Hello Democrats,

Congratulations on an amazing year! Now that 2022 election results are certified and final we wanted to provide a quick update on how things panned out:

• Senator Patty Murray won with a commanding 57.15% of the vote and defeated MAGA extremist Tiffany Smiley. 
• Every Incumbent Member of Congress won by more than 6% of the vote, including Congresswoman Kim Schrier who performed even better than she did in 2020. I also want to highlight a truly impressive showing from Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, who beat her Republican opponent with a sixfold advantage!
• We flipped a key Congressional seat in WA-03, sending Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez to D.C. and declaring loud and clear that white nationalist candidates like Joe Kent will never hold high office in WA State. 
• We helped SoS Steve Hobbs win - marking the first time a Democrat has carried this seat in more than 50 years and the first time in history every single WA statewide office is in Democratic control. 
• Democrats held onto every single one of our seats in the WA legislature, flipped a state Senate seat in LD 42, and despite an impending recount, we are confident that we are on track to flip a state House seat in LD 10!

We are also proud to report that final statewide voter turnout reached nearly 64%. While not the best performance on record, this is a solid result for a midterm year and we are pleased with this showing. 

Please join me in giving a huge shout out to the Washington Democrats organizers and volunteers who worked around the clock to execute 2.3M voter contacts - we couldn’t have accomplished what we did without their hard work! 

If you want to see all election results and turnout statistics in one place, you can check them on the WA Secretary of State’s website here:

https://results.vote.wa.gov/results/20221108/default.htm

We’re still watching LD 10 closely - where a machine recount has been called to determine if Democrat Clyde Shavers can flip a red state House seat blue! We are feeling confident; late returns broke in our direction and it would take a fairly large upset to tilt the scales. With that being said, we may not have a final result for some time - so please join us in crossing your fingers for a Democratic victory! 

Again, thank you so much for all you did this cycle to make these victories possible - we are so grateful for our whole WA State Democratic Team! 

Republicans hit blue wall in WA: Meet your new state Legislature

Republicans hit a blue wall in the Washington state Legislature election last month, repulsed by Democrats who continue to build power in Olympia.

Senate passes bill to protect same-sex, interracial marriages

The Senate on Tuesday passed the Respect for Marriage Act, which would enshrine marriage equality in federal law, granting protections to same-sex and interracial couples.

Patty Murray likely to be first female Senate president pro tem, 3rd in line for presidency

U.S. Sen. Patty Murray will likely be the first woman to serve as Senate president pro tempore, a position that would place her third in line for the presidency. Murray will also likely chair the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, controlling the federal purse strings and directing billions of dollars of spending.

Native representation to increase in Washington Legislature

Washington state is home to 29 federally recognized Native American Tribes, but only one Native person currently serves in the state Legislature. That will change next year. Three enrolled members of Native tribes [won] their elections this fall.

With Georgia’s special election coming up on December 9th, the strength of our US Senate majority hangs in the balance. Our friends in GA need support in the runoff to re-elect Senator Rev. Raphael Warnock and expand our Democratic majority!

• If you would like to CANVASS, you can sign up HERE: https://www.mobilize.us/gavotes/event/521492/
• If you would like to MAKE CALLS, you can sign up HERE: https://www.mobilize.us/gavotes/event/488467/
• If you plan to TRAVEL TO GA, please complete THIS FORM: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCN-LUeoAF_R7nukP54ZpYNQgxOjQ9UIvmuxxQiyH3HV0evw/viewform

It’s difficult to overstate how consequential this seat is and the impact it will have on our ability to pass progressive policy over the next two years. And with the US House now in GOP control, it is doubly important that we fight tooth and nail for any and every advantage possible! 

We hope you will help if you are able! 

Please be aware that this will be our last newsletter of the year as we dig into planning for 2023 and give staff a well-deserved break for the winter holidays. We will be back in touch with great info and opportunities for engagement in January! 

No one person wins an election. It takes a community, and we are a community and in many ways, a family of Democrats. We are so grateful for each and every one of you.

Keep in touch, stay engaged, and as always, thank you for all you do!

With gratitude, 

Chair Tina Podlodowski

Washington State Democratic Party

DONATE