“State legislators have the power, the winning record, and the forward momentum to build durable Democratic power – and now is the time to match investment to impact”
WASHINGTON— Courier published an op-ed from DLCC President Heather Williams on how Democrats should be watching and learning from state legislative leaders who are winning and overperforming in elections.
Read the full op-ed below:
Courier: A Message to Democrats: Follow the State Leaders
November was a sobering moment for the Democratic Party. Since then, Democrats in Washington, DC, have engaged in a nonstop debate over the lessons learned and where we go from here. But to rebuild our party and regain ground, Democrats need to spend more time listening to the people who are closest to the ground.
While Democrats faced tough losses at the federal level in 2024, the red wave failed to reach state legislatures. For the last two cycles, Democratic state legislators have kept their heads above water and continued to win elections even, in environments that are tough for Democrats running at the national level. Instead of talking about where the party should go, legislative candidates are hitting the doors and executing on a winning strategy.
It’s time for DC to take note.
We have a saying at the DLCC: if it’s a Tuesday, it’s an election day. The truth is, voters are providing us with feedback nearly every week through state legislative special elections. From five majority-deciding election wins, to flipping two double-digit Trump seats, to defending Wisconsin’s liberal Supreme Court majority, it’s clear voters approve of the work state Democrats are doing. State legislative Democrats continue to overperform in special elections this year by an average of about 10 points.
The message voters are sending? Listen to the Democrats who are delivering in the states.
Our winning strategy is grounded in the unique advantages of our state legislators. As distrust in the federal government grows and voters desire a new generation of leadership, state legislators are in the best position to message, lead, and deliver the Democratic party’s priorities. They are building the bench, shaping policies that impact people’s lives most directly, and leading with an authenticity that people crave.
Candidates like Iowa State Senator Mike Zimmer and Pennsylvania State Senator James Malone flipped seats Trump won by double digits last November by having face-to-face, authentic conversations with the communities who know and trust them. Candidates at our ballot level can get their foot in the door with skeptical voters in their communities in a way that candidates at other ballot levels do not.
State legislatures are also where the next generation of Democratic leadership is being built. While many in DC speculate over who will lead the party in 2028, we cannot lose sight of the need to foster the Democratic leaders who will move us forward in 2032, 2036, 2040, and beyond. Many of today’s rising stars – including nearly half of the current Congress – started their careers in state legislatures.
While our party’s strategy for fundraising and spending has been top-down, it is clear that our strength is actually being built from the ground up. Democrats who are serious about having strong leaders tomorrow need to invest in state legislative races today.
As we look to the states to build the bench of leaders for our party’s future, national Democrats should also look to state legislatures as one of our best tools to combat and mitigate the Trump administration now. As the only ballot level with current Democratic majorities, state legislatures are the only legislative firewall against Trump’s dysfunction and extremism.
But the protections they provide could disappear quickly if Democrats continue to employ our failing federal-first strategy and overlook state chambers. This cycle, there are five state legislative chambers with one-seat majorities. To put it another way, only five state legislative seats stand between Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and control of 40 million Americans’ health care, public school funding, and fundamental rights. These races have real consequences for tens of millions of Americans. State legislatures are a critical long-term investment for Democrats, and they’re too important to leave off the radar any longer.
Given these high stakes, the DLCC is proud to have grown Democrats’ majorities from just 29 chambers in the first Trump administration to nearly 40 today. It’s taken the DLCC a decade to position state Democrats as the winners they have proven themselves to be. If Democrats want to understand where the party is headed, they should take a page from our playbook and invest in state legislatures.
This is a defining moment, and the path to building lasting Democratic power runs through state legislatures. Supporting down-ballot Democrats is key to shaping the next decade of state and congressional power. At the DLCC, we’re doubling down on what worked in 2024 and calling on all Democrats to do the same.
State legislators have the power, the winning record, and the forward momentum to build durable Democratic power — and now is the time to match investment to impact.
###
