Blue Wave? More like Black and Brown Voter Wave

“The blue wave would not have been possible without record turnout from Black and Brown voters,” says Jennifer Epps-Addison Co-Executive Director of CPD Action

11.06.2018

WASHINGTON, DC – As the election counts come in and early reports show that Democrats took back the house and had significant gains on the state and local level, Jennifer Epps-Addison, Network President and Co-Executive Director at the Center for Popular Democracy Action released the following statement:

“The CPD Action Network affiliates engaged more than five million voters across the country in this election to make history in congressional, governors, and senate races across the country. We know there is no one organization behind the gains made in this election. It has taken all of our work to make history, and we’ve been honored to be in this struggle following the leadership of local communities. From John Creuzot crediting the Texas Organizing Project with his win to become District Attorney of Dallas, to Rashida Tlaib and Good Jobs Now in Detroit, Local Progress member Ayanna Pressley in Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar and Take Action Minnesota, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez endorsed by both Make the Road Action and New York Communities for Change -- progressive organizing has made history in this election.

“In retaking the House of Representatives, we gain the power to investigate the corruption of the Trump Administration, and we restore a critical check on the Trump Administration’s power. Organizers with groups like New Florida Majority, Florida Restoration of Rights Coalition, Dream Defenders and Organize Florida have also restored voting rights for 1.4 Floridians previously convicted of felonies. It’s safe to say that if those voters were eligible to vote in this election Andrew Gillum would be governor.

“When we continue to build from the grassroots, we win. As we gear up for 2020, the Democratic Party must take note: when candidates run unabashedly progressive campaigns, they win. The heart of the Democratic Party -- people of color, women, and young people -- will turn out to vote when candidates run on the issues that matter most to them. They will turn out to vote when they see that the candidates on the ballot will have real impact over the issues that most affect their lives. The Center for Popular Democracy Action and our network will continue to knock doors, talk to voters, and build on the impressive victories tonight. The Black and Brown voter wave today was just a start: tomorrow we continue our everyday work to build a sustained movement that will make our government more reflective of the diversity of this country and our policies more reflective of our values.”

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Media Contact: Lia Weintraub, lweintraub@populardemocracy.org