Tuesday night, we stood in a crowded square outside the state Capitol in Madison. Teachers, fire fighters, police officers, moms, and dads chanted, "This is what democracy looks like."
It was powerful. And as the election results came in, something else was clear: The voters are powerful.
When Republicans declared war on working families, we could have retreated. But together, we took the fight onto their home turf and put them on defense for a change. And in 2 of the Republican strongholds, we won.
History will deem this election a victory for progressives. Here are some key facts:
-Gov. Scott Walker no longer has a working majority in the Senate. His extreme anti-worker bill passed by only 2 votes, thanks to 1 moderate Republican. Our 2 wins are game changing.
-If Tuesday's election was statewide, Democrats would have won in a landslide. We forced neck-and-neck races in Republican areas.
-As Markos pointed out, if Democrats achieve Tuesday night's rate of success in Republican House districts, Speaker Nancy Pelosi will have a 274-seat majority in 2012.
-We sent a national message that when Republican politicians hurt working families, voters will punish them -- even in Republican areas.
-We also proved that when Democrats stand strong for progressive principles -- as Wisconsin Democrats did -- they will be rewarded by voters and volunteers.
Thanks for all you did to achieve this historic success.
PCCC members made 382,623 calls to voters, gave over 120,000 grassroots donations, and helped air 5 powerful TV ads. One "Call Out The Vote" volunteer even called Jennifer Schilling, who defeated Dan Kapanke -- she said to tell everyone thank you!
The Wisconsin Democratic Party chair has sounded a forward-looking note, "We went on their turf and we won. We will not stop, we will not rest until we recall Gov. Scott Walker."
If you'd like to help defeat Scott Walker when he's eligible for recall next year (and potentially see Russ Feingold run against him), sign up here.
From the entire PCCC team, we sincerely thank you for everything you have done and look forward to working alongside you in our coming efforts.