“The happy Union of these States is a wonder; their Constitution a miracle; their example the hope of Liberty throughout the world.” James Madison
Never question the importance of becoming involved in local and state-wide elections. Your local and state government policies will address all changes coming down the Trump Administration. This would include undocumented immigrant policies at the state or local levels. The House’s recently passed health care bill gives broad power to states regarding Medicaid, pre-existing conditions, essential health benefits, lifetime limits and higher premiums for older Americans. State and local legislators also participate in amending and repairing our justice system as in Kalief’s Law, or shutting down the violence plagued Rikers Island. As my prior post indicated, they both have a vested interest in improving air quality and becoming greener. States and cities create policies that affect the LGBT community including discrimination, adoption, and access to public bathrooms. It is their responsibility to support public schools in the face of U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ support of charters and vouchers. Now is the time to get informed, involved, organized and, most importantly, to vote.
Inform
Governorships
Republicans hold a historically wide edge of 33-16 in gubernatorial offices. The gubernatorial battleground in 2017/2018 will be especially important because it offers Democrats the biggest potential haul of governorships in advance of the once-every-decade legislative and congressional redistricting process that will begin after the 2020 Census.
36 Gubernatorial seats up in 2017 and 2018
The reason for this large number is governors are being term-limited out. Those positions are called “open seats”, as opposed to “incumbents” who are running for a second term. Fourteen of the thirty-six seem safe for the incumbent party. That leaves twenty two that are vulnerable for flipping over to the opposite party.
2017/2018 Vulnerable Open Seats
As of right now, vulnerable Republican open seats are in Florida, Maine, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey (2017) and New Mexico. This means your participation can switch these governorships to Democrat. Vulnerable Democratic seats are in Colorado and Virginia (2017). This means your participation will secure a Democrat for governor.
2018 Vulnerable Incumbents
As of right now, the Democrats have three vulnerable incumbents in Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. This means your participation can keep these Democrats in power. There is one vulnerable Republican incumbent in Illinois. This means your participation will help elect a Democrat for governor.
2018 Potentially Vulnerable…
Republican held Arizona, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio and Wisconsin are on the list. This means your participation will help elect a Democrat for governor. The Democratic governorships of Minnesota and Oregon may also be at risk, along with the Independent Bill Walker of Alaska. This means your participation will help secure a Democrat in power, or elect a new one in Alaska.
Safe Seats
The three gubernatorial that seem safe for the Democrats include New York, California and Hawaii.
The 2017 New Jersey State Elections
Inform
Important Dates To Remember
June 6, 2017 Primaries
November 7, 2017 General Election
The Race For Governor of New Jersey
Democrats Phil Murphy, Jim Johnson, John Wisniewski, and Ray Lesniak are the front runners for governor. The final major televised debate in the Democratic governor primary was a “a raucous and rancorous exchange.” Other Democrat hopefuls include Raymond Lesniak, Mark Zinna and Bill Brennan. Republicans running for governor include Kim Guadagno, Jack Ciattarelli, Hirsh Singh, Joseph Rullo, and Steve Rogers. The whole nation will watch this election to see if New Jersey flips its governorship to Democrat.
Respond and React:
Vote on Primary Day, June 6. Once the primaries are over, contact your candidate and volunteer in any way you can to secure a Democratic governor for your state : phone banking, canvassing, meetings in your home, donations, signs, etc.
The New Jersey Legislature Race
Inform
All 120 seats of the State Senate and General Assembly are up for re-election. The 40 member Senate is made up of 24 Democrats and 16 Republicans. The NJ General Assembly has 52 Democrats and 28 Republicans for a total of 80 members.
My former neighborhood, Hunterdon County New Jersey, is in the 15, 16 and 23rd State Legislative Districts. (D indicates Democrat and R, Republican)
State Senator Assembly Representatives
District 15 Shirley Turner, D Reed Gusciora, D and Elizabeth Maher Muoio, D
All three are running for re-election. Democrat challenger, Gail Boyle Boyland, is also running for NJ Assembly. Be sure to vote in the Democrat Primary, Tuesday June 6, and decide who should represent you in the Assembly. The Republican Ticket includes Lee Newton, Rimma Yakobovich and Emily Rich. Goal of Election Day, November 7: Keep District 15 Blue
District 16 Christopher (Kip) Bateman,R Jack Ciattarelli,R and Andrew Zwicker,D
This is considered a split district which has a chance to swing Democrat this year. Democrat Laurie Poppe, is running for State Senate. Democrats Andrew Zwicker and Roy Freeman are running for NJ Assembly. The Republican Ticket includes Christopher Bateman, Donna Simon and Mark Caliguire. Goal of Election Day, November 7: Turn District 16 Completely Blue
District 23 Michael J. Doherty, R John DiMaio, R and Erik Peterson, R
This is a sprawling district which includes 34 communities in Hunterdon, Somerset, and Warren Counties. Among the district’s registered voters, more than one third are Republican and one fourth are Democrat with the balance unaffiliated. This district has a chance to swing Democrat this year. Democrat Christine Lui Chen is running for State Senator. Democrats Laura Shaw and Isaac Hadzovic are running for N.J. Assembly. All three Republicans are seeking re-election. Goal of Election Day, November 7: Turn District 23 Blue
Steps for finding who is running in other parts of New Jersey:
Step 1. Go to the New Jersey Legislature site. Find your municipality, and determine what district you are in. Link to it.
