The THREE U.S. Senate seats I Care About
When thinking about the U.S. Senate, all my energy and attention lately has been on the two seats up for grabs in the Georgia run-off election.
Democratic candidates Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff have a good chance, thanks to engergized Democrats in Georgia, as well as the work of social justice organizations on the ground and many more around the country sending their resources to the peach state. Here’s hoping for a landslide win for these two Dems.
When phone-banking with the Warnock campaign (and clearly for all the Dems on the ballot essentially) earlier this week, I spoke with a “life-long” Republican, as he referred to himself. After he sat through my slightly awkward phone-banking bullet points, he then began sharing his story with me. He was gentle yet clear: No one in his immediate family has ever voted for a Democrat. Ever. They’ve never wanted to… until now. He said, with resolve, that he would be giving both Warnock and Ossoff his vote in the Senate run-off election because the Republican Party no longer reflects his values. They felt unrecognizable to him. His disappointment was palpable. [To be clear, I didn’t flip his vote. He was fed-up before I recited my well-scripted phone-banking soliloquy to him. But, I was happy to hear his every word!]
Yet the two Senate seats in Georgia aren’t the only ones gaining attention right now. There’s also the Senate seat being vacated by Madam Vice President Elect, Kamala Harris in California.
Except, in California, there’s no committee of concerned citizens braving the elements to return to the ballot box to make the decision there. The decision in CA squarely rests with CA Governor Gavin Newsom to appoint a replacement.
Without Harris, there will be NO Black women in the Senate. This well-known fact is important. In a year where there’s been renewed interest (if not genuine concern) for representation in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, how can this seat be filled with anyone other than a Black woman? Really. How?
Even more importantly, there are two exceptionally viable options in CA — Congresswomen, Karen Bass and Barbara Lee. Since we’re talking about replacing the only Black woman represented in the Senate… the choice here seems pretty straightforward.
So, let’s GO Governor Newsom.
We #wewinwithBlackWomen. We already know that we do. This decision is a no-brainer.
