Primary Elections 2015
Stopping the Tea Party’s Operation Monkeywrench II
NVM MOBILIZES ELECTION WINS FOR PROGRESSIVES IN KEY PRIMARIES THROUGHOUT THE STATE
How do you beat back the Tea Party and their support of a 30-year incumbent Democrat so entrenched in conservative policies that the Tea Party adopted him?
Mobilize, Mobilize and Mobilize!
In the June 9 Democratic primary race for Virginia’s 79th District encompassing Portsmouth and parts of the south side of Norfolk, NVM mobilized in support of City Councilmember Steve Heretick in his successful bid to take down Johnny Joannou and upset the Tea Party’s plans.
According to a report in the Pilot Newspaper, the local Tea Party in Portsmouth adopted Joannou under its cartoonish “Operation Monkeywrench II.” Joannou whose votes against Medicaid Expansion and other progressive issues earned him a 90 score by the Tea Party was defeated by Heretick who won over 52 percent of the votes cast.
NVM along with environmental, LGTBQ and Civil Rights groups joined together in a mass field mobilization to rally voters to support Heretick’s bid. New Virginia Majority also led a field campaign that called and visited over 4,000 voters multiple times in three weeks; talking to them directly about the important issues facing the community.
They also utilized high-tech voter outreach strategies to mobilize supporters and voters in real time. Despite getting the Tea Party’s endorsement and major organizing support, Joannou was still taken down.
For many, a key factor in supporting Heretick was due to his strong support for Medicaid Expansion. Nearly 400,000 Virginians who still lack medical coverage could be helped through Medicaid Expansion, and roughly half of them have no options at all due to the refusal of the General Assembly to take action. State lawmakers’ refusal to close the coverage gap has cost $230 million in taxpayer dollars that could have gone toward building a stronger economy and safer communities.
According to the Commonwealth Institute, “Misguided opposition by lawmakers to closing the health coverage gap has meant that 195,000 Virginians still can’t get the care they need to stay healthy and be productive.”
Heretick’s win resonates even more due to a recent Supreme Court ruling in favor of state healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that prevented nearly 300,000 Virginians from losing coverage.
Last year, the Tea Party in Virginia sent shockwaves throughout the state Democratic and Republican establishments by helping a relatively unknown college professor Dave Brat knock off highly-funded and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
NVM Staff with Steve Hertick, candidate for 79th District
NVM Staff with Democratic primary winner Steve Heretick
This year, tearing a sheet from the Tea Party’s page, progressives aggressively organized to support with strong grassroots organizing strategies progressives whether or not they were the choices of the establishment.
“One thing that is clear for sure,” said Tram Nguyen, co-executive director of New Virginia Majority- a group working to create a progressive voter majority in the state “progressives are no longer allowing conservatives masquerading as progressives to go unchallenged.”
As of press time, the Republicans have not fielded any candidate to face off against Heretick for the November 3rd elections in this heavily Democratic district.
Arlington
In Arlington, a place where inequality, rich cultural diversity and sharp contrasts constantly compete with each other, NVM in a tight Democratic primary race for the Arlington County Board, endorsed and supported the election of Christian Dorsey.
Christian Dorsey Candidate for Arlington County Board
It was Dorsey’s powerful vision for inclusion that ignited support from NVM and other labor and progressive groups.
Dorsey, who serves as director of government and external affairs at the non-partisan and progressive Economic Policy Institute, also served on at least nine Arlington County organizational boards and was responsible for spurring the development of the county’s first Earthcraft- certified multifamily building.
NVM supported his campaign with grassroots organizing and door knocking on hundreds of doors in the poorer communities of color throughout the affluent suburb of Washington, DC.
“What these wins signal to the political establishment, conservative and progressive alike is that-no one is safe simply because you were elected before,” said Jon Liss, New Virginia Majority’s co-executive director. “The only thing that will keep you safe, is being on the right side of progressive issues” added Liss.
Jon Liss, co-executive director of NVM
According to the Connection Newspapers, Dorsey gained 22.2 percent of the nearly 4,500 votes cast in a 6-way race. The other winner, Katie Cristol gained 22.5 percent of the votes.
Both will move on as favorites in the November election for the County Board where they will face off against two independents for two open seats. Like in the 79th District election win by Heretick, both Dorsey and Cristol will be strong favorites.
Alexandria
The Alexandria Mayoral Race proved to be a wire to wire affair as Vice-Mayor Allison Silberberg eked out a 3-way win against 4-time incumbent Bill Euille and former mayor Kerry Donley. Silberberg gained the victory over Euille by a little over 300 votes. This was the first time Euille had been challenged since 2003.
While NVM declined to endorse any candidates for the Mayoral race, they did publish the candidate’s responses to key issues on online and in a newspaper ad. While currently unopposed for the Nov. 3 elections, there are possibilities that she might face a challenge from independents and Green Party candidates. Historically in Alexandria, Silberberg and Democrats in general are highly favored to win the mayor election.
Read More: A New Virginia Newsletter
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