountry at this point, even things like dragging chains from a trailer can set sparks that can start a fire.

Our Commissioner of Public Lands, Hilary Franz, has ordered a closure of all state Department of Natural Resources lands in Eastern Washington, and pretty much all public lands in the state have ordered fire bans at this point. I appreciate the hard work that Commissioner Franz and her staff are doing to keep us safe. I’m reminded again of how thankful I am for the hardworking firefighters out there right now, putting their own safety at risk to save lives and homes.

For anyone making hiking or camping plans for the rest of this summer, please pay attention to public lands closures due to fire because more are likely to come. Use this information to be prepared and be safe. Too many fires are human-caused, especially in a summer as dry and hot as this one. And of course, we need to recognize the role of climate change in contributing to the drought conditions that make these fires more destructive and elect policymakers who will act to prevent the effects of climate change from getting worse.

If you’re a podcast fan, check out this podcast “Fireline” from NPR. It’s a short series that’s fascinating about how wildfires in America are changing, getting worse, why, and what we need to do about it. I found it very educational and I recommend it!

VAN Training (it’s here!) - First, we have exciting news! Our organizing and data departments have put together the best and most comprehensive training series on Votebuilder available anywhere in the country.

The three-class series is designed to equip Democrats with the knowledge and skills to understand how voter data is used in Washington so they can be the most effective Votebuilder user possible, no matter what role(s) they anticipate taking on.

Participants can watch the videos on-demand -- anytime -- ensuring equitable access for party leaders, PCOs, volunteers, candidates, and campaign staff alike, regardless of personal schedules.

All three classes are full of useful information and concrete Votebuilder skills that are important for every Democrat to know, but participants can choose to watch only the video(s) most applicable to them, if they wish.

We’re also offering a 2021 Votebuilder certification! To earn certification, participants must successfully complete three quizzes, each embedded on the same page as its corresponding video lesson. Staff are actively tracking quiz completion; we will make that data available to chairs upon request so local parties around the state know exactly who in their organizations have stepped up to master Votebuilder!

These VAN Trainings are now available online on our website. The three training videos in the series are:

Class #1: Votebuilder 101 covers Votebuilder basics: how to access Votebuilder, create lists, and use common tools.
Class # 2: Votebuilder 102 covers more advanced Votebuilder features, appropriate for committee administrators, campaign staff, and anyone who will prepare materials for and/or support other Votebuilder users or volunteers.
Class #3: Data & Votebuilder covers non-software Votebuilder training such as good data collection and maintenance practices, how data is shared between different Votebuilder committees throughout the state, and how data is used to benefit Democrats up and down the ticket year over year.

Want to get VAN certified? VAN training is available online now atwww.wa-democrats.org/van-training-with-wa-dems/. Note that a password is required to access trainings: “WADemsVAN2021” and is case-sensitive!

Questions about VAN training should be directed to organizing@wa-democrats.org

Billionaires In Space - Most of us probably saw the news about billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson each participating in flights into space with their own private rocket programs this week. My reaction was: “is ‘not enough billionaires in space’ really the biggest problem facing our society right now?” I’m guessing I’m not the only person who had that thought.

I don’t begrudge anyone their fascination with space, but we have to recognize that the personal wealth from these billionaires is absolutely out of control. The world’s billionaires increased their wealth by more than $4 trillion combined during the pandemic, during a time when so many families were struggling and small businesses went under. What sense does that make for us as a society? How is it that the wealthiest few in our state and in our country pay a lower tax rate than almost any of the rest of us pay?

We have an economic system that’s upside down in this country, and stunts like these space flights make that obvious. We need serious tax reform that will get these guys paying their fair share. I’m so thrilled that the state legislature passed a capital gains tax on the sale of investments like stocks and bonds this year to raise taxes on these rich few, and that the Biden Administration proposed higher taxes on the very rich to help fund programs that will help the middle class in this country, like expanding child care.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned next week for updates from our tour! There’s some exciting political work being done by our Central and Eastern Washington Democrats and I’m so thrilled to be out here to support it!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

More About Sharon Shrader by Val Torrens

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 17 Jul 2021 23:56:58 GMT

SHARON SHRADER

Sadly, we have lost another luminary in our local Democratic party. Sharon Shrader has passed away.

Sharon is probably best known as our County Treasurer, an office she held for 18 years. She made many improvements to the functioning of the office and was always willing to discuss her office and the work that it does. Sharon was also knowledgeable about the workings of local government in general and happy to share that knowledge. She was a regular guest speaker in my State & Local Government class and good at keeping the students engaged in the discussion.

Her civic engagement in our community was broad and deep. She was a Port of Brownsville Commissioner, chair of the Kitsap County Planning Commission, elected Freeholder to draft a new county charter and member of the board of the Bremerton Housing Authority. Sharon was also involved in numerous organizations that impact our way of life: Sinclair Landing Association, Kitsap League of Women Voters, Visit Kitsap, Democratic Women's Club, Silverdale Chamber of Commerce, Kitsap Community Clinic, Green Mountain Rehabilitation Medicine, and West Sound Chapter of the American Red Cross, and League of Woman Voters.

Her presence and good guidance will be missed by all, especially those of us who had the privilege of working with her to improve our county and lives.

A public celebration of her life will be held Wednesday, Sept 8, 1-4 p.m. at Hood Canal Vista Pavilion, 4740 View Drive, Port Gamble.

Death Announcement, Sharon Shrader

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 17 Jul 2021 23:45:48 GMT

Death Announcement for Sharon Shrader's passing. Forward by Linda Streissguth

Sharon Lee Shrader, five-term Kitsap County Treasurer, long-time civic and democratic political activist, mentor to many, remarkable cook and hostess, died June 30 at a Port Orchard assisted living facility following a year of failing health.

Sharon's political career was ignited by the Port of Brownsville commissioners who proposed conversion of the recreational marina into a commercial space and tank farm. Their refusal to listen to community animosity against the proposed development prompted Sharon to run for port commissioner in 1972. She won, breaking into the old boys club, and led the successful fight to keep the Brownsville Marina devoted to recreation.

