We're NOT Doomed: March 11, 2026
They're in the minority, but we're not.
Democrat Shawn Harris is headed to the runoff for MTG’s old district in Georgia.
And Republicans flipped a seat on the Prince William county Virginia Board of Supervisors
And together, they tell a very concerning story about California.
Georgia is not California, but Georgia special elections ARE jungle primaries, like California, and in this moment, specifically, like the California gubernatorial election.
Shawn Harris is only going to the runoff because, even though there were other Democrats, no other Dem was viable.
Clayton Fuller, his Republican opponent in the runoff didn’t win outright, ONLY because there were 13 Republicans in the primary, so his vote was completely split.
If you add up all Republican margin that didn’t go to Fuller, you get 24.8%, which would have prevented a runoff.
Which, in Georgia we’re very happy didn’t happen…
But in California, that would be a problem.
Because in California it’s flipped. It’s a blue state with the Republicans being the underdog.
And the other difference is, we just have more candidates that will get more votes. The next closest Republican to Clayton Fuller got 11.6% of the vote. And the next got 4.7%.
In California, instead of Fuller, with 34.9%, and Colton Moore all the way down at 11.6%, we might have Eric Swalwell at 13%, Katie Porter at 12%, maybe Tom Steyer at 10%, Matt Mahan at 8%, Xavier Becerra at 8%, Antonio Villaraigosa at 7%, maybe Betty Ye at 5% and Tony Thurmond also at 5%…
68% of people would have voted for Democrats, but that doesn’t matter, because the remaining vote is only going to two people, Republican Chad Bianco gets 17% of the vote, while Republican Steve Hilton gets 15% and now we have a general election with two Republicans.
Going back to Georgia, if two Democrats, and more than just one of those 13 Republicans had been viable, then we really could have been looking at a runoff with two Dems.
See how it’s possible now?
And don’t think I forgot about Virginia.
The Democrat who won the primary, Sef Casim, we learned only a few weeks ago, was super racist on social media 10 years ago. He refused to step down, but his opponent, who lost the primary, Pam Montgomery ran as a write in anyway.
Since there was only one Republican, surprise surprise, the Republican won.
In California, there are so many candidates because each candidate thinks that the others are useless and that they are the only person who can do the job well. Which will be our downfall.
So, California Democratic gubernatorial candidates, please drop out. PLEASE. It shouldn’t be possible for us to have a Republican governor anymore, but it will 100% happen if you act like you are the only one who can save the world.
Look at what could have happened in Georgia, and what did happen in Virginia, and, I’m fucking begging, don’t replicate it!
And California voters? STOP PROPPING UP CANDIDATES THAT CAN’T WIN! We cannot risk those Republicans going to the runoff.
Got it?
St Pete, Florida
Thu, Feb 19 - Yes I know this was almost a month ago, but I assume most people don’t know about it, and it made me feel warm and fuzzy so…
From Feb 19-21, from dusk till 3am, Yvette Mattern set up a rainbow laser light show that covered 50 blocks.
This art instillation is called Global Rainbow, and Mattern has been doing it all over the world for over 20 years.
She told Bay News 9:
The rainbow is like sacred geometry… it just works together. That’s why it’s such a powerful symbol.
St Pete’s Winter Pride reached out to Mattern after Governor Ron DeSantis required FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation), to pave over all street art and murals that showed anything related to diversity (that’s not why he said he did it but that’s the obvious reason).
Republicans are working overtime to try and stop us from feeling and seeing pride, but they lose every single time. They can remove all they want but we will ALWAYS find a way to show the queer community that they are valid and matter.
I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel less Doomed.
Yosemite, California
Mon Feb 23 - Remember the trans flag that was hanging from El Capitan in Yosemite in May last year?
The climber who hung the was bat biologist and seasonal National Park Services employee Dr. JS Joslin, and they were fired in August for “failure to demonstrate acceptable conduct.”
But now, they’re fighting back. And last month, on Feb 23, they filed a lawsuit. The suit argues that they hung the flag in their off duty hours and the Government has no control over what they do when they’re not working:
At all times during the preparation for and placement and display of the trans pride flag, Dr. Joslin was off duty. Dr. Joslin never identified themself as a Yosemite employee, nor did their colleagues participating in the climb. Dr. Joslin never suggested, and indeed made all available efforts to disclaim, that the display reflected any position held by the park or was in any way related to their NPS employment. Dr. Joslin hung the flag on their day off in order to make clear that the statement was made not as a ranger, but as a human being.
It’s easy, when we see actions like what Dr. Joslin experienced, from the federal government to feel like we lost and there’s nothing we can do to fight back, but that’s not true. Even if it’s not immediately possible to file a lawsuit or speak up, that doesn’t mean it never will be.
I’m sure there are so many people who questioned if they were going to fight back at all and felt discouraged when they didn’t hear about anything earlier. But a good lawsuit takes time. It’s a reminder that just cause we can’t see something doesn’t mean it’s not happening behind closed doors.
Based on the kinds of lawsuits we’ve won so far, during this administration, I have a good feeling about this.
Merrimack, New Hampshire
Tue, Feb 24 - Governor Kelly Ayotte, after going to DC to meet with the former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem (god, that feels good to say), announced that the ICE detention center in Merrimack had been scrapped:
During my trip to Washington last week, I had productive discussions with Secretary Kristi Noem, and I’m pleased to announce that the Department of Homeland Security will not move forward with the proposed ICE facility in Merrimack.
Why? Because the town of 26k, put up a huge stink.
This town is a typical New Hampshire town, extremely closely divided politically.
But they all came together on this.
It started pretty much instantly, as soon as the residents saw Merrimack on the list of locations for new facilities.
They worked with the local 50501, Indivisible, American Friends Service Committee and ACLU to write and call their elected officials and show up to town meetings, about 1,200 of them showed, HUGE for a town of that size.
And it worked, their efforts paid off and it got the attention to Governor Ayotte and she got the plans scrapped from the very top.
Yes, she’s a Republican, and no I don’t want to know what she gave DHS in exchange, but it’s STILL a win and shows the power of the people.
I say this all the time, but we have more power, collectively than our elected officials do. Complaining that your favorite Dem didn’t snap their fingers and save the world doesn’t make sense. They’re in the minority, but we’re not.
THAT makes me feel less Doomed.
So those are some stories to give you hope and help you fight back harder.
Remember, our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!