Midterm Election Season Is Upon Us
2022 primary elections bring causes for celebration and concern
With so many tragedies unfolding across the United States and abroad, it can be difficult to focus on long-term solutions for underlying problems which cause pain and suffering on a seemingly daily basis. Although I don’t have as many answers for what can be done in the short-term to prevent such tragedies, striving for a more just economy is among the most important things we can do for long-term, widespread prosperity.
Recent years in particular have shown that voting alone will not bring about economic justice, but elections are one way in which ordinary folks can make an impact on local and national policies. Organizing around elections also helps to form connections in communities, strengthen relationships, and build up grassroots support year-round.
Primary elections have been kicking off throughout May 2022, and I encourage all eligible voters to vote when it’s your state’s turn to do so, but I also want to discuss some primary elections I’ve been following.
Progressive Victories Throughout May Primaries
Multiple states across the country held primary elections throughout May, and many more will follow suit in June. States like Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky are beginning to show what years’ worth of organizing efforts can produce, even if at first a candidate does not win the election.
Stacey Abrams, despite facing defeat in the controversial 2018 Georgia governor’s race, rightly received a great deal of praise for her organizing efforts after the Georgia Senate runoff elections in 2021 gave Democrats majorities in Congress. Now she is Georgia’s Democratic candidate for Governor in 2022.
Charles Booker in Kentucky, whose ascent began too late in the 2020 election cycle to win that primary, has also continued to organize and is now the Democratic candidate challenging Senator Rand Paul for his Senate seat.
John Fetterman in Pennsylvania is another candidate demonstrating what this writer believes should be common sense, but is unfortunately all too rare these days, and that is running on overwhelmingly popular issues. Fetterman advocates for labor unions, living wages, legalizing cannabis, refuses corporate PAC money, and supports a wide range of issues supported by everyday voters.
Other progressive candidates, from Summer Lee in Pennsylvania to Nabilah Islam in Georgia, are winning their primary races despite being outspent by corporate PAC money. Continuing to organize grassroots support, even if the first run for office does not end with victory, can establish a base of support and foster relationships within a community that continues to grow for years to come.
I hope more candidates choose the people over corporate oligarchs, labor over capital, and continue organizing to build a cohesive political movement locally and across the United States. Voters also seem to be increasingly wary of corporate Democrats, and they hesitate to potentially vote in another obstructionist like Joe Manchin who listens to his wealthy donors rather than the people who voted for him.
For these and other reasons, several primary elections across the country make me optimistic about the future of the Democratic party, but not every primary election is turning out as I had hoped they would.
Democratic Establishment Continues Supporting Corporate Democrats Over Progressives
Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, some of the highest-ranking Democrats in Congress—including Speaker Pelosi and Representative Clyburn—campaigned heavily on behalf of perhaps the most conservative Democrat in Congress: Representative Henry Cuellar.
It’s one thing to endorse an incumbent—which is often Pelosi’s excuse for supporting corporate Democrats—but attending campaign rallies and doing robocalls for a candidate is going above and beyond the call of duty.
For instance, if a voter in this district, who may not necessarily be paying close attention to Cuellar’s voting history, received a phone call and heard Pelosi’s voice saying the following:
Hello, it’s Speaker Nancy Pelosi calling on all voters in the 28th District of Texas to vote for Henry Cuellar. Henry is a fighter for hardworking families. In Congress, Henry has championed good-paying jobs and healthcare for our people…
Would this hypothetical voter, all else being equal, consider voting for Cuellar? I don’t see why not, especially if they don’t know much about his young, progressive challenger, Jessica Cisneros. But if you look closer at the details, and Cuellar’s voting record in particular, you might come to a different conclusion.
Perhaps Pelosi’s robocall script could qualify as a true statement if you don’t include hardworking families who wish to join or organize a union, but this is where Cuellar’s voting record speaks for itself. Both in 2020 and in 2021, Henry Cuellar was one of the few Democrats who voted against the PRO Act—the Protecting the Right to Organize Act—in the House of Representatives.
In fact, it appears that Cuellar was the only Democrat to vote against the PRO Act in 2021; the other Democrats who did so in 2020 either changed their votes from Nay to Yea or are no longer in office.
Throughout a press release explaining his reasons for voting against the PRO Act, Cuellar sounded far more concerned about franchise owners than he was about working families. Apparently there were even a handful of Republican Representatives who are more pro-union than Cuellar, since 5 Republicans voted for the PRO Act and Cuellar voted against it.
The race is currently too close to call, with reportedly fewer than 180 votes adding to Cuellar’s apparent lead over Cisneros. Ensuring every vote is counted is essential, but it’s a shame that the Democratic establishment consistently supports candidates who seek to undermine the Democratic party’s platform.
In a political landscape with slim Democratic majorities and a burgeoning union movement spreading across the country, can we really afford to allow corporate Democrats like Cuellar to put pro-union legislation at risk of failing to pass? What about all the other critical issues, from commonsense gun legislation to women’s healthcare rights, on which Cuellar sides with a vocal minority of Republicans rather than the majority of voters? Speaker Pelosi is apparently willing to take that risk.
But, to end on a positive note like we did last month, I want to briefly mention a union victory that I was pleasantly surprised to see this month.
Game Workers Alliance Union Victory
We’ve seen the organized labor movement spreading across Starbucks coffee shops, Amazon warehouses, and amongst Congressional staff workers, but now it’s spreading to the video game industry as well. Last week, the Quality Assurance workers at Raven Software voted overwhelmingly in favor of unionizing, forming the Game Workers Alliance with the assistance of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Union.
The new union’s stated goals are admirable, as their mission statement shows:
Our focus is on improving the conditions of workers in the video game industry by making it a more sustainable, equitable place where transparency is paramount. Additionally, we advocate for our disenfranchised and minority workers by creating a diverse space to let their voices be heard in solidarity.
Especially in an industry known for overworking employees during “crunch” time, I hope more workers in the video game industry join together in solidarity to advance similar goals.
In the meantime, please stay safe out there and take care of one another.
Thank you for reading my newsletter and taking the effort to learn about making the world a better place. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can make progress towards a more just economy.
-JJ
Updated 6/27/2022 - Updated caption for screenshot; capitalized “Democrats”.