Sharon volunteered and Chaired the Kitsap Planning Commission during the development of Bangor Naval Submarine Base. The commission's decisions would eventually bring State Highway 3 and thousands of new residents to Silverdale and lead to conversion of the former chicken capital of Puget Sound into the retail and medical center that it is today.

In 1984 she was appointed county treasurer to replace a departing Billy Eder, and went on to be elected to this position to serve 4 1/2 terms; Her tenure brought many innovations to the department, including moving the department into the digital age; pioneering an investment pool for higher returns and more money to county departments and districts; and instituting credit card payment of property taxes.

"Serving as treasurer for all the jurisdictions of government in our county has given me a unique insight into how our government works, the interconnections, interdependency and the various roles and responsibilities as well as an understanding of revenue and taxation," Sharon wrote. It summed up why her Treasurer experience qualified her to be one of 21 elected Freeholders tasked with the formation of a new county charter and form of government in 2000.

Following retirment in 2002, she was appointed to serve on the Bremerton Housing Authority and her tenure saw the redevelopment of West Park from a collection of World War II duplexes for low-income residents to the development it is today with low-income and market rate apartments and single family houses, retail and community amenities.

Sharon's leadership and policy expertise has been felt by many organizations including: Sinclair Landing Association, Kitsap League of Women Voters, Visit Kitsap, Democratic Women's Club, Silverdale Chamber of Commerce, Kitsap Community Clinic, Green Mountain Rehabilitation Medicine, and West Sound Chapter of the American Red Cross, and League of Woman Voters.

"She was a person who cared about others," said Congressman Norm Dicks, perhaps summing up Sharon's legacy.

A public celebration of her life will be held Wednesday, Sept 8, 1-4 p.m. at Hood Canal Vista Pavillion, 4740 View Drive, Port Gamble.

Weekly Wrap With Tina Podlodowski

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 23:45:36 GMT

Hello fellow Democrats!

This was an exciting week of news, with ballots mailing out across Washington and big things happening at the federal level.

Sen. Patty Murray on Climate Change - As Washington grapples with the ongoing climate crisis this summer, from heatwaves to wildfires to droughts, Senator Patty Murray is showing her leadership. As Senate Democrats lay out a proposal for a major infrastructure reconciliation package that would make significant investments in combating the climate crisis and cleaning up our energy sources, Sen. Murray talked about some of those specific proposals and their importance in the Seattle Times:

For example, we can achieve a 100% carbon-free U.S. power sector by 2035 by setting a national Clean Energy Standard that would make power plants move toward zero emissions — Washington state is already on track to be carbon-neutral by 2030. Nearly two-thirds of Americans support government action to ensure we reach that goal, according to a survey by Data for Progress, a progressive think tank.

On top of national standards, there’s broad support for clean energy tax credits and incentives that would create jobs and help spur the deployment and use of renewable energies for businesses, investors and consumers. Pairing these tax credits with strong labor standards will also help ensure that the clean energy jobs we create pay well and strengthen the middle class.

Direct federal funding and programs also will help us bring down carbon emissions in a big way — like my bill to set us on the path to electrify our nation’s more than 100,000 diesel school buses, efforts to modernize our national electric grid and creating a national charging network to invest in electric-vehicle infrastructure.

As Sen. Murray says, these proposals would protect our environment, create good jobs, and have voter support. Inaction is not an option, and we are so glad to have her leadership pushing for progress.

Child Tax Credit Putting Money in Pockets -This week, families across Washington got their first round of payments from the Child Tax Credit funded by the American Rescue Plan. These payments help folks pay their bills, support the economy by boosting spending, and lift families in need out of poverty. They’ll end up helping the families of about 1.4 million children across the state, all told. You can find out more - and sign up if you’re part of a family with children who didn’t get a payment - at https://www.whitehouse.gov/child-tax-credit

This is so important and could be one of the most transformative elements of the American Rescue Plan if it’s made permanent. Our own Rep. Suzan DelBene (CD 1) talked about the importance of the tax credit in this Seattle Times op-ed piece:

It is hard to overstate how significant this benefit will be to families. I fought so hard for these payments because when families do well, America succeeds. I recently visited El Centro de la Raza in Seattle to highlight this benefit and was joined by Kelly, a mom of three kids from Tacoma. She counts herself as one of the lucky parents who could work from home during the pandemic, keeping her job and saving money on child care. Kelly returns to the office at the end of the month and will have to start paying for early learning for her youngest child. The cost is a quarter of her monthly income. She said she would not know what to do without the Child Tax Credit payments.

While this development is historic for American families, it should be the beginning, not the end, of this story. The expanded Child Tax Credit is only a one-year version of my proposal, and we cannot stop here. I am fighting to make this permanent because the benefits would be immense. It would help more families reach and maintain a middle-class lifestyle and lift more than 4 million children out of poverty — 65,000 kids in Washington.

Ballots in Mailboxes -Voters across Washington are receiving their ballots for the primary elections this weekend, and this is an exciting time for our local campaigns! We need to make sure that our Democrats VOTE and we elect Democrats in races across the state.

We’ve started our voter protection program again to help ensure that Washingtonians have the support they need to cast their ballots and their voices are heard. We run one of the strongest and most effective voter protection programs in the country. We take extensive steps to make sure every voter’s right to vote is protected, that folks get the support they need to return their ballots, and their votes are counted.

Our voter protection team assists hundreds of voters every year and makes a proven difference! We have ten volunteer attorneys staffing the hotline at (206) 309-VOTE from 9 AM to 7 PM daily (8 PM on election day), ready to answer any and all Voter Protection questions. If you happen to miss those hours, please leave a voicemail with a detailed explanation of the issue you're having, and one of our amazing volunteers will get back to you as soon as possible! We also maintain a database of Washington’s 400+ dropbox locations on IWillVote.com and update this information in real-time to ensure every voter can easily cast their ballot!

You can get links to our voter protection resources at https://www.wa-democrats.org/iwillvote!

Make a plan for when you will get your ballot into a dropbox or the mail, and make sure you do so before the Tuesday, August 3rd 8:00 pm deadline!

