For five minutes, let’s just ignore last night’s devastating loss and instead focus on one big triumph in Washington state: the election of Pramila Jayapal to the House of Representatives.
Jayapal is the first South Asian woman to be elected to Congress and the first woman to represent Washington state’s 7th congressional district, which encompasses much of Seattle and Vashon Island, Shoreline, Kenmore, and Edmonds. She takes the reins from Jim McDermott, who has represented the district since 1989 and did not run for re-election.
As a grassroots organizer, she’s centered her work on racial justice. With a xenophobic racist now at the helm of the country, her work—right here in Washington and in D.C.—is going to be all the more important.
“Like many of you, I woke up this morning feeling shocked and then fearful of what lies ahead for America. But this is not the time to sit down in the face of set backs,” said Jayapal in a statement. “To the people of the 7th Congressional District and progressive voters across the country, I ask that we stand together – not just for our progressive ideals, but to stop the disastrous rollback of decades of mainstream progress in this country. This is not the fight we would have chosen but we will fight it the way we have fought to protect our rights and freedoms in the past.”
She continued:
As your elected representative in what is likely to be a hostile Congress, I will need all of you at my side, not just in some theoretical way but literally every step of the way. Because our task is not just to fight when it is convenient. But when it is absolutely urgent and when it is the hardest.
I am so thankful to be one of the diverse, energetic and passionate people in our progressive movement. If this moment teaches us anything, it’s that Washington State and our beloved Seattle will always show a better way.
Jayapal ran against former State Representative Brady Piñero Walkinshaw, a young, progressive candidate who we would love to see run again for political office. (The mayoral election is coming up, Brady!)
After a divisive fight—seen here, here, and everyone’s goddamned Facebook feed— Jayapal ultimately defeated Walkinshaw by more than 34,000 votes.
Walkinshaw conceded the race this morning. He wrote in a statement on his Facebook page:
Our race was competitive, but the aspirations that unite us vastly outweigh our differences. My gratitude and congratulations to Senator Jayapal, who I know for certain will be a courageous and tireless voice for us in Congress and who’ll carry the values we share here to our country, especially with the uncertain future we face.
The other winners in Washington’s congressional races: Incumbents.
Aside from Jayapal, whose predecessor did not run for re-election, Washingtonians re-elected all of their state’s congressional representatives.
Some possible key players in the years ahead: Democratic Reps. Suzan DelBene, Congressional District No. 1, and Adam Smith, CD No. 9.
Let’s start with Smith, who trounced Republican opponent Doug Basler. Since he was elected in 1997, Smith, a white dude, has worked his ass off to advocate for the diverse communities within his district, including improving conditions for inmates in Tacoma’s Northwest Detention Center and rallying behind an initiative that would ease the process of prosecuting police for unjustified use of deadly force. As Trump continues to spew hate against the national community of immigrants, Smith must work his ass off to advocate for and protect diversity. He shared thoughts about his role in a statement:
This will be more challenging given the campaign Donald Trump ran on his way to the presidency. It was one of the most bitter, divisive, nasty and negative our nation has ever witnessed. It tried to pull us apart instead of bringing us together. He claimed in his acceptance speech that he wants to heal these wounds and work together moving forward. I hope this is true, but have little reason to believe it is. The wounds he inflicted during the campaign to women, countless ethnic and religious groups, and a large number of others will not be easy to simply paper over and forget.
I have always believed in a pragmatic, problem-solving approach to politics and public policy, and have striven to be able to work with a wide range of people from liberal Democrats to conservative Republicans. I believe it is my duty to the people of my district to hold Mr. Trump accountable every step of the way. We are a better country than the one he portrayed during his campaign, and Mr. Trump will need to take a vastly different approach to governing than he did to running this race if we are to make progress on the challenges we face as a nation.
DelBene, first elected in 2012, defeated her opponent, Republican Robert Sutherland, by nearly 31,000 votes. Most notably, DelBene is strong advocate for women’s reproductive rights and has rallied with Planned Parenthood in the wake of Carly Fiorina’s “sting” video about the sale of aborted “baby parts.” Considering that a woman’s right to choose is under serious threat by president-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Mike “Mandatory Abortion Funeral” Pence, we will need her leadership and strong advocacy to protect women’s rights here at home and across the country.
There’s a lot of work ahead. Jayapal, DelBene, and Smith have their work cut out for them. We do, too.
