Happy New Year! Many people are facing the new year with high hopes and valid concerns. The election did not go as we had hoped, especially here in Weld, despite more volunteer and financial support than we have seen in many a year. Colorado held steady overall, but the entire country, and truthfully, much of the world had major upsets in election outcomes. Many pundits wanted to blame COVID backlash, cloudy economic messaging, and a throw-the-bums-out attitude around the world for what happened.
The Weld County Dems held a post-election debriefing for democratic leaders and interested parties to discuss what happened and what we can do to move forward. A survey was sent out first and what many remarked on as a real problem for Democrats is messaging. We cannot seem to craft a message that resonates with voters. For instance, despite having the best economy in the world, that message was lost on most people. They could not understand why, if the economy is so great, is my day to day living a real expensive struggle. Despite the number of immigrants entering the country dropping precipitously under Biden/Harris, voters believed Trump that millions of hoards of immigrants were entering the country and destroying everything. It seems people are willing to believe simple lies over complicated truths.
Misinformation too was an area of concern. With the majority of media outlets owned by Republicans, misinformation was the message. It is very hard to win the hearts and minds of voters when you have little control of the media. That too is one of the main concerns going forward, that the Trump administration basically has a state-sponsored media platform unlike any other in U. S. history, much like communist countries.
Interestingly, one of the least concerns over the lost election, as indicated by survey takers, was high prices and the cost of living. It seems those who took the survey understood that the economy was good and that the high prices really had little to do with the President or Congress. Yet in the minds of voters, the state of their wallets and bank accounts ultimately determined who they voted for.
So, what was suggested as a plan for going forward to combat the challenges put forth by the coming administration? Not giving up the fight, staying positive, involving and including the Latino/Hispanic community, stepping up appeals to young voters, as well as stronger involvement of the queer community. Other points included calling Republicans out on every misstep, (writing to your representatives), creating an accessible bank of immigration lawyers, finding new means of getting our message out, with social media and the creation of more podcasts, creating more events where Dems can come together. Fundraise, as without funds, not much can be done. Keep the narrative and the consequences of the loss of women’s rights and voters’ rights at the forefront. Don’t let climate change be dismissed as hoax but keep up the dialogue of its existential threat. We are counting on all Dems to step up. There is too much at stake to be passive. We must take back the House and Senate in two years, and also elect all blue candidates for Colorado in 2026.
This is where you come in. If you were not active in the Party this year, please step up and get involved. Next month, we will be hosting our reorganization meeting on February 8th at the Johnstown Senior Center. You can step up to be elected as a central committee member and have a say in the direction of the Party. You could also run for office as a leader in the Weld County Party. You could also consider running as a candidate for office in one of our house or senate districts. We need young people to step up. Most of the leaders of the Party now are old and tired. You could also step up as a precinct leader. Normally precinct leaders are elected at caucus. However, we have 206 precincts and only about 20% have leaders. The lack of leaders did make our elections weaker. If you could step up for that position, please call our office or send an email to
wd.centralcomm@gmail.com .
On another note, I did want to comment on the experience of going to the Colorado Supreme Court last month to hear the final arguments on the redistricting case. Thanks to the League of Women Voters and the Latino Coalition, the County Commissioners had to defend their gerrymandering of Weld County and their blatant disregard of State Law. The League and Coalition had a tremendous legal team, and we will be ever grateful to them all for getting the case this far. No decision has been handed down yet, but it was really exciting to be a small part of this historic case.
Finally, I must take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in our holiday party and fundraiser. We had a nice turnout on the 8th at the LINC Library and we raised a nice amount to go toward expenses. Thanks to Pat Kiovsky, Julie Elmquist, Paulette Dolan, Paula Grientzel, Trish Smith, David Melendez, the events committee and everyone who contributed to the event and bake sale.
We have a bright, shiny new year ahead. It may be a challenging year, but we can make it a year of growth, and community and hopefully healing and understanding, as well as a year of action and strength. Blessings to all and let us come together for the sake of the country and Colorado.
Bev Wallace, Chair