Hey, my fellow angry Democrats. This morning, we’re waking up to a landslide.
The polls were wrong, but they were wrong because they did not capture the sheer slaughter of Republicans across the country. Republicans held on to plenty of seats, but Democrats broke through in places that were supposed to be out of reach.
Democrats have won control of the House and Senate. With races still being counted, we’re waiting to see just how large those majorities will become.
Yesterday, I wrote that this election would be a litmus test. Would character matter? Would broken promises matter? Would people cross party lines when they had finally had enough?
This morning, we have an answer.
Ohio Showed Up
Ohio Democrats flipped the 7th and 15th Congressional Districts, with a third flip projected 10th.
Brian Poindexter defeated Max Miller. Don Leonard defeated Mike Carey. Kristina Knickerbocker declared victory over Mike Turner, with the Associated Press call still outstanding in the early-morning reporting.
Three Republican-held districts, with two flips called by AP and another projected by Decision Desk HQ. Think about that.
Marcy Kaptur also held on to her seat, despite Republicans redrawing her district to make it even harder for her to win. They made the district more Republican, and she survived anyway.
Amy Acton won the governor’s race. Sherrod Brown is heading back to the Senate. Democrats made gains down the ballot and into the Statehouse.
For everyone who has spent years being told that Ohio is hopeless, that these districts cannot be won, and that running in them is a waste of time, take a moment this morning.
Look at what happened. I definitely have more to say about this.
The Local Races Count, Too
The gains reached into our local races.
Megan Coy defeated Mike Dovilla, flipping Ohio House District 17. That is a Statehouse seat going from Republican to Democrat.
Courtney Scheff’s defeated Michael Gallagher the last Republican on the Cuyahoga County Council.
These races deserve attention alongside the congressional and statewide victories. Candidates, organizers, volunteers, and local parties put in the work in districts where winning was never guaranteed.
Congratulations to everyone who ran one of those hard races. You gave voters a choice, built an organization, and made Republicans defend seats they expected to keep.
This Was a Rejection of Trump
My read is straightforward: This was a mandate against Trump and his administration’s betrayal of the American people.
Lower costs were promised. No more forever wars were promised. Instead, people got higher fuel costs, another prolonged war, and an administration surrounded by corruption and the use of public office for personal gain.
Voters had the opportunity to respond. They did.
The rejection reached beyond one candidate or one state. Republicans lost seats in places where Trump had won comfortably just two years ago.
I’ll be writing more about what drove these results, what the polling missed, and what Democrats need to do with the power voters have handed them. There is plenty to examine.
But this morning, congratulations come first.
Congratulations, Brian
Finally, I want to say congratulations to Brian Poindexter for flipping Ohio’s Seventh District and kicking Max Miller out of Congress.
Brian was the right person, with the right team, at the right time.
His hard work, organization, and coalition building delivered. He put together the campaign that could win this district, and he won it.
Having run against Max twice myself, I know what goes into taking on that race. I know the work, the fundraising, and the challenge of convincing people that a district like this is worth fighting for.
Brian and his team got it done. They deserve this moment.
To everyone who won, everyone who volunteered, everyone who knocked doors, made calls, donated, and voted: Congratulations.
What a morning.
I think I’m allowed to be happy this day. Tomorrow sleeves shall be rolled up and work be done. And let’s not gloat, but instead continue to look for common ground. Ohio!
I would like to invite readers interested in action to consider joining SURJ NEO (Northeast Ohio) or SURJ Cincy and Central Ohio SURJ. We bring white people into the fight against white supremacy. We bring white people into the fights for racial and economic justice. SURJ national is at surj.org and you can connect with chapters here: https://surj.org/our-work/chapters/ We did a lot of work for these electoral wins and now we need to hold our leaders accountable for real change. We need to sustain our motivation to complete a pro-democracy U- turn away from authoratarianism.