Just 12 state legislative seats on the DLCC’s target map will decide the future of freedoms and rights for nearly 40 million Americans
WASHINGTON — As the 2024 elections approach, the DLCC is driving the conversation on the vital impact of races at the state legislative level. DLCC President Heather Williams recently joined Ali Velshi on MSNBC’s The Last Word to discuss the razor-thin state legislative majorities in battleground states. Earlier this week, the DLCC also unveiled a new memo outlining the most important races to watch. With just 47 days until Election Day, a critical window is closing to ensure these critical races are fully resourced to combat an onslaught of GOP fundraising. Just 12 seats on the DLCC’s target map will decide the future of freedoms and rights for nearly 40 million Americans, and the DLCC is committed to securing key Democratic majorities in November.
MSNBC: Heather Williams on The Last Word
- Ali Velshi: “Just 53 days left until Election Day, Democrats are raising an alarm: don’t forget the down-ballot races… In the post-Dobbs landscape, Republican state legislatures are passing abortion bans that have put women’s lives at risk, sought to punish women and doctors with jail time, and targeted IVF treatments. You really want to leave control of the state legislatures to people like that?”
- Heather Williams: “The DLCC is the party committee responsible for this ballot level, and we have a lot to do this year. As you said, we’ve got key majorities to defend in Pennsylvania, in Michigan and Minnesota, and real opportunities to create new trifectas and build new power in Arizona and New Hampshire. And just to kind of summarize it here, 12 seats will be the difference in rights and freedoms for nearly 40 million people.”
- Heather Williams: “What’s so great about the state legislative ballot level, and what is happening in our state capitals, is that there are multiple ways to get at this problem. In North Carolina, breaking the supermajority that Republicans have will ensure that incoming Governor Josh Stein will have that veto pen and will be able to ensure that the rights and protections of North Carolinians are in place.”
The Guardian: Why Republicans are raising double the money in down-ballot races
- Democratic party leaders seem aware of the high-stakes surrounding state legislative races. Earlier this month, the Harris campaign and the Democratic National Committee announced a transfer of $25m in funds to help down-ballot candidates, including $2.5m for the DLCC. Williams said the transfer represented the party’s largest investment to date focused solely on winning state legislative chambers.
- “We know that our freedoms are on the line, that democracy is on the line in the states, and so investing in state legislatures is really an emerging cornerstone of Democrats’ strategy to protect against Maga [‘Make America great again’] extremism.”
- “It’s going to take one vote at a time and one legislative win over and over in all of these states,” [DLCC President Heather] Williams said. “I think we’re at such a moment where those efforts – seemingly small efforts – will make a huge difference. And we’ll be able to protect the rights of millions of people across the country.”
The Hill: State Democratic group unveils targeted races
- “[DLCC] Spotlight candidates are running in razor-tight districts to make or break majorities; districts that will decide the fate of abortion access in their state; and districts featuring MAGA extremists intent on upending democracy,” DLCC President Heather Williams wrote in the memo. “In other districts, our Spotlight candidates are young leaders stepping up to run for office for the first time. Our candidates are closely connected with their communities, and they’re real changemakers.”
Meidas Touch: Democrats Release Interactive Plan to Win State-Level Races All Over the Country
- Just 50 days out from the election, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) has released an interactive memo showing the key target states with crucial down-ballot races for Democrats to take or keep control of state houses all over the country.
- Key states include Arizona, where MAGA Republicans hold a only single seat majority in both houses of the legislature, Michigan, where Dems are fighting to keep a single seat majority to maintain a trifecta, and North Carolina, where Dems are trying to break a GOP supermajority and give Governor Roy Cooper veto power.
Politico: Weekly Score
- The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is highlighting its top candidates running in statehouses across the country… The memo also highlights races that will decide if Democratic majorities to protect abortion access are formed; races where Democrats are running against “Republican candidates who supported Trump’s lies in the lead up to the January 6th insurrection and who have led the assault on democratic institutions and voting access;” and candidates under 40.
Raw Story: Beyond the White House: These 10 down-ballot races could change everything
- “As we look to top battleground races in 2024, the difference for majority control in multiple states will come down to single seats and tight margins — and determine the rights of 70 million Americans,” wrote Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, in a memo released Monday. “In fact, by flipping just eight state legislative seats across the country this year, Republicans could simultaneously take control of four legislative chambers.”
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