NE AZ Successes

We are excited to announce that not only have we met our goals for the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats Postcard Program, we exceeded them! And, with no more addresses to assign, we are officially closing down the regular postcard operation for the 2022 election year. More people on sovereign lands will vote this year because of these postcards, and because of you.

We have completed not just all the voter lists for our original high potential voters on Navajo, Hopi, and Apache sovereign lands: we also were able to reach non-voters, new voters, excellent voters, the border towns of our turf, and three other tribes in two other counties. Thank you, sincerely, on behalf of the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats, for supporting the program with your time, treasure, and hard work. We could not have accomplished this extraordinary effort without you. 

Here’s a recap of the 2022 postcard program’s accomplishments:

  • We’ve assigned and written 167,435 postcards;
  • That amounts to our volunteer writers contributing approximately $71,000 in postage to our work. You read that correctly. Those are funds we used to pay field organizer salaries instead of postage fees.
  • That also means our volunteer writers contributed approximately $25,000 in postcard materials to our work;
  • If you assume it takes five minutes per postcard to write, then our volunteer writers donated 14,000 hours to our cause;
  • The program’s team of inbox and assignment coordinators dedicated something like 700 hours to this project
  • We received the help of more than 1200 volunteer writers from all over the country.

Thank you, from all of us at the Northeast Arizona Native Democrats. Follow us on social media (Facebook, Twitter) to see some special thank yous from our Field Organizers, for whom you all wrote thousands of postcards this year that connected them with voters in their community. We look forward to gathering virtually after the election to share our successes and more thanks!

11/21/22 UPDATE – In the 2022 midterms, NH trended to the left. Congressional incumbents Senator Maggie Hassan, running against Trump-favorite and election denier Donald Bolduc, and House Representatives Ann Kuster and Chris Pappas, easily beat their challengers. All three had been considered “endangered” Democrats – anyone see a pattern? And control of the NH State House, currently in radical Republican hands, is now completely uncertain. NH voters split the state almost evenly, and an amazing 28 recounts are in progress. Keep posted!

2/15/24 UPDATE:

What does 2024 hold for NV? The presidential primary and its caucus equivalent were held in early Feb. To no one’s surprise, Biden and Trump were the easy winners. The Congressional primaries are on 6/11/24.

Senate – Incumbent Jacky Rosen is seeking a 2nd term in the Senate (Lean D).  She may need significant grassroots support to get re-elected, given that the National Republican Congressional Committee has targeted her seat as a potential flip.

House – Representatives Susie Lee (NV-03) and Steve Horsford (NV-04) have both been identified by Democrats as vulnerable House incumbents. Lee was first elected in 2018, and Horsford in 2022; both now seek re-election in 2024. There will be grassroots projects throughout the year in support of these two candidates. 

11/21/22 UPDATE: There’s gold in the Silver State – two big gains for democracy! Our first and only Latina Senator, Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, beat election denier Adam Laxalt and gained her second term in Congress. We grassroots activists worked very hard for Cortez Masto, so her victory is especially sweet! And new Secretary of State Democrat Cisco Aguilar defeated extremist Jim Marchant, an election denier who cast doubts on electronic voting equipment and promoted manual counting of ballots. Much to celebrate in NV.

2022 Notable Wins for Dems!

Last updated 11/19/22
Candidate/IssueStateOffice
✅Healey/DriscollMAGovernor/ Lt. Governor
✅Andrea CampbellMAAttorney General
✅Diana DiZoglioMAAuditor
✅Katherine ClarkMACD 5
✅Lori TrahanMACD 3
✅Question 1MAFair Share
✅Question 2MADental Insurance Reform
✅Question 4MADrivers licenses for immigrants
✅Paul HerouxMA
✅Becca RauschMAMA Senate
✅Catherine Cortez MastoNVUS Senate
✅Mark KellyAZUS Senate
✅John FettermanPAUS Senate
✅Maggie HassanNHUS Senate
✅Sharice DavidsKSUS Senate
✅Katie PorterCA 45US House
✅Maxwell FrostFL10US House
✅Hillary ScholtenMI 03US House
✅Chris PappasNH 01US House
✅Abigail SpanbergerVA 07US House
✅Elissa SlotkinMI 07US House
✅Greg LandsmanOH01US House
✅Katie HobbsAZGovernor
✅Gretchen WhitmerMIGovernor
✅Tony EversWIGovernor
✅Josh ShapiroPAGovernor
✅Wes MooreMDGovernor
✅Janet MillsMEGovernor
✅Cisco AguilarNVSecretary of State
✅Adrian FontesAZSecretary of State
✅Joe TateMIMI House Leader
✅Josh KaulWIAttorney General
✅Aaron FordNVAttorney General