Rural Summit July 25 -We’re holding our Washington Rural Summit virtually next weekend on July 25th to talk about how Democrats can better compete and win in rural areas! I’m so excited about this event. This summit will involve communications training, small group breakouts on issues important to rural engagement, and sessions on how folks in urban and suburban districts can most effectively work with rural voters. This will be capped off with a keynote from the Chair of the Democratic Party of Nebraska and author of Harvest the Vote, Jane Kleeb.Please RSVP here if you would like to attend!

Texas Dems Supporting Voting Rights -With our ballots out right now and our voter protection team at work, it’s important to recognize how the right to vote is under attack in other states. Right now, Texas Democrats are bravely fighting against horrible legislation proposed by Republicans to roll back the right to vote:

Among many new changes and restrictions to the state’s electoral process, both bills would ban 24-hour voting and drive-through voting; prohibit election officials from proactively sending out absentee ballot applications to voters who have not requested them; add new voter identification requirements for voting by mail; limit third-party ballot collection; increase the criminal penalties for election workers who run afoul of regulations; limit what assistance can be provided to voters; and greatly expand the authority and autonomy of partisan poll watchers.

Republicans know their policy ideas are losers and that the only way they can win is to suppress Democratic votes and gerrymander their way to success. Ultimately, we need to pass federal legislation that defends the right to vote and ensures that voters across America can benefit from the voting rights protections that Democrats here in Washington have put into law. This is fundamental to our democracy, and I’m so proud of the Texas Democrats who are fighting for what’s right.

As always, thank you for reading and for your support! Make sure to vote, and let’s go win!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Tina's Friday Wrap Up

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 10 Jul 2021 21:40:50 GMT

Hello fellow Democrats!

Republicans in the 8th Congressional District - Rep. Kim Schrier has been doing terrific work for all Washngtonians in Congress - passing the American Rescue Plan, working on lowering prescription drug prices, championing more affordable health care, and helping get our economy back on track with support for small businesses. And, for those of you with children, look for checks on July 15th as Democrats in Congress have expanded and advanced the child care tax credit for working families. She’s been there for us on issue after issue and we want her to be able to continue these efforts.

However, with a narrow Democratic majority in the House of Representatives, national GOP PACs are already targeting her seat and conservative Republican candidates are getting ready to run. Matt Larkin, who challenged Attorney General Bob Ferguson last year (and lost), and Jesse Jensen, who Schrier defeated in 2020, have both declared their candidacy in the 8th CD. Both Larkin and Jensen are Trump-supporting extreme conservatives (who BOTH lost in 2020 - did I mention that?) We know that GOP PACs and the national Republican party will be throwing their support behind them in this race with millions in special interest money - and we have to stop them.

As Democrats, we need to make sure that all our local party organizations in the 8th Congressional are organized and ready to fight hard in 2021 and 2022. It’s all going to be all about turnout, and the GOP is already stealing a page from our playbook and hiring organizers. For folks in the 8th, it’s especially important that you get the ball rolling now on some of the important organizing projects we lay out later here in this email so we can energize the Democratic base and get out the vote to win crucial races next year. I talked with KING 5 news about the race earlier this week - you can see the story, including my interview, here.

The 8th isn’t the only Congressional District that we’ll be working hard in, of course. We need to protect all our great Democratic incumbents, including Rep. Marilyn Strickland in the 10th, the first Korean-American and Black member of Congress we’ve had in Washington, and Rep. Derek Kilmer in the 6th, where we need to be carefully watching the redistricting process. As rumblings and rumors of GOP challengers come up, and as we recruit good Democrats to run in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th districts against the Republican incumbents (Jaime Herrera Beutler polling at just 30% in a recent poll!) we’re counting on all our local party organizations and members to spread the word about how important these races could be for control of the entire US House of Representatives in the next Congressional session.

The Heat Wave - We were all shocked by the heat wave that hit the PNW last week, but it’s an unfortunate fact that these heat events are going to get more common as climate change continues. While we need to work to combat climate change at all levels, from our personal energy use all the way up to global cooperation and action, we also need to work to mitigate the impacts on vulnerable folks and people who have to live and work in the heat. The heat wave caused at least 78 deaths here in Washington, most of whom were older Washingtonians or those without access to shelter. The death count won’t be complete for several more weeks and will certainly be much higher than current estimates. These are the impacts of climate change today.

As tough as it is for people in cities to deal with the heat, the impact is bigger in our agricultural communities. While we work to make sure the Democratic Party can compete and win in rural areas, we need to make sure we’re supporting our rural communities through climate change-driven crises like heat waves. Washington is already rolling out emergency rules to protect farmworkers in heat waves and hot conditions that could continue for the rest of the summer and in future years.

We also need to recognize the impact on a different sort of agricultural region on the coast and in rural areas of the Olympic Peninsula. An estimated 1 billion shellfish died in the heat wave in the PNW and Western Canada - an important part of our coastal economy that’s already facing challenges from the impacts of ocean acidification, other elements of climate change, and the pandemic. These devastating -- and potentially long-term -- consequences on local shellfish populations also adversely affect indigenous Washingtonians, as the harvesting and consumption of shellfish is an important aspect of many local tribal cultures and practices. This heat wave already makes it clear how climate change will hurt us all - urban or rural, Republican or Democrat - and fighting climate change and helping protect folks from its impacts must be a critical part of our work as Democrats and of the policy portfolio that we communicate in our rural communities.

Draw Your WA - The 2021 redistricting process will have huge impacts on our politics and lives for the next ten years, and it’s important that we work to make sure our bipartisan redistricting commission is working on maps where Democrats can fairly compete and win. One of the most important parts of this process is identifying and defining “communities of interest” - the groups that share interests and concerns and should stay unified within the same districts. This could be a neighborhood, a city, a region, or any other geographic area that encompasses a shared interest.

The redistricting commission has made a “Draw Your WA” tool where the public can suggest your communities of interest by drawing the boundaries of these areas that should stay together. You can use the tool here: https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/participate/draw-your-wa and they have a video tutorial to help make sure that you can use it.

The Washington State Democrats have their first ever redistricting committee this year, who is working on organizing volunteers to provide testimony. If you're interested in getting involved in the redistricting process, please email partyaffairs@wa-democrats.org with your name, contact information, and your home legislative and congressional districts, and we'll connect you with a lead to get you plugged in. This advocacy is important and we need to have our Democratic voices heard.

