The results are in: we have a lot of work to do
The results are in: we have a lot of work to do. We always do.
We expected some disappointments last night, but oof. Though we aren’t seeing the huge national red wave that was projected, we are certainly seeing it here in our home state.
The playing field in Iowa is now even friendlier to our opposition. This is a hard pill to swallow as we’ve seen so many legislative attacks on our friends, families, and neighbors these past two years.
Iowa continues to be written off by many as a lost cause, but we’re not buying it. The change we need won’t happen overnight. It happens step by step, conversation by conversation, election by election.
People ask me if I get down about the results? The answer is: not really. Why? Even though we’re living in tumultuous times, I’m a part of CCI Action and we plant the seeds for a better future every day we do this work.
I feel that uncertainty, but I continue to feel clear on the path forward. It’s not a flashy, quick solution, but it’s a sure one: we talk to people, we organize.
Talking with each other and finding shared values, common ground, and desire for a better Iowa – across difference – is the path forward. It’s long-haul work but it’s how we get an Iowa worth calling home.
This election, our conversations with 10,000 voters spanned many counties, political parties, and issues, and one thing remained true throughout: Iowans know we need and deserve a better Iowa, and we need to work together to achieve that vision.
And, there are local wins worth celebrating. Four of our seven endorsed movement candidates won!
- Equity and racial justice won big with Kimberly Graham winning Polk County Attorney.
- Jon Green and V Fixmer-Oraiz are elected to the Johnson County Board of Supervisors, a win for using public money for the public good.
- Sarah Trone Garriott flipped a Senate race to unseat State Senate President Jake Chapman. With a massive door campaign, she defeated one of Iowa’s most divisive and inflaming politicians.
These are good wins! CCI Action members on the phones with voters played a role in all of those races. Thank you.
Our work doesn’t end with the closing of polls last night. We are here for the long-haul to make real the Iowa we deserve.
Big thanks to all of you who helped get out the vote with us or a candidate in your area. I look forward to growing our people-power movement here in Iowa. Our work continues.
For our people and planet,
Catherine Lewin (they/them)
Movement Politics Organizer
