State Democrats Continue to Lead National Resistance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 21, 2018
CONTACT:
​Mara Sloan
​DLCC Communications Director
[email protected]
202.449.6740
 

 

WASHINGTON — In the 651 days since Trump was elected President, Democratic state legislators across the country have stepped up to lead our nation forward. They have passed policies to preserve the progress made on critical issues from health care and the environment, to education and equal rights, despite the administration and its allies in statehouses working overtime to reverse decades of progress.

 

With the critical midterm elections quickly approaching, the DLCC has updated its memo highlighting how state Democrats have built a “blue wall” to block Trump’s agenda and instead enact America’s agenda.

 

“State Democrats have never lost sight of what’s at stake and have continued to fight for the local issues that matter to their constituents,” said Jessica Post, executive director of the DLCC. “With the federal government paralyzed by Republican chaos and inaction, state Democrats have led the charge to expand voting rights, ensure access to quality and affordable health care, protect the rights of the LGBTQ community, pass common sense gun laws, and stand up for the values that matter most to Americans. The DLCC is proud to have flipped 44 legislative seats from red to blue since the 2016 election, putting Democrats only 17 seats away from flipping eight chambers this November.

 

“With redistricting on the horizon and our nation’s values on the line, we stand united, confident, committed, and ready to flip everything.”

 

While solidly Democratic states like California, Oregon, and Hawaii continue to set progressive policies and serve as a blueprint for other states, some of the most significant progress this year took place in states like Virginia, Washington, and Delaware, and New York where the DLCC and state Democrats recently won critical victories.

 

 

• In anticipation of the Supreme Court striking a blow to unions in Janus v. AFSCME, California, Hawaii, Maryland, New York, and Washington all preemptively enacted laws to blunt the effect of the decision and help protect American workers’ right to organize.
• Democrats in Massachusetts passed legislation that mandates paid family leave, allowing workers to take care of a new child or a family member who has a serious illness or injury. The state also passed legislation to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour.

• Since the Parkland shooting in Florida, state Democrats have helped to pass 50 new state gun safety laws.
• While Republicans in Congress continue to prevent responsible action since the deadly Las Vegas shooting, state Democrats have stepped up to ban bump stocks in states across the country: Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

• Soon after Democrats flipped the Washington state Senate last November, Democrats passed legislation making it easier for all citizens to vote and hold office, regardless of race.
• Since 2018, state Democrats in Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Washington have all made it easier for citizens to participate in the electoral process by passing automatic voter registration legislation, joining nine other states and D.C. and leading the way to expand access to the ballot box.
   

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee is the only organization exclusively committed to electing Democrats to state legislatures all over the country and winning Democratic control of chambers. For over two decades, the DLCC has been working with state legislative leaders to invest strategically in state programs, which has led to Democrats flipping 44 seats since Trump’s inauguration. The DLCC is building on Democrats’ winning momentum and continues to lay the groundwork for substantial gains in 2018 in statehouses nationwide. State Democrats recently scored critical victories in Missouri, Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire, Kentucky, Florida, Minnesota, and elsewhere, while also leading the resistance against the Trump administration’s extremist policies. You can learn more about critical upcoming elections and follow DLCC’s Spotlight Races at races.dlcc.org.

 

For more information or to schedule an interview with the DLCC, please contact Mara Sloan at [email protected].