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Our Voter Engagement Plan for 2021 -We're excited to update you all on four big pieces of voter outreach and engagement we're asking local parties to take on during the rest of 2021. We know folks are anxious to get this work going, and we're setting up tools and training in Votebuilder to make this as easy as possible for everyone. Chairs or vice-chairs should contact organizing@wa-democrats.org to let us know that you want to participate and who your local party organization's point of contact will be.Once we have that information, we will provide more detailed training and materials about how to access these lists, scripts, and target universes in Votebuilder.

We have four main voter engagement projects that local parties must participate in if we’re going to win up and down that ballot -

Contacting and finding out more about voters for whom we have little data. We need to know more about some of these voters so that we can communicate with them effectively next year, for persuasion and GOTV. By contacting them and having a conversation, we can begin building a deeper relationship between them and the Democratic party, and find out how best to communicate with them through the rest of the cycle and beyond.
Reaching out to likely Dems who didn't vote in 2020 and finding out why. Unfortunately, too many likely Democratic voters still aren't getting their ballots in, and we want to find out why. By building relationships with these voters and listening to their issues and concerns, we can get them ready to vote this year and next!
Re-registering likely Democratic voters who've been purged from the voter rolls by the Secretary of State's office. Thousands of Democratic voters are purged from the voter rolls every year by the Secretary of State's office, and we know many of them are people who are still alive, still living at the same address, and still should be eligible to vote. Over 320K since 2017! We can identify these people, let them know they were purged, and get them re-registered to vote.
Registering non-registered voters. There are still so many likely Democrats who fall through the cracks of our automatic voter registration system. Over 1.3M eligible Washingtonians remain unregistered. We need the face-to-face touch to reach them and get them registered.

Lastly, on Friday, 7/16 at 6pm, Data Director Maithili Joshi and Deputy Organizing Director Chris Carter will hold an information session for party leaders over Zoom - please register for that (here:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpfu-qrDIjH93garkMXmcz3bcQo4VLCe7i) and join us for an opportunity to ask any questions you have live!

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Rural Summit July 25 - We’re holding our Washington Rural Summit virtually on July 25th to talk about how Democrats can better compete and win in rural areas! This summit will involve communications training, small group breakouts on issues important to rural engagement, and sessions on how folks in Urban or Suburban districts can most effectively work with rural voters. This will be capped off with a keynote from the Chair of the Democratic Party of Nebraska and author of Harvest the Vote, Jane Kleeb.Please RSVP here if you would like to attend!

As always, thank you for reading and thank you for your support! With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Friday Wrap With Tina Podlodowski

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 18:40:34 GMT

Dearest Democrats,

For those of you whom I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Anna Le and I’m the Operations Director for the Washington State Democrats. While Tina is out this week, the staff thought we’d this as an opportunity for you all to hear from someone else at the State Party.

Within five minutes of our first meeting, Tina and I discovered we had something incredibly formative and special in common: we are both children of refugees. My parents fled persecution and poverty in Vietnam for freedom and the chance at a better life in the US. My siblings and I were born in the U.S. and our family has lived in Pierce County since 1990. To this day, the most spectacular fireworks show I have ever seen in-person was when I was a teenager and went to a July 4th celebration at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

It was not until about five years ago that I first read Frederick Douglass’ July 5, 1852, speech, “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July?” I have thought about this speech every Independence Day since and take something different away from his words each time. When I first read this speech, I was moved by Douglass’ fiery condemnation of celebrating the principles of freedom and liberty each year, in light of the fact that Douglass was born into slavery and millions of people were still being held in bondage as he spoke from the podium.

This year, when I arrived at the point of his speech where Douglass points out that white Americans had been free from British rule for 76 years by 1852 but Black Americans were still not yet free, I thought about the momentous bill that was signed into law last month making Juneteenth a federal holiday… because nearly 13 more years would pass after Douglass’ speech before all Black Americans could celebrate their emancipation from tyranny and subjugation.

Douglass’ speech prompted me to ask myself, “what, to the refugee, is the Fourth of July?” Douglass, himself, summed up my family’s response to that question perfectly when he said, “That I am here today is, to me, a matter of astonishment as well as of gratitude.”

As an American child of refugees, I believe that because I have been given so much, I have a moral obligation to pay it forward so the pursuit of a better life will not be as challenging for those who will come after me.

My experiences growing up in a low-income, low-wealth household made me a Democrat because so many doors were opened for me throughout my journey and, instead of closing these doors behind me, I strive to kick them down entirely.

Frederick Douglass understood why those who were not enslaved celebrated Independence Day: “Pride and patriotism, not less than gratitude, prompt you to celebrate and to hold it in perpetual remembrance.” Just shy of our country’s 245th birthday, my question for you all is, “what, to a Democrat, is the Fourth of July?”

In solidarity,

Anna

Our organizing department wanted to make sure you all had this critical information about our voter outreach and engagement efforts for the rest of the year; we’re rolling out some very useful tools for local parties. Make sure to read to the end for all of the details and a link to sign up for our information session next week!

Contacting and finding out more about voters for whom we have little data. We need to know more about some of these voters so that we can target them appropriately next year, for persuasion and GOTV. By contacting them and having a conversation, we can begin building a deeper relationship between them and the Democratic party, and find out how best to communicate with them through the rest of the cycle and beyond.
Reaching out to likely Dems who didn't vote in 2020 and finding out why. Unfortunately, too many likely Democratic voters still aren't getting their ballots in, and we want to find out why. By building relationships with these voters and listening to their issues and concerns, we can get them ready to vote this year and next!
Re-registering likely Democratic voters who've been purged from the voter rolls by the Secretary of State's office. Thousands of Democratic voters are purged from the voter rolls every year by the Secretary of State's office, and we know many of them are people who are still alive, still living at the same address, and still should be eligible to vote. We can identify these people, let them know they were purged, and get them re-registered to vote.
Registering non-registered voters. There are still so many likely Democrats who fall through the cracks of our automatic voter registration system - we need the face-to-face touch to reach them and get them registered.

