Washington, DC – Today, the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee unveiled a new memo detailing a streak of Democratic overperformances in special elections in 2023 and highlighting why increased investment up and down the ballot is so critical to success – especially right now.
As some Democrats worry about national polling at the top of the ticket, so far, the DLCC has amassed over two dozen special election victories this year. The most promising trend we’ve seen is our candidates are overperforming in state legislative special elections this year by an average of over 7 points.
To view the full memo, click here.
Other highlights the Democratic Legislative Committee are seeing include:
- In Virginia, the DLCC started the year strong by flipping a state Senate seat in an area held by Republicans for decades, giving us a jump start on the competitive election for control of the chamber this November.
- In Pennsylvania, the DLCC has defended our single-seat majority five times already in 2023.
- In New Hampshire, the DLCC has won four special elections this year.
- And in Wisconsin, not only did two Democratic candidates for Wisconsin Senate and Assembly seats overperform this year in their respective elections but in an April statewide race for a Supreme Court seat, the liberal candidate won by 11 points.
None of this happens without investment. To continue to win at the state level, we need increased investments and support from all levels of the party and our supporters.
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee Interim President Heather Williams issued the following statement:
“Our memo today shows that Democratic candidates in special elections this year have been overperforming by an average of 7 points. This is significant and bodes well for Democrats up and down the ballot. The best predictor for future elections are the elections that have already taken place and looking at our results this year, Democrats continue to be in a strong position all across the country.
“As we look to Virginia’s elections this November and then on to 2024, we’ll need the full backing of our party and our supporters to keep our momentum going. Instead of worrying about polling at the top of the ticket, voters are choosing Democrats’ solutions and rejecting Republican extremism. We’re shifting the balance of power in the states and if we want to keep going, the time to invest is now.”
To read more about the memo, click here.
###
