WASHINGTON — Last night, DLCC Spotlight candidate Marilyn Lands won a special election for the state House in Alabama’s battleground HD-10 in a shocking landslide. Trump won this district in 2020 and a Democrat hadn’t won the district in over a decade – yet Marilyn cruised to victory by a whopping 25 points. Rep.-elect Lands centered reproductive rights in her campaign – sharing her abortion story and centering her commitment to protect IVF access following the state supreme court’s ruling.
The DLCC continues to win elections. We gained 4 chambers in 2022, we overperformed special elections by an average of 6 points in 2023, and we swept the 2023 elections. Now we’re off to 2024 with impressive gains in red, blue, and purple territory. This is the best winning streak in politics today and shows that fundamental freedoms are the most potent issue facing America today.
This landslide victory in the heart of Republican territory illustrates the potency of IVF and reproductive freedoms for voters. Republicans in Alabama and across the country are losing ground and facing political repercussions for their attacks on fundamental freedoms.
The next key special elections are in Michigan for the House majority on April 16th.
Here’s a roundup of what they’re saying since Marilyn’s landslide victory:
- HEADLINE: Marilyn Lands Achieves Stunning 33-Point Swing for Democrats in Alabama – Newsweek, 3/27/24
- “Lands, a licensed professional counselor, flipped the seat from red to blue by besting Powell, a Madison city councilman, 62 percent to 38 percent with 100 percent of the precincts in District 10 reporting, according to unofficial results posted on the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office website.” – AL.com, 3/26/24
- “‘This special election is a harbinger of things to come — Republicans across the country have been put on notice that there are consequences to attacks on IVF — from the bluest blue state to the reddest red, voters are choosing to fight for their fundamental freedoms by electing Democrats across the country,’ Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said in a statement.” – The Washington Post, 3/26/24
- “But the outcome and the margin add further evidence to the pile of election results over the nearly two years since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade that abortion, and, now, I.V.F., is a reliably motivating issue.” – New York Times, 3/27/24
- “What matters most is not just that Democrats flipped an Alabama legislative seat from red to blue. It’s how Marilyn Lands won that stands out…Lands’ race was the first since the ruling; she focused nearly all of her campaign on reproductive rights; and the Democrat won in a landslide.” – MSNBC, 3/27/24
- “To turn [Marilyn’s] six-point loss into a 25-point victory less than two years later, even with the lower turnout numbers for a special election, is a remarkable feat.” – Alabama Political Reporter, 3/27/24
- “The outcome from Tuesday’s Alabama race could serve as a blueprint for Democrats nationwide as they battle for the White House and key congressional seats in 2024.” – Axios, 3/27/24
- “An Alabama Democrat who campaigned against the state’s near-total abortion ban has won a special election to the state legislature, a stark signal that reproductive rights is a potent issue for Democratic candidates, even in the deep south.” – The Guardian, 3/27/24
- “The election was one of the first tests of how Alabama voters felt about the state court’s February ruling, which threatened access to IVF when it found that frozen embryos were legally considered children. ” – USA Today, 3/26/24
- “Lands’ victory is a promising sign for Democrats who are working to chip away at the GOP’s dominance of state legislatures in the South.” – Politico, 3/26/24
- “Her victory serves as another data point for national Democrats, who hope the backlash over strict state abortion laws following the overturning of Roe v. Wade and concerns about in vitro fertilization treatments will help their party in November, even in traditionally Republican areas.” – CNN, 3/26/24
- “The state House district is an unusual one, with purplish political leanings in a largely red state. Political observers tuned into the race to see if the issues of IVF and abortion might sway voters in the unique Alabama district.” – The Hill, 3/26/24
- “The seat representing Alabama’s 10th district in the state legislature had long been held by Republicans.” – CBS, 3/27/24
- “[T]he race marks a shift in a district former President Donald Trump narrowly carried in 2020.” – Salon, 3/27/24
- “While campaigning, Lands focused on IVF and access to abortions, telling voters that she supports repealing the state’s near-total ban on abortions, which went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in 2022.” – NBC News, 3/26/24
- “Lands’ victory in the suburban district in the Deep South state was celebrated by Democrats who have attempted to portray the state GOP as too extreme on abortion and reproductive rights.” – AP, 3/27/24
To chat more with Rep.-elect Marilyn Lands about her historic victory or the DLCC about the upcoming special elections calendar and how fundamental freedoms will carry us to victory in November, please contact the DLCC Press Team at [email protected].
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is the official Democratic Party committee dedicated to winning America’s state legislatures and building state infrastructure. Over the last decade, we have fought cycle-over-cycle to gain a dozen new legislative chamber majorities and we are leading the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level. 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, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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