This work is so critical to building for success this year and in 2022. Our organizing department is ready to help support all our local parties in this effort. Butlocal parties must opt-in to these programsto make sure that we can give everyone the attention and support they need to succeed. Chairs or vice-chairs should contact organizing@wa-democrats.org to let us know that you want to participate and who your local party organization's point of contact will be.Once we have that information, we will provide more detailed training and materials about how to access these lists, scripts, and target universes in Votebuilder.

An information session for local party leaders will be held on Thursday, July 8 at 6 pm over Zoom.Register now to join us Thursday evening for an overview of the projects, how to plug your local party into them, and an opportunity to ask questions!

T3 Training Results -We are so excited that many Washington activists were able to join the T3 “Train The Trainer” program from the ASDC’s Best Practices Institute this spring. Washington represented almost a third of all T3 participants across the country! We promised $1,000 each to the top three local parties who turned out their members to participate, and we can announce our winners! Wahkiakum County, 26th LD, and 12th LD Democrats were the top three local party organizations in terms of graduates per precinct, and each organization has won a $1,000 prize (or up to allowable contribution limits) from the State Party as a result! Congratulations! With this training, hundreds of Democratic activists have better tools and experience about how to organize, fundraise, and build our party to compete and win races across Washington state, every year. Now let’s put that training to work and win some elections!

Rural Summit July 25 - We’re holding our Washington Rural Summit virtually next month on July 25th to talk about how Democrats can better compete and win in rural areas! This summit will involve communications training, small group breakouts on issues important to rural engagement, and sessions on how folks in Urban or Suburban districts can most effectively work with rural voters. This will be capped off with a keynote from the Chair of the Democratic Party of Nebraska and author of Harvest the Vote, Jane Kleeb.Please RSVP here if you would like to attend!

Resolutions Committee Training - Did you or any members of your local party organization miss our training earlier in the month on how our state committee’s resolutions process works? We want to help make sure folks understand the resolution process so we can vote on good resolutions and move them through the process smoothly. This training on the process of resolutions will be very helpful for anyone who wants to introduce resolutions for the state committee to consider - check it out here!

PRESIDENT BIDEN AND DEMOCRATS’ ACCOMPLISHMENTS -- BY THE FOURTH OF JULY!

COVID-19: The Biden administration has administered 300 million shots of the COVID-19 vaccine. The majority of states have more than 60% of adults with at least one vaccine dose, and 15 states have more than 70% of adults with at least one dose. COVID-19 cases have declined by 90% since January.
American Rescue Plan: President Biden and Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan to help fund vaccine deployment and economic rescue payments, which many called “the most significant legislation” in a generation. Experts say it will cut child poverty in half by next year.
Checks: The Biden administration has delivered $1,400 checks to more than 169 million Americans.
Jobs: The U.S. economy added more than two million jobs since President Biden took office – the most in the first four months of any administration in history. 2021 is expected to be the strongest year for the economy in possibly seven decades.
Infrastructure: President Biden and Democrats worked across the aisle and delivered on a campaign promise to secure a historic infrastructure deal that, if passed, will create good-paying union jobs and position the United States to win the 21st century.
Tax Cuts: President Biden cut taxes for families with children, so that eligible families – starting in July – will receive up to a $3,600 tax credit for each child under 18.
Health Care: The Biden administration cut premiums for those who get health coverage from the Affordable Care Act; four in five now can get plans for $10/month. More than 1.2 million people signed up for coverage during special enrollment.
Guns: President Biden ordered the strongest actions on gun safety in 20 years, including the first-ever federal regulation of so-called “ghost guns.”
Diversity: President Biden has the most diverse Cabinet in history, including the first openly LGBTQ cabinet secretary, first Native American cabinet secretary, first woman Treasury Secretary, first African American Secretary of Defense, first Latino Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the first Asian American U.S. Trade Representative.
Afghanistan: President Biden ordered the end of 20 years of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan.
Climate: The Biden administration rejoined the Paris Climate Accords, and for the first time ever, the US hosted a virtual global climate summit for world leaders to make commitments to reduce their emissions.

Something to Share -Since we shared theaccomplishments of the Biden-Harris Administration thus far, it’s only right that we give you tools to share this information with your friends, neighbors, and on social media. Here’s a toolkit of graphics and sample social media content to help you spread the word!

You can find the toolkit here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yymvd5ZDO6oDXtepZUgilzg02hnwpcShChXBZHgFSiQ/edit?usp=sharing

Something to Watch -As we celebrate the joy of getting our country back on track this Independence Day, we must remember that the Fourth of July, 1776, marked the beginning of independence for some, but not independence for all. Take a couple of minutes to watch descendants of Frederick Douglass read his infamous, “What, to the Slave, is the Fourth of July?” Speech.

Watch it here: youtube.com/watch?v=NBe5qbnkqoM

Something to Jam to -This week, Washington state fully reopened. We owe a debt of gratitude to health care workers, first responders, and frontline workers that have and still serve our communities tirelessly through the pandemic! Our team curated this awesome playlist to celebrate the state’s reopening and to get you in the mood for summer in Washington state!

Check out the playlist and jam with us here:open.spotify.com/playlist/4z48a9kQ38JWXvkiOzNDHl

Friday Wrap With Tina Podlodowski

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 25 Jun 2021 21:58:11 GMT

Hello Fellow Democrats!

Please take care and stay safe with the heatwave that’s about to hit our state. Everyone should do their best to stay out of the sun, stay cool, and stay hydrated. If you can, do what Democrats do best and help our neighbors - seniors who won’t be able to get out, people who don’t do as well in the heat because of medical conditions who may be at risk, and folks experiencing homelessness who might not have good or safe places to go inside and escape the sun. This is *exactly* what climate change looks like, and we should expect to have more hot days in our future, not fewer. We need to make sure we are ready in our own lives and in the support that our society provides to the vulnerable. If you don’t have air conditioning in your home, like most Washingtonians, do some research into the techniques to help cool down, including these tips from King County Public Health: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/emergency-preparedness/preparing-yourself/hot-weather.aspx

Additionally, Washingtonians must be really careful with fire - we should all be nervous about how dry a lot of the state will be when the 4th of July comes around next weekend and people start setting off fireworks. Our Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz has been working hard to make sure that our state is ready for this wildfire season, but we all need to do our part to help prevent fires from starting in the first place.

