Hello Democrats! While our office is closed this week, I wanted to take this Friday as an opportunity to share some thoughts on the past year and the coming one. 

As the first year of Joe Biden’s presidency wraps up, I’m still impressed at what our elected Democrats have been able to deliver. Back in March, Democrats in Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, which provided the public health funding needed to get us all vaccinated and the support for schools so that we could get kids back in classrooms. This fall, they passed an infrastructure bill that creates jobs, invests in our roads, bridges, and public transportation, and provides a big step forward towards combating climate change. These are big, important pieces of legislation, and we shouldn’t forget that! While I want Congress to continue pushing to pass the Build Back Better bill, paid family leave, voting rights protections, and more, I also want to recognize and celebrate what’s already been accomplished. This has been a big year for our Democrats in Congress and President Biden! 

I also want to recognize Gov. Jay Inslee and our Democratic state legislators. Gov. Inslee’s leadership has been sterling throughout the pandemic, with a powerful response to COVID that has literally saved – and will continue to save – thousands of lives. If it was up to the Republicans and Washington state was run like Ron DeSantis runs Florida, it would have been a disaster. But beyond the pandemic, legislative Democrats passed an incredible agenda of major policy reforms last session. From a capital gains tax so the rich start to pay their fair share, to much-needed reforms to policing and law enforcement, to some of the strongest clean energy legislation of any state in the country, 2021 was a fantastic session for advancing our progressive agenda. We should be so proud of the work that our state Democratic leaders are doing for us. 

And I want to spotlight the countless Democrats across Washington who took the bold and brave step of running for office in our local elections this year. Running for office is scary and difficult, and I want to thank everyone who stepped up with a vision to make their community better – whether they won or lost. With our Rooted To Win program, we were able to highlight important local candidates across the state. Many candidates won – including Democrats in Spokane and Vancouver – despite being massively outspent by their conservative opposition. Local Democrats were able to flip extreme, conservative QAnon city councils in cities like Sequim and SeaTac. I was so glad that a number of Democrats - many of them people of color - were able to run and win all over the state. While we have to be concerned about national trends for the midterm elections next year, these local races give me hope. Democrats across Washington were able to run and win in 2021, and I plan for us to do the same in 2022. 

What’s the plan for next year? Another Coordinated Campaign to get out the vote for our Democratic ticket! In my time as chair, we’ve gotten to run two very different Coordinated Campaigns. In 2018, we were able to run a “normal” campaign, focused on doorbelling and volunteer events. As you know, 2020 had to look very different. With phone and text banking, digital organizing, and virtual events, we were able to re-elect Gov. Jay Inslee and Rep. Kim Schrier, take the State Treasurer’s office back from Republicans, and win important legislative races. While we don't know what COVID will look like in 2022, I think we’d all still prefer a 2022 Coordinated Campaign that looks more like 2018 than 2020, though. 

None of us know what next year will look like and what the safe ways to campaign will be at different points in time. What I can commit to you is that we’ll do everything we can to campaign and win safely across Washington. We’ll have organizers doing everything possible to activate our volunteers and get out the Democratic vote. We know the Republican base will be motivated by their misinformation and Fox News, and we’ll need a strong Democratic turnout to overcome and to beat them. I know that with your help and support, we can run that campaign, tell the stories of the big successes for Washington’s working families that Democrats have passed, and win across the state. It’ll be hard work, but I’m up for it, and I know you all are too.

Thanks for reading and for spending your year with us. I look forward to another great year together. 

With gratitude, 

Tina Podlodowski