Federalists ousted in West Virginia...and other stories

We're NOT Doomed: July 2, 2026

Primaries are coming to an end and we all, collectively, are gonna have to get comfortable with voting for people we don’t like very much.

I have one of those. I wrote a whole essay about why one of my candidates is bad news and now I have to vote for her, cause the alternative is a Republican, and that’s not worth the risk right now.

I’m being vague on purpose. If you like your candidate that other people don’t, this isn’t about that seat, it’s about a different one. Which Dem are you not looking forward to voting for? Are you considering leaving blank? This plea is about them.

In legislative races this is the most black and white. We need majorities. As many of them as we can get, at the local level, the state level and federally.

That means a warm body in the seat that caucuses with the Democrats is more important than that warm body actually having Democratic values. And remember, we’re choosing between a Democrat and a Republican.

And before you say you’re voting third party, consider if they have a chance to win. If they do, if you’re in Oklahoma or Nebraska, then maybe this is a different conversation.

But in the vast majority of races across the country, they don’t. A vote for a third party is a vote that helps the Republican get elected.

So the choice is between a Democrat and a Republican.

Even the worst Democrat, like Joe Manchin or Kristen Sinema in the Senate, were still instrumental in us passing the Chips and Science Act, the PACT ACT, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act.

Would more Democrats have been better? Absolutely and that’s what this post is all about, getting large majorities. But without them we wouldn’t have had the majority at all, and that would have been worse.

If you are more moderate, it’s probably gonna be harder to vote for a DSA candidate. If you are more of a Democratic Socialist, it’s gonna be harder to vote for a Blue Dog Democrat.

But once we get past the primaries, that’s what’s necessary.

Get Democrats elected so Republicans can’t do more damage.

And this matters in every single election. Take Colorado Governor Jared Polis. He’s done a lot of awful things. But, he’s also signed a whole lot of legislation that will make the state better. Especially when it comes to the working class and queer rights.

A Republican would not have signed those bills into law.

Unless you live in a state with a jungle primary, and the choice is between two Dems, or a state like OK or NE where we do want the third party candidate, the choice is a Democrat who may piss you off sometimes or a Republican who will do the wrong thing most if not all the time.

The general election begins in a little over two months. So now is the best time to start coming to terms with this reality.

In the primary, if you don’t have a jungle primary, vote your heart, but we have one shot to begin reversing Republican control around the country. In every single race from Senate to school board and everything in between we have to make it count.

We can’t blow it.

Remember, your vote is your voice and that voice is your superpower, so use it wisely.

Now. for some wins.

West Virginia

Tue, May 12 - Three far right Judges were ousted in the West Virginia judicial races a month and a half ago.

Gerald Titus and Thomas Ewing were appointed to the Supreme Court by current Governor Patrick Morrisey. While Dan Greear was appointed to the Intermediate Court of Appeals in 2022 by then Governor Jim Justice.

And all three of them lost their seats.

Titus and Greear’s campaigns were financed by conservative legal activist, Leonard Leo who spent over $100,000 on each race. While Black Bear PAC focused on keeping Ewing on the bench.

It didn’t work. West Virginia voters chose to instead elect H. L. Kirkpatrick to Titus’ seat. He ran a campaign focused on being relatable while also touting his experience.

Delegate Bill Flanagan will be replacing Ewing, and while he’s a Republican he’s been more moderate than some on issues such as vaccines and trans healthcare (though definitely not GOOD on the later.)

And finally family law Judge Jim Douglas won against Greear and will be the first family law judge on the court. He was backed by Democrats.

Before the election he explained how he could win:

People have to say, we’ve had enough. We’ve had enough of this out-of-state money. And we’re not going to elect people that took out-of-state money.

And that’s exactly what they did.

Look, these aren’t all Democrats. The two new SCOWV judges are still going to be Republicans but they are not Federalists. They have had moderate views before and it’s a rebuke of Governor Morrisey.

And in a state like West Virginia, that’s definitely something to celebrate.

Connecticut

Fri, May 15 - Rep Matt Blumenthal (HD-147) introduced a bill that finally allowed no excuse absentee voting. And on May 15, Governor Ned Lamont signed it into law.

Until now, Connecticut has been one of the only blue states to make voters prove that they need a mail in ballot. Now anyone can chose to vote by mail even if they aren’t disabled, abroad or in the military.

It also allows 17 year olds who will be 18 by Election Day to vote early. And strengthens so many more small but important election protocols.

Blumenthal celebrated the signing by saying, “Connecticut voters overwhelmingly demanded absentee voting for all, and now we have delivered.”

This is such an important law that will remove a barrier to voting that shouldn’t have existed for this long in the first place.

If you live in Connecticut and haven’t been able to vote, cause you couldn’t prove you needed an absentee ballot, now you can!

Washington

Fri, June 5 - While Republicans are pushing for the country to be more conservative, it’s important to highlight places that are refusing to follow that trend, like Mountlake Terrace.

They applied for a $20m grant from the federal government for a Main Street renovation project. They were turned down, likely because of their Diversity Equity and Inclusion Commission.

But instead of dismantling it to get the grant, they just dug further in on their inclusivity.

This year, they held their first ever celebration for Pride Month. It was just one evening, and it was small, but it was there.

One of the drag performers, Sin O’Matic said that there hasn’t been much work in that area for a drag performer so, “this is great that they invited us out here. It’s good to see that a community is still coming together and still representing diversity.”

Every day there are reasons to be more scared and more angry, but we have to remember moments like this too. Republicans want to make sure things are less safe for all of us, but some places are becoming more, and that matters.

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So those are today’s stories. I hope they inspire you to find a way to fight back. From voting to just getting involved in your community, it all makes an impact.

And remember, our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!