US Senate on Voting Rights -I know we were all relieved to see the Democratic Caucus in the US Senate unite and vote together against a Republican filibuster on the For The People Act. HR 1 is a sweeping bill to reform our elections, protect the right to vote, and stop GOP gerrymandering and voter suppression. While the vote didn’t reach the 60 margin to break the filibuster, it’s a great sign that Democrats are standing together in support of this bill. Now we need to move past merely standing together and get it passed! Ending the filibuster for this bill would mean that we can codify many of the protections fought for during the last Civil Rights Movement and make sure that we can protect the right to vote in every state in the country.

From the New York Times:

“Once again, Senate Republicans have signed their names in the ledger of history alongside Donald Trump, the big lie and voter suppression — to their enduring disgrace,” Mr. Schumer said. “This vote, I’m ashamed to say, is further evidence that voter suppression has become part of the official platform of the Republican Party.”

Democrats’ bill, which passed the House in March, would have ushered in the largest federally mandated expansion of voting rights since the 1960s, ended the practice of partisan gerrymandering of congressional districts, forced super PACs to disclose their big donors and created a new public campaign financing system.

It would have pushed back against more than a dozen Republican-led states that have enacted laws that experts say will make it harder for people of color and young people to vote, or shift power over elections to G.O.P. legislators. Other states appear poised to follow suit, including Texas, whose Republican governor on Tuesday called a special legislative session in July, when lawmakers are expected to complete work on a voting bill Democrats temporarily blocked last month.”

We know the policies that are necessary to protect the right to vote because Washington has led the way in passing many of them. We have automatic and same-day voter registration, postage-paid ballots, a Washington Voting Rights Act, a Native American Voting Rights Act, strong campaign finance disclosure requirements, and other important protections. We need to make sure every American has the same rights and liberties -- at the very least.

We aren’t resting here in Washington, either. As the primary approaches, you’ll hear more from us about our voter protection plans to help people with challenged ballots have their votes counted. We also want to ensure that people who are purged from voter rolls can get re-registered and vote, and that Washingtonians have the resources and information they need to cast their ballots. Fair and free elections and participation in voting are the bedrock of our democracy, and it’s shameful that so many Republicans stand in the way of the right to vote. This work is some of the most important advocacy and voter outreach that we do - and expect a summer “call to action” for all.

WA GOP Legislators and the Arizona “audit” -You might have heard about the sham “audit” of the 2020 election results in Maricopa County of Arizona, where GOP legislators handed over 2.1 million ballots to a company called “Cyber Ninjas” to supposedly investigate the results. While Arizona’s State Supreme Court has already rejected lawsuits challenging the results, Republicans there are still trying to undermine the results with a bogus “audit.” Even Washington’s own Republican Kim Wyman said that she thought the Arizona Republicans’ investigation is dangerous and irresponsible.

Republicans across the country and here in Washington are still clamoring to support the effort and promote the conspiracy theory that Trump didn’t lose the 2020 election, though. Washington state legislators Rep. Jesse Young of the 26th LD and Rep. Robert Sutherland of the 39th LD - two of the legislature’s most conservative members - actually traveled to Arizona to support the “audit.”

Young has already declared his intention to run for the state Senate and challenge the amazing Sen. Emily Randall, who we elected in 2018 in a very close election decided by just 51 votes! It’s important that voters know how Rep. Young and his fellow Republicans are more focused on promoting these 2020 conspiracy theories than on advancing any actual policy solutions for the people of Washington. We count on you to help spread that message in your local communities - are you connecting with our local talking points and sharing our communications work?

Our Development Manager Anjali Narula -I’m sad to say that our fantastic State Party Development Manager, Anjali Narula, is moving on to new opportunities and enrolling in law school! She’s been a crucial part of our fundraising team. We all appreciate the work she’s put in to help make sure that the party can fund the essential projects and campaigns that we need to win across Washington. She had this message to share with you all:

“When I started working at the Party as the Caucus and Convention Coordinator almost two years ago now, I had no idea I would be doing such exciting and rewarding work. We supported the most diverse National Delegation in Washington State history and helped pass the most progressive National Platform ever seen. This last year, I have learned so much about the power of grassroots fundraising as I stepped into the role of Development Manager, witnessing the impact that each of us can make to organize effectively and elect Democrats up and down the ballot. The State Party has shown me what it means to create meaningful change, and while I am sad to leave, I am confident that this Democratic spirit of progress and equity will follow me as I head to law school at UCLA this fall.

Luckily, we have an absolutely incredible new Development Coordinator, Nancy Canales-Montiel, starting on July 6th! She recently graduated from Central Washington University where she studied political science and public policy. Born in Mexico and a native Spanish speaker, Nancy was also one of our intern fellows two summers ago, and will be bringing her leadership and passion for civic engagement to the development department. We are so excited to have her and I am grateful to pass the torch to such a dedicated and hardworking Democrat like herself!”

Please join me in expressing gratitude and appreciation for Anjali, and welcoming Nancy!

FB Live for Pride -

I was thrilled to host a Facebook Live event for Pride Month and speak with some of our state’s LGBTQ champions - Sen. Jamie Pedersen (LD 43), Sen. Claire Wilson (LD 30), Everett Maroon and Jeffrey Robinson of the Washington State LGBTQ Commission, and Chair Joshua Fike from the WA Stonewall Democrats. We talked about the policies that legislators have worked on to support the LGBTQ community, the work of the state’s LGBTQ Commission, as well as what Pride means to us.

As a lesbian mom of three, the first Washington State Party Chair from the LGBTQ community, and a fomer Seattle City Councilmember when there were less than 150 out elected officials in the entire nation, Pride remains my favorite time of the year. It’s a time to reflect on the people we’ve lost to ignorance, violence, and HIV/AIDS, as well as celebrate our family and friends. We still have a long way to go for full equality.

This was a great conversation and I encourage you to watch and share the video of it here.