You Acted, Voters Responded

Updated December 4, 2022 – Look what you have achieved through all your hard work! Despite all the negative press about a red wave and polls “proving” how Democrats were going to do poorly in the midterms, we forged ahead strongly. (Never trust polls!) It is important to note that most of these races were Toss-Ups, which is exactly where we can help the most and turn the tide in our direction. Grassroots efforts really work!

We volunteers worked very hard in several states – especially in PA, NH, NV, AZ, and WI – and were rewarded by crucial wins in all of these states! We were able to hold on to the Senate through our collective efforts, and we may be able to achieve a Senate majority (stay tuned for the GA runoff on December 6). And instead of a Republican blow-out of dozens of seats, we trail closely in the House, making the Democrats a force to be reckoned with in that chamber.

Two of the most important races in the country were in PA, where we won the key Senate (Fetterman) and Governor’s (Shapiro) races. We also kept the NH Congressional representation blue (Hassan, Senate; and Pappas and Kuster, House). Think of all the postcards, phone calls, and texts we made to keep Mark Kelly (AZ) and Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) in the Senate, and both won. There was also a down ballot effect in those states in that Katie Hobbs was elected AZ governor and Democratic secretaries of state were elected in both AZ and NV. We also kept Governor Tony Evers (WI) in office, one of the most important races nationally. Check out our feature, Notable Wins, for a full list of our victories. And celebrate!

So we have lots to feel good about this election. Pat yourselves on the back (or open that bottle of champagne). You deserve it for all your hard work!

Grassroots Champions Don’t Have Off Years

Grassroots groups are still working, even now that the midterm election is over. These dedicated organizers work on the ground and don’t have off years. They build trust and serve their communities every day.

Arizona: Northeast Arizona Native Dems

Matriarch volunteers utilize all relational organizing tools and strategies customized for their Native communities. Volunteers receive training to register new voters, educate current voters, and get voters to the polls. We wrote postcards to tribal lands with this group, now let’s follow through with support as they canvass and call to get out the vote.

Donate to NEAZ Native Dems
Donate to POWER
Pennsylvania: POWER

A grassroots organization of over 50 Pennsylvania congregations committed to racial and economic justice on a livable planet. Along with other initiatives, they are hosting the “Freedom Express” bus tour across the State of Pennsylvania. This tour is about Restoring Faith in Democracy, helping people imagine a Pennsylvania where all thrive, and calling out the bad actors financing oppression by supporting White Christian Nationalist causes.

Wisconsin: Souls to the Polls, Milwaukee

Souls to the Polls knows a strong voting bloc is key to pressing state and local leaders on issues such as affordable housing, education, economic development, gun violence, and governmental transparency. Together, they are building a bloc of engaged community members in a mission to channel their faith and bring 100,000 Souls to the Polls.

Donate to Souls to the Polls, Milwaukee

Keep that Laser Focus

Two weeks to go until the final voting day, November 8.  The media is busy whipping us into a frenzy, chasing ratings, and spinning polls.

Take a breath.  Remember:

  1.  We have been laying the groundwork for the entire year.  More Women than ever are registered to vote.  More young people have registered to vote since the last election.  The last two weeks are for Get Out the Vote.  Focus on that.  Text, Canvas, Phonebank.  Get Out the Vote.
  1. Ignore Polls.  We know from 2016 how unreliable they are.  It depends on who is doing the poll, and how they write the questions.  It depends on who answers the phone.  Robert Hubbell says “I hope we are not naive enough to believe that polling results are free of political spin. For reasons that deserve scrutiny in the future, most media outlets in America are controlled by conservative interests promoting the partisan agenda of the MAGA-GOP. For the moment, we must accept the abuse of the American airwaves by dark money and overcome it by exercising the foundational right in the Constitution—the right to choose our representatives by voting. If we do that in sufficient numbers, we will prevail.”
  1.  The GOP continues to flood the zone with excrement.  Each “policy” proposal is more outrageous and disgusting.  National Don’t say Gay Bill.  Sunset Medicare at age 90.  Sunset Social Security and postpone it until age 70.  End the aid to Ukraine.  They are trying to incite panic, demoralize us, and destroy our focus.  All these races are close.  This is not new. We must GET OUT THE VOTE.
  1.  Notice the media is not talking about Abortion anymore?  They think women will not remember.  Guess what?  We do not forget what we are reminded of every month.  And every woman has felt the panic of being late in their lives.  Even women past childbearing years remember this viscerally.  Every woman also understands what is at stake, and that is their basic healthcare.  From acute period pain to miscarriage, from contraceptives to healthy pregnanices, from ectopic pregnancy threats  to InVitro Fertilization, women need to be free to manage their own bodies on the advice of their doctor.  