Step 2. Click on “Legislators for your District” to determine who your State Senator is, and who represents you in the Assembly.
Step 3. Find out who is running for your district. These are the people who will create laws for New Jersey. Become informed. What is their experience, policies, and purpose?
Respond and React:
Vote on Primary Day, June 6. Once the primaries are over, contact your candidates and volunteer in any way you can to secure your district: phone banking, canvassing, meetings in your home, donations, signs, etc.
Goal of Election Day, November 7: Elect a Democrat For Governor in New Jersey. Increase the number of Democrat representatives in the New Jersey Senate and Assembly.
Virginia State Elections 2017
Inform
Important Dates To Remember
June 13, 2017 Primary
November 7, 2017 General Election
The Race For Governor
There is a tight race between Democrats Tom Perlello and Ralph Northam. Republican candidates include Ed Gillespie , Corey A. Stewart and Frank W. Wagner. Recent polls indicate Republican Ed Gillespie would tie with either of the Democrats vying for their party’s nomination. The whole nation will watch this election to see if a Democrat stays in office.
The Virginia Legislature Race
The Virginia General Assembly is made up of a State Senate and a House of Delegates. The Republican Party presently holds the majority in the Virginia House of Delegates (66 to 34). All 100 seats are up for re-election. The Senate of Virginia has 40 Senators with 21 Republicans and 19 Democrats. These are four-year terms and are not up for re-election until 2019.
Respond and React:
Vote on Primary Day, June 13. Once the primaries are over, contact your candidates and volunteer in any way you can to secure your district: phone banking, canvassing, meetings in your home, donations, signs, etc.
Goal of Election Day, November 7: Elect a Democrat For Governor in Virginia. Increase the number of Democrat representatives in the House of Delegates.
New York City Elections 2017 (my hometown)
Inform
Important Dates To Remember
July 1, 2017 Filing deadline for candidates
September 12, 2017 Primary
November 7, 2017 General Election
The Race For Mayor and All Citywide Elections
Bill De Blasio is running for re-election, and the field is thick with Democratic, Republican, Independent and undeclared candidates. The other citywide positions of Public Advocate and Comptroller will also be voted on, as well as all five Borough Presidents, all 51 City Council seats, and two District Attorney positions (Brooklyn and Manhattan).
Respond and React:
Now is the time to become informed about who is running before September’s Primary. Look for my update in July, when I’ll profile the front runners for each position. Once the primaries are over, contact your candidates and volunteer in any way you can to secure this position: phone banking, canvassing, meetings in your home, donations, signs, etc.
State and Local Elections of the other 48 States
Inform
Your Governor
Now is the time to get involved with electing a Democratic candidate for governor in your state. Here are summaries of incumbents and possible candidates.
Your State and Local Legislatures
Start becoming familiar with who represents you. Every state except Nebraska has a bicameral legislature, meaning that the legislature consists of two separate legislative chambers or houses. The smaller house is called the Senate, and the larger chamber has different names in different states. Find out about your state, city, and township representatives.
Respond and React:
The decisions, regulations, and policies made by this administration will dramatically affect your state and local government. Become informed, involved, and engaged.
- Call
- Register for their newsletter
- Attend town hall meetings and ask questions
- Attend public events with your State and Local representative and ask questions.
- Talk to your State or Local Representative in person, at the district or state office.
- Consider running for office
Reflection
Zeynep Tufekci, author of Twitter and Tear Gas, The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest, worries that today’s “digitally-fueled” protests and movements, if they lack “organizational and other collective capacities,” will be significantly less successful than people once hoped:
“ I was thinking that if you really wanted to put a real scare into the 20 or 30 Republicans [in particularly vulnerable districts], if you put up a fundraising page, a single fundraising page, and I raise a huge amount very quickly, it sends a signal. Money is a little more costly, obviously, than sending a text. It’s also sending a signal that we can organize this and we can put in large numbers and we’re going to spend this against you. And I don’t mean this to say that the other forms don’t work. It depends on how you organize them. If, for example, congresspeople go back to town halls and they meet enormous crowds that just are sticking there and that this thing doesn’t die down and it appears clear that people are going to spend a lot of effort to defeat you, that’s going to spook legislators because their jobs and their future is pretty significant to them.”
Determined 