Rural Summit July 25 -We’re holding our Washington Rural Summit next month on July 25th to talk about how Democrats can better compete and win in rural areas! This summit will involve communications trainings, small group breakouts on issues important to rural engagement, and sessions on how folks in Urban or Suburban districts can most effectively work with rural voters. This will be capped off with a keynote from Chair of the Democratic Party of Nebraska and author of Harvest the Vote, Jane Kleeb.Please RSVP here if you would like to attend!

Something to Read -I was blown away by this New York Times article about conservative political operatives going undercover as Democratic donors and staff in Wyoming, infiltrating the Wyoming Democratic Party in an effort to dig up dirt and embarrassing information on Democrats and moderate Republicans in the state. We’ve seen how conservatives have tried to use these undercover attacks on Democratic parties, Planned Parenthood, and other progressive organizations, and this is a detailed account of how they do it. It’s a wild read, and I encourage you to check it out.

As always, thanks for reading!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Friday Wrap With Tina Podlodowski

Douglass MacKenzie — Fri, 18 Jun 2021 20:22:57 GMT

Juneteenth - Tomorrow is Juneteenth, the day that we commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States. While President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, it wasn’t until June 19th, 1865, that Union soldiers in Galveston, Texas, informed the African Americans enslaved there of the proclamation and that they were free. In the 156 years since, Juneteenth has evolved from being just an anniversary of the end to one of America’s greatest sins to a celebration of Black liberation and freedom across our nation. This is an opportunity to reflect upon the challenges of racism we still grapple with in our society. It reminds us of the horrors that Black Americans have endured and of the progress we can achieve together. Juneteenth reminds us that we can fight and win in our everlasting efforts towards freedom, equity, and justice.

This holiday also makes me think of the debate going on over “critical race theory” - the effort by conservatives to demonize the idea of teaching students that racism exists in America and about some of the more shameful elements of our history. We can’t wish away the wounds of the past and denying that these historical wrongs ever happened will not heal the scars they left behind. We can’t meaningfully address problems like the opportunity gap in our schools, the school-to-prison pipeline in our criminal justice system, disproportionate use of force by police, the economic and environmental injustice in racially segregated communities, or generational wealth without honestly recognizing that these issues are rooted in racism from the past and, unfortunately, all too often, in the present.

You can’t solve problems unless you are willing to acknowledge they exist and recognize their causes. I think it’s of the utmost importance that students today learn the truth about our country and our history - that we aren’t perfect, we have sinned, we have caused great harm, and we should strive to be better. I don’t know what could be more American than recognizing what’s wrong in the world and trying to make it right. That’s some of what I’ll be thinking and talking about this Juneteenth.

Legislative Action - We’ve been encouraged by the growing movement to recognize Juneteenth as an official holiday. Juneteenth originated as an unofficial holiday in Black communities and, in some cases, its celebration was met with active interference from white local officials and businesses. During the Civil Rights Movement, the commemoration of Juneteenth became more widespread and celebrated. Declaring Juneteenth a formal, federal holiday gives us a day on the calendar to reflect on the dark chapters in our country’s history, consider how we can and must combat the institutional racism and white supremacy interwoven in the fabric of our history, and take action to reach justice, even if it is delayed.

47 states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation ceremonially observing or commemorating Juneteenth. Washington has been part of this group of states since 2007. However, Washington became the 7th state to officially recognize Juneteenth as a paid, state holiday when the state legislature passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Melanie Morgan (29th LD) this session. Earlier this week, Maine passed similar legislation, bringing the total number of states that officially recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday to nine.

Just this week, Congress passed and President Biden signed a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday as well. Now, every year our calendars will have this opportunity to discuss our country’s history, how we can make right the injustices of the past, and how we can prevent them from happening again in the future. I’m so glad to see our Democratic leaders acting on this issue.

Watch Our FB Live with Rep. Melanie Morgan - Yesterday, we had one of our Facebook Live events with Rep. Melanie Morgan, the sponsor of the state Juneteenth bill. We talked about the importance of this holiday, what it represents, and about the effort to get this bill passed through the legislature. You can watch and share the video here.

Juneteenth Events - if you want to commemorate Juneteenth in person (and I hope you’re vaccinated if you will be!) check out this list of Juneteenth events compiled by our friends at UFCW 21. They have listed events all around the Puget Sound area to attend for this important day! In the Seattle area, the South Seattle Emerald has another list of Juneteenth events to check out and attend. For the Spokane area, KXLY has this list of local Juneteenth events.

Countdown to the Primary - We’re now four weeks away from ballots going out to voters for this year’s primary election, and we hope everyone is getting ready to get out the vote for local Democratic candidates this year! We’re still hoping folks will report back to us about the important local candidates in their area by emailing organizing@wa-democrats.org. Still, we also want to make sure folks are aware of all the resources available to help local campaigns and parties get out the vote! We won’t copy and paste all of last week’s email here again but make sure you, your local party, and the candidates you support are taking advantage of these resources to help Democrats in your local community.

Something to Read - Our Congressman Derek Kilmer (CD 6) had a good op-ed in the Tacoma News Tribune about HR 1 - the For The People Act - and how it would protect voting rights across the country. While Washington has proudly led the way in voting access with policies like vote-by-mail, the Washington Voting Rights Act, and same-day and automatic voter registration, we know that Republicans are attacking the right to vote every day in this country. They know how unpopular their policies are and that their best chance of winning is to suppress voters and prevent their opponents from turning out. That’s why it’s so important we take federal action to protect the right to vote in every state by passing legislation like the For The People Act. Thanks for writing the op-ed, Rep. Kilmer!

Thanks for reading and for your support, as always!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski

Friday Wrap With Tina Podlodowski

Douglass MacKenzie — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 01:09:06 GMT

Hello fellow Democrats and happy Friday! It’s campaign season - and time to start doorbelling and holding events - safely! I’m excited about all the hard work that local Democrats are doing across Washington in the 2021 local elections, and we have a TON of opportunities for training and support that we have available to help LPOs, PCOs, and candidates compete and win.

Contest Every Race:In our Contest Every Race program, we identified more than 10,000 Democrats across Washington who told us they would consider running for office now or over the next few years. Another 6,000+ Democrats expressed an interest in volunteering with a local party organization or becoming a PCO. This is a deep bench of activists that we’re going to work with to grow our volunteer network and elect more Democrats in 2021 and beyond.

