Des Moines, IA – With the close of 2017, the Iowa Democratic Party is looking back on how the last 12 months have brought our Party from the losses of 2016 to a position ready to win in the 2018 midterms.
Organize. Organize. Organize. Iowa Democrats renewed our commitment to rebuilding our party from the bottom up. With grassroots activism at an all-time high, we want to acknowledge the thousands of Iowans who stepped up to fight for our future this year. Whether it was crowding in to County Party meetings, hitting the phones for special elections, or joining energized progressive groups across the state, our activists and volunteers proved day in and day out why they are the backbone of our Party. We knew that this year we needed to dig in and invest heavily in our local operations. Neighbor to neighbor conversations driven by people who understand their communities are how we’re going to get our message across. Organizers are building neighborhood teams of volunteers based on local feedback. These teams will be in charge of voter contact, volunteer recruitment, and delivering the Democratic message in their area. The Iowa Democratic Party engaged in local party building, setting up a training programs to ensure that we have resources available to folks in all 99 counties. Two-thirds of our county parties are already well on their way with strategic assessments and plans moving forward across the state. Rising to the Challenge Candidates Volunteers and organizers are fired up to elect strong, progressive leaders in 2018, and the good news is, they have a lot to choose from. One of the best parts of the last year has been the incredible number of people who stood up and decided to run for office. Now, we have a wide field of candidates in every part of the state ready to stand up and fight for Iowans. Iowans can learn more about the candidates who will fight for our state here. Over the past year, the Iowa Democratic Party has provided many of those candidates a platform to get their message out through our two major fundraising events. Hall of Fame Our Hall of Fame dinner should not have happened. Pundits had been writing the obituary for the Democratic Party for months. Just days after the event was announced, it was made public that our former Chair could no longer serve due to illness. But, the Iowa Democratic Party community came together, we elected our new Chair, Troy Price, and with the amazing support of our party leaders and activists, and volunteers, we packed the house. Fall Gala Just a few months after our Hall of Fame dinner, we broke records at the Fall Gala. Three thousand fired up Democrats from across the state filled the Hy-Vee Events center to hear from our impressive gubernatorial field and special guest Alec Baldwin. That night reminded many of us why we need to fight in every race, every year to make sure that our state and our country keep moving forward, and three thousand Democrats left that hall energized to help our candidates win in 2018. #Trending: Special Elections Demonstrate Democratic Resurgence All these efforts are already bearing fruit and giving Democrats hope for 2018. In special elections across the state, especially in rural areas, our party saw an incredible resurgence. The results speak for themselves:
- A 32-point shift for Democrats in Davenport’s Senate District 45.
- A 34-point shift for Democrats in Davenport’s House District 89.
- A 31-point shift for Democrats in the Fairfield-based House District 82.
- A 31-point shift for Democrats in Northwest Iowa’s Senate District 3.
(h/t Iowa Starting Line for the breakdown) In local races, strong turnout carried 81% of Union-backed School Board candidates to victory in September 2017, as well as unprecedented wins in municipal elections. We’re going to keep organizing, keep talking to our communities, keep doing everything in our power to make sure the people of Iowa know we have their backs, but Democrats should be proud of the work that they have already done this year and take heart that these gains will be turned in to real progress for our state next year.
