By Holli Holliday, President
Sisters Lead Sisters Vote
How We Are “Clapping Back” Against Extremists in America!
Yesterday, the Clapback in local and state elections across this country was REAL. Extremist political groups, like Moms of Liberty, and divisive leaders like Gov Youngkins (VA) and Attorney General Cameron (KY) were sent a clear message… WE SUPPORT FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY over injustice and disenfranchisement of our community. Sadly, many of these victories will not receive much attention. Many of these victories will not be discussed on broadcast or cable news. As Black women, we understand why it is important for us to tell the story from our perspective. We are ready to set the record straight. We are ready for the CLAPBACK.
THE CLAPBACK about last night…
Last night in Pennsylvania… Philadelphia elected Cherelle Parker, the 1st Black woman and woman, to be its 100th mayor: The suburban town of Upper Bucks elected Ed Brown as its 1st Black Mayor. Democrats made major down ballot progress in local elections flipping school boards and expanding their presence in city council and county commissioners. In the statewide election for the open seat on the state Supreme Court, Daniel McCaffery defeated extremist Carolyn Carluccio and increased the Democratic majority.
Last night in Virginia…… Democrats flipped the VA House of Delegates and kept control in the Senate. This means that Minority Leader Don Scott, is poised to become the 1st Black House Speaker in Virginia. Senator President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas will be the chair of the Finance and Appropriations Committee. We have firmly erected the blue “brick wall” to erode extremist Gov. Youngkin’s ability to enact his ultra conservative agenda in VA.
Last night in Ohio…. Lots of good stuff in the Buckeye State. Issue 1 wins!! OH codifies the right to access full reproductive healthcare, including miscarriage care, fertility treatment, family planning, the use of contraceptives, abortion care and more with nearly 60% of the vote. Despite the OH Ballot Board and OH Courts greenlighting conservatives’ plan to run misleading and factually inaccurate ads, OH advocates, like our partners Black Ohio Leaders for Democracy, stayed the course and delivered a win for OH families that will now be protected in their state constitution. Exit polls indicate that voters 18 – 29 supported Issue 1 at 82%, Democrats at 92%, Black and Latino voters at 84% and 74% respectively and Black men and women voters at 87% and 81%. Also, OH approved Issue 2, the ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana, making it the 24th state to do so. Voters in the Cincinnati suburbs told the Anti CRT/DEI Moms for Liberty school board candidates to kick rocks as progressive parents and voters prevailed to ensure their children have access to uncensored education.
Last night in Kentucky …. Governor Andy Breshear’s is re-elected. While Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the man who called the death of Breonna Taylor “justified”, was defeated. Shout out to our sister Tameka Mallory and Until Freedom leaders, who risked their lives to ensure that the murder of Breonna Taylor has consequences. A fun fact – Kentucky’s governor’s race has predicted the winner of the presidential election in the previous 5 election cycles.
Last Night in New Jersey…. Polls, polls, and more bad polls.The polls kept saying the Democrats would loose seats, but guess what the Democrats won control of the State Assembly and Senate. They even flipped a trump 35+ seat. As President Biden always says, “ Voters vote. Polls don’t.”
Last night in Rhode Island… Newly elected Congressman Gabe Amo is elected to fill the vacancy left by Rep. David Cicilline. This makes Rep Amo the 1st Black person to represent the state of Rhode Island and the historic 60th member of the 118th Congressional Black Caucus.
Last night in Connecticut …. While Connecticut is Blue State, Republicans control the majority of town governments. Well, someone said not today Satan, we are showing up for local elections. Democrats flipped approximately 10% of town governments last night.
Last night in Minnesota …. In a local school board election, all 4 Moms 4 Liberty candidates who ran on banning books, anti-LBGTQ messages and opposition to equity and inclusion ALL LOST.
Last night in Iowa …. In 5 local school board elections outside of Des Moines in the suburbs, all Moms 4 Liberty candidates lost to Democrats.
Last night in Mississippi…. Incumbent Governor Tate Reeves defeated Democratic challenger Brandon Presley but showed an opportunity for Democrats to gain momentum by increasing registration in the part of the state just south of Tupelo. Showing that progress is incremental, takes time and investment. The fight continues.
Special Note: In the Houston’s Mayor race, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and State Senator John Whitmire will both advance to the December 9th runoff as they thin out a very crowded field.
Finally, two ICYMI:
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- ICYMI:Yesterday, the Senate confirmed President Biden’s 150th federal judicial nominee. (more to come on this later✊🏾)
- ICYMI: Check out the article from Rolling Out on our Sisters United event.
This is why LOCAL ELECTIONS matter. This is why Black women engagement matters. This is just the beginning of what we can do together.
*A clapback is a very strong and well-observed comeback, spoken or written. In social media, it may show up as a post, video, comment or meme.
