2007 Election Wrap-Up

On Tuesday, Democratic victories in Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, New Jersey and New York proved that Americans are tired of Republican rhetoric and hungry for progressive leadership. Twenty-First Century Democrats was active in several races across the country and three of our endorsed candidates - Lee Helgen, Tom Bullock, and David Meijas - are now elected officials. We intentionally targeted difficult districts and five of our seven races were decided by less than 3.7% of the vote. Several of our candidates ran in conservative areas against Republican incumbents who were not shy about playing very dirty - and very personal - politics. But we didn't let that intimidate us, and when the Republicans tried to distort our candidates' positions we were right there to set the record straight.

The elections in Virginia were exceptionally tight and while our endorsed candidates, Albert Pollard and Janet Oleszek, did not win their races (although Janet Oleszek is considering a recount), Twenty-First Century Democrats was an important part of the successful progressive effort to take control of the Virginia State Senate.

We are very grateful for the contributions we received from our supporters all over the country and particularly the Service Employees International Union. These funds allowed us to provide transportation, food and water for our canvassers during the final days of the campaign. They made over 2,300 phone calls and knocked on 4,282 doors for our endorsed candidates. More importantly, we forced the Republicans to spend money playing defense in State Senate districts that they have been able to take for granted for decades. By expanding the playing field in Virginia, Democrats were able to take control of the State Senate and will have a voice in the 2010 redistricting process.

It's important to remember that yesterday was only a warm-up for next year. The 2008 elections are now less than 362 days away, and the Republicans machine is in overdrive - making personal attacks their # 1 strategy. More than just spreading lies in Virginia, they've gone so far as sending racist flyers in New York and turned to gay-bashing in Kentucky.

Twenty-First Century Democrats won't sit back and allow our message of positive change or our candidates' positions to be distorted by our opponents. We invite you to help not only with our work to combat the Republican slime machine, but also to invest in our commitment to stay positive and elect candidates on their merits, not sound bites.

The 2008 election will be the most important election in decades. The critical issues facing America - from ending the war in Iraq, halting global warming, strengthening the economy, improving our children's education, and making sure everyone has healthcare - will not be solved unless we elect large Democratic majorities in Congress and across the country. Working together, we have the opportunity to put our nation back on track. We look forward to standing with you.