Nov. 5 was a great day for progressive voters, particularly those fighting for power in Kentucky and Pennsylvania. As Daily Kos previously reported, Little Blue Pockets of activists were hard at work in both states in order to secure these stunning results.
Kentucky had a tough fight for the gubernatorial race, but Democrats celebrated as Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear defeated incumbent Gov. Matt Bevin. The results were quite close, with the final numbers showing Beshear with an advantage of just over 5,100 votes.
Bevin, predictably, has refused to concede the race, so the fight to eject him isn’t quite over. Republicans in the state house are taking steps to take control of the election, reverse the results, and return Bevin to the governor’s mansion.
Despite that uncertainty, Kentucky’s results will likely lead to big progress on voting rights. During the campaign, Gov.-elect Beshear pledged to issue an executive order restoring voting rights to an estimated 140,000 Kentucky residents with prior criminal convictions. That represents about 4% of the state’s voting-age population.
Organizations like Forward KY, Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, and Working America worked hard to get information out to the voters, trained volunteers, and even empowered disenfranchised people with felony convictions to help phone bank and campaign. Efforts from these groups helped Beshear cross that finish line.
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Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s Delaware County (Delco) made history by gaining control of the County Council, which is the governing body of the historically red Philadelphia suburb. This is a huge deal, as Democrats haven’t had control of the county since the Civil War! Additionally, Democrat Jack Stollsteimer was elected district attorney. Delco’s voters delivered a clean sweep, choosing candidates who ran on platforms promising to boost Delco’s economy, bring jobs, expand public transportation, and shut down the state’s only private prison, which is located within county limits.
Local groups like Turn PA Blue staffed polls and organized hundreds of volunteers across southeastern Pennsylvania. This organization is putting its best efforts forward to set the stage for flipping one state Senate seat—plus two state House seats—in 2020.
It’s undeniable that both states benefited from well-organized, local progressive pushes. Many groups canvassed and educated voters, manned the phones, published content, and otherwise empowered voters to turn out and secure all of these wins. The efforts of little blue pockets in historically red areas cannot be denied.
What an example these activists have set for us all! Here at Daily Kos, we’re ready to ride this blue wave through 2020 and beyond.
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Little Blue Pockets is a new series highlighting local progressive efforts to transform historically red areas, leading up to 2020—and beyond. Find out more here and find our newest content here.
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