ON THE AIRWAVES: DLCC President Heather Williams Talks Massive Victories for State Democrats

State Democrats have now flipped 3 seats Trump won by double digits and won 5 chamber-majority-deciding elections

The DLCC recently launched a new Dems On Redistricting Offensive with a plan to put Democrats on offense on redistricting ahead of 2030

WASHINGTON — This week, fresh off of a massive 20 point flip in Iowa and an impressive overperformance in Georgia, DLCC President Heather Williams joined MSNBC’s Way Too Early with Ali Vitali to talk about the huge momentum Democrats are building in the states. 

To watch the full video, click here. 

Check out some key excerpts  below:

• Heather Williams: Last night in Iowa, in a Trump district, there was a 20-point swing, a Democrat flipped a Republican seat, a Trump seat. This is one of three that has been flipped in deep red districts already this year, and it continues Democrats’ streak of overperformance, which has been an average of 10 points. Democrats are not just winning in areas that their voters are there and that they’re comfortable. They are changing the trajectory, and they are setting the stage not only for this November election, but also for the midterms.

• Ali Vitali: Gene Wu, one of the key Democrats in Texas, has briefed other Democratic legislators on calls hosted by you about what they can do to push back. What is the prescription, even in places where they might not be able to stop legislation from being enacted, but they can show that they’re against it and bring energy and light to it?

• Heather Williams: I think one of the biggest lessons in this process, and what Rep. Wu said, and what happened on this call, was we cannot play by a different set of rules. We cannot sit back and lament what is happening. We have to show up, use the power that we have. We need to make a ruckus. We need to tell people that someone is fighting for an alternative. And we need to use every last bit of power that we have to move the needle. And that is what we are seeing across the country. 

Read more on what they’re saying about Sen.-elect Catelin Drey’s flip:

The Associated Press: Democrat Catelin Drey’s victory in Iowa special election breaks GOP supermajority

• But Democrats are buoyed by the win, saying it builds on their momentum in special elections this year — including those in districts Trump won in 2024.

• “As Trump and Republicans wreck the economy and erode democracy with power-grabbing schemes, Democrats’ special election wins should send a flashing warning to the GOP: voters are rejecting the failing MAGA agenda and leaving Republican candidates in the dust,” Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams said in a statement.

The New York Times: Iowa Democrat Appears to Flip State Legislative Seat in Upset Victory

• Ken Martin, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement that “when Democrats organize everywhere, we win everywhere, and today is no exception.” And Heather Williams, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said that “Democrats’ special election wins should send a flashing warning to the G.O.P.”

Salon: Iowa Democrat wins deep pro-Trump district to break GOP supermajority: “A flash warning to the GOP”

• Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said the victory “should send a flashing warning to the GOP,” in a statement released on Tuesday. 

• “Voters are rejecting the failing MAGA agenda and leaving Republican candidates in the dust,” she added.

Alternet: ‘Flashing warning’: Dems end GOP supermajority in deep-red state by flipping deep-red seat

• Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee president Heather Williams told the Hill that the party’s recent victory in Iowa signals that Americans are opposed to the “failing MAGA agenda.” She further added that Drey’s win on Tuesday night should be seen as a “flashing warning” to Republicans.

The Hill: Democrats flip Iowa state Senate seat, breaking GOP supermajority

• Heather Williams, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said the party’s special election wins should be seen as a “flashing warning” to Trump and the GOP, saying voters are rejecting the “failing MAGA agenda.” The organization works to elect Democrats to state legislatures.

• “State legislative Democrats are delivering progress, responding to their communities’ concerns about the chaos in Washington, and providing the steady leadership voters are asking for — leadership that has propelled candidates like Sen.-elect Catelin Drey to victory this year,” Williams said. “More special elections are right on the horizon, and we’re just getting started.”

The Downballot: Iowa Democrats win massive upset to break GOP supermajority

• “As Trump and Republicans wreck the economy and erode democracy with power-grabbing schemes, Democrats’ special election wins should send a flashing warning to the GOP: voters are rejecting the failing MAGA agenda and leaving Republican candidates in the dust,” said Heather Williams, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

Des Moines Register: Democrat Catelin Drey wins Iowa Senate special election, breaking Republican supermajority

• National Democratic groups like the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee invested resources into the race and were quick to trumpet the results.

• Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said the election result “should send a flashing warning to the GOP.”

• “Voters are rejecting the failing MAGA agenda and leaving Republican candidates in the dust,” Williams said in a statement. “State legislative Democrats are delivering progress, responding to their communities’ concerns about the chaos in Washington, and providing the steady leadership voters are asking for — leadership that has propelled candidates like Sen.-elect Catelin Drey to victory this year. More special elections are right on the horizon, and we’re just getting started.”

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Iowa Democrats celebrate as Drey wins special election, breaks GOP supermajority

• Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams said the special election win for Democrats “should send a flashing warning to the GOP.”

• “State legislative Democrats are delivering progress, responding to their communities’ concerns about the chaos in Washington, and providing the steady leadership voters are asking for — leadership that has propelled candidates like Sen.-elect Catelin Drey to victory this year,” Williams said. “More special elections are right on the horizon, and we’re just getting started.”

Sioux City Journal: Drey flips Republican district, breaks supermajority in Iowa Senate

• The national Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee touted Drey’s victory as proof of changing voter sentiments about the political climate not just of NW Iowa but the entire country. 

• “As Trump and Republicans wreck the economy and erode democracy with power-grabbing schemes, Democrats’ special election wins should send a flashing warning to the GOP: voters are rejecting the failing MAGA agenda and leaving Republican candidates in the dust,” Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams said. “State legislative Democrats are delivering progress, responding to their communities’ concerns about the chaos in Washington, and providing the steady leadership voters are asking for — leadership that has propelled candidates like Sen.-elect Catelin Drey to victory this year. More special elections are right on the horizon, and we’re just getting started.”

KWIT: Democrat Drey defeats Prosch in special election to flip control of Iowa Senate District 1 seat

• Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams in a statement to Siouxland Public Media News said, “As Trump and Republicans wreck the economy and erode democracy with power-grabbing schemes, Democrats’ special election wins should send a flashing warning to the GOP: voters are rejecting the failing MAGA agenda and leaving Republican candidates in the dust. “

• “State legislative Democrats are delivering progress, responding to their communities’ concerns about the chaos in Washington, and providing the steady leadership voters are asking for — leadership that has propelled candidates like Sen.-elect Catelin Drey to victory this year.”

KWIT: Democrat Drey win in NW Iowa special election seen by some as trend of Republican fatigue

• Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams in a statement to Siouxland Public Media News said that the Trump and Republican brand has fallen out of favor with voters, as shown by Drey’s win.

• “Democrats’ special election wins should send a flashing warning to the GOP – voters are rejecting the failing MAGA agenda and leaving Republican candidates in the dust,” Williams said, in predicting more of that by state legislative Democrats.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is the campaign arm of Democratic state legislatures and leads the national strategy for building power and winning new majorities. Over the last three decades, we have strategized cycle over cycle to win majorities and lead the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level, winning nearly a dozen new chamber majorities over the last decade. Our work has ensured that nearly half of Americans are represented by at least one Democratic majority in their statehouse. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class and advancing opportunity, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.

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