Author Archives: Heather Roberson Gaston

Four Out of Six Ain’t Bad. (Thank you!)

This election cycle, we asked our fantastic New York activists to get up early and get on buses with us to hit six competitive Congressional races in New York State, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. These were all important races where policy differences between the candidates couldn’t have been more striking, almost all won within razor-thin margins. In the Hudson Valley, we helped Antonio Delgado defeat Republican John Faso. In New Jersey, we helped Andy Kim defeat Republican Tom MacArthur–and helped put victory wind in the sails of Mikie Sherrill. We also went multiple times to the Lehigh Valley to help build a competitive edge for Susan Wild.

All in all, we won FOURof the six races we engaged in, and, through district crossovers, added TWO new New York State Senators, Monica Martinez and Jen Metzger, to what is now a strong and viable Democratic majority. We have you to thank for those victories!

So thank you for coming out early in the morning on so many Saturdays, on Election Weekend, and on Election Day itself. Thank you for that money you donated, if you did donate. Together, we stood up for the future of our country and helped set the stage for an exciting 2019.

To our victory!

Vote Blue bus schedule from here to November 6th

Friends, you have been so wonderful to join us on our many Vote Blue 2018 buses to competitive congressional races in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York State. We have so many races with razor-thin margins happening nearby. So please, clear your calendars and COME CANVASS WITH US!

Click here for more info and to RSVP for any bus trip you see listed here.

For your planning purposes, here is a list of all our buses from here to Election Day, November 6th.

Saturday, October 27, we will be sending a bus to help Democrat Susan Wild in Pennsylvania’s 7th District (Philly suburbs and Lehigh Valley) and a bus to help Democrat Perry Gershon defeat Republican incumbent Lee Zeldin in New York’s 1st Congressional District (Long Island).

Saturday, November 3rd, we will be sending a bus to New York’s 19th Congressional District (Hudson Valley) to help Democrat Antonio Delgado unseat Republican incumbent John Faso, and a bus to New Jersey’s 11th District (Morris County) to help Democrat Mikie Sherrill, a wonderful female candidate facing a conservative Assemblyman.

Sunday, November 4th, we will be sending a bus to New York’s 2nd Congressional District (Long Island) to help progressive female candidate Liuba Grechen Shirley face off against Republican incumbent Peter King and another to New Jersey’s 3rd District to help Andy Kim defeat Republican incumbent Tom MacArthur.

Click here for more info and to RSVP for any bus trip you see listed here.

Our buses for Election Day November 6th are still TBD, but please let us know if you  want to campaign. The more people we know we have on board, the more buses we can book!

Competitive Congressional Races Accessible From NYC

Friends in New York City and nearby, here are some fantastic races happening in your backyard that could decide the fate of the US Congress! We’ll be pitching in with bus trips (many listed below) and encourage you to organize your friends and family to join us or take a road-trip on your own. Thank you!

Mikie Sherrill vs Jay Webber in NJ-11 (Morris County). Democrat Mikie Sherrill is a strong female candidate running against a conservative Assemblyman. This race is rated “lean Dem”and is 1h30 away. We’re sending a bus on Saturday, October 13th. Note: Overlaying Senate race rated “likely Dem.”

Susan Wild vs Marty Nothstein in PA-07 (Philly suburbs and nearby counties). Democrat Susan Wild is a community advocate and attorney, who wants to strengthen unions and achieve universal healthcare.  This race is rated “lean Dem” and is about 2 hours away. Note: Overlaying governor’s race rated “lean Dem.”

Andy Kim vs Tom MacArthur in NJ-03 (Burlington and Ocean County). Democrat Andy Kim is a former military advisor facing “New Jersey’s Trumpiest Congressman” Tom MacArthur. Rated a “toss-up,” this race is 1h30 away and we’re sending a bus on October 20. Note: Overlaying Senate race rated “likely Dem.”

Antonio Delgado vs John Faso in NY-19 (Hudson Valley). Democrat Antonio Delgado is a Rhodes scholar and Harvard-educated attorney who has already faced racist attacks from incumbent Republican John Faso. This race is rated a “toss-up” and is a bit over 2 hours away. Our bus leaves Saturday, October 13th.

Scott Wallace vs Brian Fitzpatrick in PA-01 (South Philly and Chester).  Democrat Scott Wallace is a philanthropist and community advocate who wants an assault weapons ban and Medicare for All. This race is rated a “toss-up” and is 2 hours away. Note: Overlaying governor’s race rated “lean Dem.”

Liuba Grechen Shirley vs Peter King in NY-2 (Nassau and Suffolk). Progressive Democrat Liuba Grechen Shirley has made incredible strides in what was once a “solid Republican” race that is and now rated “Lean Republican.” Our partners The Broad Room are sending a bus on October 20th.

Max Rose vs Dan Donovon in NY-11 (Staten Island). Max Rose is an Army veteran who supports the public option and protecting DACA recipients while Congressman Dan Donovan has introduced a bill to punish sanctuary cities and has courted the support of Donald Trump. This race has been rated a “likely Republican” and a “lean Republican,” depending where you look. What is clear is that it’s the closest race in New York City and a great place to put in some time.

Support Voting Reform Efforts in New York NOW

(Photo by April Sikorski from Brooklyn, USA (vote here) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

The movement for voting reform in New York State is gaining momentum – and not a moment too soon. While other states have taken measures to modernize and streamline their voting systems, New York has remained mired in rules and arbitrary deadlines that prevent thousands of residents from realizing their right to vote, leaving our state’s voter turnout rates embarrassingly low.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Right now, 37 states offer early voting, a reform that greatly eases the voting process, and a growing number offer same-day and automatic voter registration. The latter reform has been shown to have the greatest impact on increasing voter participation, particularly among young voters, new residents, and immigrants. The primary obstacle to enacting these changes here in New York is a lack of political will. But that is changing.

Last month, Attorney General Eric Schneiderman introduced the “New York Votes Act,” calling for same-day registration, automatic registration, and early voting. New York State Senator Daniel Squadron and the Senate Democratic Conference have released an official report on the barriers to voting in New York and introduced a legislative package calling for many of the same reforms. Just this Sunday, thousands of New Yorkers gathered in Battery Park to voice their support for voting reforms.

Now, all eyes are on the final budget, due on April 1. Will Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature do the right thing or will he waffle and delay as he has done before? Please join us in making sure they commit to change!

Call and email Governor Cuomo. Tell him you support his pro-voter budget proposal and want to see it funded and enacted: call 518-474-1041(press 1); email gov.cuomo@chamber.state.ny.us.

You can also find your State Senator and Assembly Member and ask them to support voting reform, including early voting and automatic or same-day registration.

Thank you so much for helping to keep the pressure on this important issue. There is everything to be gained when we stand and fight for our most basic rights, and everything to be lost when we don’t.