Since most local races are nonpartisan, we’re still working to identify the Democratic candidates we should track in these races across Washington - many thanks to our LPOs and the Elections Committee of the State Committee for their efforts here! And, at the current count, 173 of our Contest Every Race recruits - folks who would NOT have run without this program - are on the ballot in 2021. If you or someone you know is running for office and should be on our radar, email organizing@wa-democrats.org to let us know. We’d love to get connected!

We’re identifying the most competitive races and candidates, especially where we can pick up new Democratic seats and elect a more diverse and representative class of elected officials. We’re planning a “spotlight” program for these races throughout the year, so again, send us your recommendations!

T3 - Train The Trainer: As part of our continuing commitment to ensure the best and most effective training for all of our Local Party Leaders, PCOs, and amazing volunteers, the Washington State Democrats are excited to announce that we’re partnering again with the Association of State Democratic Committee’s Best Practices Institute to launch Train the Trainer Volume 2 (T3 v.2)! T3 v.2 is a free, three-week, six-part, 100% virtual training course, which will provide thousands of grassroots leaders with the political skills they need to execute successful local electoral programs.

During T3 v.1 this spring, Washington state led the nation with over 780 T3 participants and 311 certified graduates - more than any other state in both categories. Washington Democrats represented almost one-third of the entire national program! The T3 v.2 program will build upon the skills taught in the Spring T3 series. However, registrants are NOT required to have completed T3 v.1 to participate in the T3 v.2 program. Everyone interested in helping to elect Democrats is welcome to participate!

Click Here to Register(registration closes at 8:59 pm PT on Sunday, June 20, so don’t wait!)

Just like T3 v.1, the T3 v.2 program is designed to train thousands of people at your own pace over three weeks, beginning June 22nd.

2021 T3 v.2 Curriculum Calendar
Week	Session #	Date	Topic
Deadline	--	Sunday, June 20	Registration Deadline
1	1	Tuesday, June 22	Program Overview + Getting Started
2	Thursday, June 24	Fundraising
2	3	Tuesday, June 29	Communications + Messaging
4	Thursday, July 1	Organizing
3	5	Tuesday, July 6	Digital
6	Thursday, July 8	Building Coalitions
Deadlines	--	Sunday, July 18	Certification Deadline
--	Monday, August 2	Certification Delivery (subject to change)

This program will expand the skills of PCOs, party officers, and volunteers alike by ensuring that comprehensive training is free and accessible for Democrats working in every LD and county in Washington (and across the country!).

T3 v.2 is an opportunity for those who missed the Spring T3 program to get up to speed - especially local candidates and campaigns - and for Spring T3 participants to expand their knowledge and skills to continue training others! Please take a moment to register yourself now, and then encourage three of your friends to sign up with you. We win when we train and organize together.

Juneteenth FB Live with Rep. Melanie Morgan:

We’re excited to be hosting one of our Facebook Live forums next week with Rep. Melanie Morgan of the 29th Legislative District. We’ll be discussing the Juneteenth holiday and the work the legislature did in 2021 to address the needs and concerns of Black Washingtonians. The event will be on Thursday, June 17th at 11:00 AM. You can watch it live or a recording of the program at www.facebook.com/washdems/live.

Campaigning During COVID - It’s Time to Get Out There:As local Democratic campaigns ramp up activities leading up to the 2021 primary election, it’s important that we do so in a way that’s safe and responsible. While many of our candidates, staff, and volunteers may be fully vaccinated at this point, we need to recognize that our campaigns can and will interact with people who aren’t vaccinated due to access, medical conditions, or being too young; We need to protect them just as we protect ourselves.

Political staff and activists are NOT public health experts and it’s important that we always defer to the guidance of our public health authorities and to err on the side of safety. Make sure to continuously stay up-to-date on the recommendations and guidance from the state’s Department of Health and your local county’s public health authority. While responsible and safe campaign practices may change as the COVID situation evolves, these are our current recommendations to local campaigns for how to operate under COVID.

Save The Date - Rural Summit Coming Up:On July 25th, we’re hosting our Washington State Democratic Party Rural Summit. We know how important it is that we communicate with rural voters about the work that Democratic elected officials are doing on their behalf and organizing to build our party across Washington. We will be hosting a full day of workshops, trainings, and discussion of rural strategies, with a keynote session from Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb. Save the date and stay tuned for more information about this important event!

Redistricting Outreach Meetings Continue: Washington’s Redistricting Commission has begun its initial process of collecting public comment on the redistricting process and goals. These events are all virtual at this point, focused on the communities of one Congressional District at a time. The list of outreach meetings and their dates and times can be found here: https://www.redistricting.wa.gov/outreach-meetings

As a party, our role is to support our Democratic commissioners (chosen by the Senate and House Democratic leaders in the legislature) and provide input on maps that reflect the important communities of interest across the state - like our Native American Tribal partners. We must also provide the opportunity for Democratic voters to have our voices and influence fairly heard in our elections. Redistricting always involves tradeoffs, and no map will ever be “perfect,” but we can help support the commissioners as they work to draw and negotiate the most fair and equitable maps possible.

It’s difficult to propose concrete redistricting plans or maps at this point because we still don’t have the final population data from the Census - that won’t happen until September. Still, at this point, we want to remind ALL the commissioners of the importance of listening to communities of interest. We also need to make sure that groups like Washington’s BIPOC voters can come together as a voice for needed change, so their geographic communities won’t get split up between multiple districts -- as was done to so many groups back in 2011.

Something to Read: I mentioned the Rural Summit we’re planning with Nebraska State Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb - make sure to check out her book as well! Titled Harvest The Vote, it’s an inspiring road map for how the Democratic Party can reconnect with rural voters on issues like climate change, corporate power and overreach, clean energy, and other ways that we can connect with a rural grassroots that can be too easily ignored from the coasts. Great Democratic leaders like FDR were elected with huge support from farmers and rural voters, and we should work to rebuild those alliances and grow our party in rural areas again. I seriously recommend you check it out from an independent, unionized bookstore.

Thanks as always for reading and for your support for the party! Now let’s go forth and win these local elections we’ve been preparing for all year!

With gratitude,

Tina Podlodowski