In Conclusion

Here’s more from trusted sources:

Leah Greenberg, Co-founder of Indivisible “We are in the Margin of Effort when polls are close.  Focus on what we can control- every voter makes a difference…Right now, no one knows what the composition of the election will be:  how many young people, how many women, or how many activated MAGA.”

Rachel Maddow, After describing how all the polls were within the Margin of Error “Here’s what all these very close polls are telling you: Whomever you want to win … they need your help. Volunteer … today.”

Here’s a voice I don’t usually quote, Michael Moore from his Oct 23rd column.  After he calls into question the motives of the media (and reminds us that he predicted Trump’s win), he continues:

Let’s go over the one main fact that should guarantee the winning of ANY election:

There are more of us than there are of them! By the MILLIONS!

  • Democrats have won the popular vote in 7 of the last 8 presidential elections. 
  • Amongst 33 states and territories who let you affiliate with a party when you register to vote, there are currently 48 million registered Democrats vs. 36.4 million registered Republicans. 
  • There are also 35.3 million registered independents. And a recent WSJ poll has Democrats with a 38%-35% edge over Republicans among independents.
  • The vast majority of Americans agree with us on ALL the major issues —
    • legal abortion (62%), 
    • climate crisis (75%), 
    • minimum wage (62%), 
    • paid family leave (70%), 
    • legal marijuana (91%), 
    • unions (71%), 
    • Medicare for all (69%), 
    • Equal Rights Amendment for women (78%), 
    • free pre-K+ (71%), 
    • LGBTQ+ rights (71%), 
    • more gun control (70%)

The people are already with us — by a wide margin. So how can we lose?

By failing to get out the vote — a vote that is ours if we want it.

Are we going to let that happen? We can’t just talk about it. We have to DO IT. 

What did each of you do this weekend to guarantee a victorious turnout on November 8th (and to get people out now in the states where early voting is taking place)?

So keep that laser focus.  Get Out the Vote. Do a Daily Action.  Vote and encourage others to vote in Massachusetts (Yes on Four!).  Volunteer for ballot curing after Nov 8.  

They want us to give up.  WE WILL PERSIST.

Democratic Association of Secretaries of State (DASS)

In most states, secretaries of state are the top officials overseeing elections. In 2022, at least 10 states have election deniers running for this crucial office.  A recent article in the Washington Post asked the question, what if election deniers were elected secretaries of state?  

The deniers could:

  • Make it harder to vote
  • Allow for endless audits of results
  • Refuse to sign off on election results
  • Sow distrust in election results

In short, profoundly threaten our democracy! 

The Democratic Association of Secretaries of State (DASS) works to elect these vital officials and protect our electoral system, the foundation of our democratic government. They deserve all the help we can give them. Please consider donating to DASS to safeguard our democracy!

Nevada – Enigmatic Battleground State

Nevada, long a blue state and now purple, is pivotal for the midterms but difficult to call.  Elections are uniquely challenging to forecast in Nevada, since the electorate is highly transient – half of all voters are new to the state since 2016 – and the largest bloc in the state is unaffiliated voters. Latinos, who make up nearly a quarter of the state’s population, traditionally have voted Democratic in Nevada. Yet many now are voting Republican because of the economy.  Nevadans are heavily dependent on the Las Vegas economy, so many vote out of pocketbook concerns. But Nevadans also care deeply about voting rights, access to abortion, education, fair immigration policies, and other key social issues. So Nevada is politically balanced on a knife edge, and we can make a real difference here with our grassroots power!   

