We’ve lost another election. Here’s what we do next.
We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.
Progressive democrat Hiral Tipirneni was defeated in April’s Arizona’s congressional special election. It was a close thing and, according to the press, this is good news for Democrats. Media organizations like CNN and FiveThirtyEight jumped on the results, eager to measure the electoral swing from red to blue. But I don’t want to talk about the numbers. I don’t want to reduce these campaigns and volunteers to a mere ‘data point’. I want to talk about the hundreds of hours spent on each campaign. I want talk about how we can learn from our losses, and what we can do with the resources we already have.
Last night night Ohio, Indiana, North Carolina and West Virginia voted in their primaries. Nearly every candidate backed by progressive PAC Our Revolution lost their primary, joining dozens of others who ran and lost in special elections this year. So what do we do when we lose our elections? What should the candidates do? Should Tipirneni slip back into her job as a physician until the next election? Should Indianan Sue Spicer stop her fight to get money out of politics? No. There’s still a lot of work to do.
We’ve lost the election. Here’s what we do next:
- Keep our lists: The list of volunteers, donors, IDs, sign locations, etc., all have value. We campaigners should keep these lists and continue communicating with voters. Keep sending out newsletters, keep voters informed of how they can contribute to other campaigns. Constant contact keeps momentum alive.
- Maintain the campaign community: Campaigning involves a community. Volunteers show up for phone-banking, door-knocking and fund-raising events. People hold rallies and and march in protest together. There is a massive network built out of people who share common ideals. This community is invaluable, in and out of campaign season. It provides opportunities for like-minded people to get together and do something to better their world.
- Lend support to other campaigns. People are paying more attention to campaigns outside of our districts, especially on a federal level. Those of us who have experience campaigning can provide advice, support, and endorse progressive candidates all over the United States. The Left is built upon acts of solidarity and we must continue this tradition.
- Focus on the platform. Between elections, we need to focus on policy rather than any individual candidate. We need to decide in our community what is most important to us. Come next election, we will know exactly what we want and know who will best represent us.
- Encourage each other to try again. Candidates should support each other. Communities of voters should keep vying for candidates they believe in, even if they lost the first time round. It takes time to start a movement and we simply can’t give up.
What else can we do when we lose an election?
We’d love to hear other suggestions from campaign volunteers, voters, and candidates. We can help each other. We can lend advice, share ideas, and communicate.
We have lots of exciting elections ahead of us and we have a lot of work to do to push progressives over that narrow margin into Congress. Momentum is building and there is hope. Let’s not forget about the work we have already done. Let’s build on what we have and make sure our roots stay strong.
Updated 9 May, 2018
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