Our yard signs finally arrived! We live on a corner and the first thing I thought after pushing them into the grass is that we have more than enough space for signs supporting Mondaire Jones, the Dem candidate in my district’s Congressional race and, thanks to a spectacularly horrible Congressisonal map in 2022, my former rep :(. As I’ve mentioned a few times in this space, I can’t stand our current Republican rep, MAGA-curious-babyman-with-questionable-facial-hair Mike Lawler. Ours has been a swing district from time to time, but it’s going to be an especially tight election. Which fills me with anxiety, because this race is be one that Mondaire should win handily for many reasons, but thanks to redistricting, it’s one that might cost Dems control of the House if he loses.
As we all know well, it’s not going to be enough for Kalama to win the presidency; Democrats have to maintain Senate control, win back the House majority, and drag a few state legislatures over to the blue column if there is any chance that the Harris-Walz agenda moves forward. By moving forward, I mean in vitally important ways, like abolishing the filibuster so abortion rights can be codified on a federal level, like holding certain Supreme Court justices to account for their ethical and potentially legal breeches, and like ensuring voting rights are guaranteed across the country from now forward.
The US House of Representatives is key to all of this, of course. Yes, it’s filled with a lot of nutballs and extremists who are easy to disregard on an individual basis. But as a body, the House is a crucial cog in the wheel of progress and its power is formidable: “The House has several powers assigned exclusively to it, including the power to initiate revenue bills, impeach federal officials, and elect the President in the case of an Electoral College tie.” We’ve seen these three powers in action over the last few weeks, and thanks to the GOP’s flagrant abuses of them, the government might shut down, Tim Walz is the subject of an impeachment investigation (?!), and the GOP is trying like mad to rig the electoral college for Trump to win it.
So now’s the time to pick a Congressional election and figure out ways to help. What races do you have your eyes on? For anyone one able to help out in NY17, there are many canvassing opportunities this coming weekend, so check them out. I am working on a new post for Sundays where I get into specific races and ways to support Dem candidates, so stay tuned. In the meantime, make sure to ask the random people you encounter on a weekly basis if they a) are registered to vote, b) if they’ve checked their voter registration status lately, and c) if they’ve heard about Project 2025. Also, share this newsletter with friends!