So what’s happening now in Nevada? Here’s an update on the most important midterm races:

Senate: The race between incumbent Catherine Cortez Masto (D) and Adam Laxalt (R), both former Nevada Attorneys General, is rated a Toss Up by Cook Political Report. Cortez Masto, the first Latina elected to the Senate, is considered one of the most vulnerable Democratic Senators in the 2022 midterms. Cortez Masto has been hailed as a champion for women’s and abortion rights. But as the Democratic incumbent, she also has been dogged by narrative that Biden and the Democrats have ruined the economy. This perception has lost her Latino support. Opponent Laxalt is a Trump protege who has called the 2020 election “rigged” and Roe v. Wade “a joke.” Although Cortez Masto has raised more funds than Laxalt has to date, Republicans are pumping money into this race in anticipation of a flip. We must win this race to keep the Senate! The Cortez Masto campaign needs grassroots donations and help with Nevada postcards and phonebanks.

Governor: The race between sitting Governor Steve Sisolak (D) and current Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo, is also rated a Toss-Up by Cook Political. Governor Sisolak, who has successfully defended Nevada from Republican extremists in the legislature, is weighed down by the same anti-Biden economic propaganda as Senator Cortez Masto. Like the Senator, Sisolak also has lost Latino votes due to emphasis on the economy. Lombardo, a pro-life Trump endorsee, accuses Sisolak of crippling Nevada’s tourism-heavy economy with coronavirus restrictions. Donate to the Sisolak campaign or to the Democratic Governors Association to help Steve Sisolak keep blue control of this key swing state.

Secretary of State: The race between Cisco Aguilar (D) and former state Rep. Jim Marchant (R) is frightening, potentially putting the fox in charge of the chicken coop.  The Secretary of State position is the official responsible for overseeing elections in the state. Marchant is a flagrant election denier who would not have certified Biden’s election in 2020 and who would favor “alternate electors” in 2024. Marchant himself lost a congressional race in 2020 and, taking a page from the Trump playbook, claimed without evidence that the election was stolen from him. His number one priority is to “overhaul the fraudulent election system in Nevada.” Meanwhile, Aguilar favors an extensive set of strategies to counter voter suppression and make sure that all votes are cast and counted. Vote Forward has a new experimental initiative (Lab) in support of Cisco Aguilar, the first candidate ever to receive the support of a Vote Forward campaign. Or donate to the Democratic-association-of-secretaries-of-state (DASS) which provides financial support to SOS candidates. 

Arizona Elections as a Total Abortion Ban Takes Effect

Update: 10/8/22 AZ Court blocks enforcement of total abortion ban.
Let’s check in on Arizona after working hard for them all year.

Senate:  Democrat Mark Kelly seems to be pulling ahead of radical MAGA Blake Masters.  Republicans have pulled $9.6 million dollars of ads from the state.  There will be a debate Oct 6, and early voting starts Oct 12.  The latest poll shows Kelly ahead by 8 points.

Governor:  Democrat Katie Hobbs seems to be virtually tied with radical MAGA Kari Lake.  However the poll cited here  took place just as the latest assault on women’s rights was happening. We need a concerted effort to get out the vote.

Secretary of State:  Democrat Adrian Fontes opposes radical MAGA Mark Finchem, who refuses to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the presidential election.  AZCentral has endorsed Fontes, saying that “Arizona’s next secretary of state is critical to the future of democracy.  Whoever wins not only will serve as Arizona’s elections chief, but also will have a strong bully pulpit to influence how elections are carried out, how votes are tallied and how elections are validated.”  Polls aren’t very predictive in this race:  they are showing 40% of independents as undecided.

State Legislature:  We only need one seat in each in the State House and State Senate to tie for control.  The States Project has designated Arizona as one of their key states, concentrating on a state senate race.  Once again concerned citizens like you are doing what the Democratic party failed to do:  spend money early on key state legislative races.

Conclusion:  While the Senate race seems to be in hand (Cook Political now calls this race “lean democrat”), the state level races are a toss-up.  The problem is that Arizona is a hotbed of MAGA extremism around election denial and abortion rights. 

Both Robert Hubbell and Heather Cox Richardson have addressed the shocking developments out of Arizona at the end of September, and you can read their essays below.  Republicans have banned all abortions in Arizona through a combination of legislation and judicial intervention.  Judges allowed an 150 year old law (enacted before Arizona was even a state) to be resurrected.  This archaic law, combined with the legislature’s 15 week abortion ban, effectively bans all abortions in Arizona, even when the woman’s life is in danger.  

This recent development is not captured in the polls yet.  Will the stripping of their health care and bodily autonomy drive Arizona women to vote?  Keep working, and stay tuned.

Heather Cox Richardson
Robert Hubbell