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ericadawn16There was darkness in the sunshine although it was hard to see because of the media's reporting.
From Progress Florida:
"Amendment 1 passed and efforts to protect Florida’s land, water, and open spaces will have secure funding for years to come.
More people voted for Amendment 2, which would have legalized medical marijuana, than voted to re-elect Gov. Scott. The amendment received a huge 57% of the vote, but fell short of the 60% required to pass it.
Amendment 3, a cynical attempt by the Florida’s GOP-run legislature to pack our courts, was soundly defeated.
The Florida panhandle has sent a pro-environment and pro-LGBT woman to Congress in Gwen Graham.
Osceola County elected their first openly LGBT county commissioner and their first Hispanic woman county commissioner.
Conservative Marion County passed a one mill school funding referendum that will offset years of destructive cuts by Gov. Scott and the legislature: restoring funding for art, music, libraries, and more."
* In fact, Amendment 1 passed with 75%! of the vote. This is an almost unheard of majority.
From 350.org:
"Climate action works from the ground up. There were a number of bright spots last night, but they didn’t come from professional politicians. Denton, Texas became the first city in Texas to ban fracking with a locally led ballot initiative. Two counties in California did the same. Richmond, California defied massive spending from Chevron to elect a Mayor ready to take on Big Oil in their backyard. There’s a lesson here: courage counts, local action matters, and voters support bold and direct action against climate change."
From Emily's List:
"Scott Brown became the first person to lose to two different women in Senate races, in two different states even. Gwen Graham ousted Tea Party favorite Steve Southerland in Florida. Gina Raimondo is Rhode Island's first woman governor. And Alma Adams will soon become the 100th woman in Congress.
With our victories, we are on a journey that continues every election cycle in our country. This isn't just about one night, but about the movement for social change.
The fight to make women and families' lives better did not start in 2014. On this day in 1872, Susan B. Anthony voted, even though the 19th Amendment wouldn't be ratified until nearly 50 years later. "
From CNN:
"Tim Scott became the first African-American from the South elected to the Senate since Reconstruction, according to the Charleston Post and Courier. The last black Senator was Blanche Kelso Bruce, who left the chamber 133 years ago. Scott also became the first African-American to be elected to both the House and the Senate.
Mia Love became the first black Republican woman elected to Congress -- ever. Love, who is a first-generation American, will also become the first Haitian-American to serve in Congress, according to the Washington Post.
Joni Ernst smashed a couple of glass ceilings of her own, becoming the first woman to represent Iowa in either house of Congress and the first female combat veteran ever elected to the Senate, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Shelley Moore Capito cruised to victory in West Virginia to become the first woman elected to the Senate from her state.
Tom Cotton is the first Iraq War and the first Afghanistan war veteran to be elected to the Senate. "
Plenty of Democrats were re-elected like Al Franken, Cory Booker, Tom Udall, and Jeff Merkley.
Now about those firsts. I know on the surface, it looks scary because most of them are Republican, but let's focus on the awesome part for at least a minute. These are women and people of color and people who are both and people who are young! We elected a 30 year old woman to Congress in the same year that a Fox News host said young women shouldn't even be allowed to vote!
Sure, some of them will toe the party line but these are younger people with different experiences than all the old Caucasian men that preceded them. We might be able to hope for a more moderate, understanding party that wants to rethink human rights and the environment!
From Progress Florida:
"Amendment 1 passed and efforts to protect Florida’s land, water, and open spaces will have secure funding for years to come.
More people voted for Amendment 2, which would have legalized medical marijuana, than voted to re-elect Gov. Scott. The amendment received a huge 57% of the vote, but fell short of the 60% required to pass it.
Amendment 3, a cynical attempt by the Florida’s GOP-run legislature to pack our courts, was soundly defeated.
The Florida panhandle has sent a pro-environment and pro-LGBT woman to Congress in Gwen Graham.
Osceola County elected their first openly LGBT county commissioner and their first Hispanic woman county commissioner.
Conservative Marion County passed a one mill school funding referendum that will offset years of destructive cuts by Gov. Scott and the legislature: restoring funding for art, music, libraries, and more."
* In fact, Amendment 1 passed with 75%! of the vote. This is an almost unheard of majority.
From 350.org:
"Climate action works from the ground up. There were a number of bright spots last night, but they didn’t come from professional politicians. Denton, Texas became the first city in Texas to ban fracking with a locally led ballot initiative. Two counties in California did the same. Richmond, California defied massive spending from Chevron to elect a Mayor ready to take on Big Oil in their backyard. There’s a lesson here: courage counts, local action matters, and voters support bold and direct action against climate change."
From Emily's List:
"Scott Brown became the first person to lose to two different women in Senate races, in two different states even. Gwen Graham ousted Tea Party favorite Steve Southerland in Florida. Gina Raimondo is Rhode Island's first woman governor. And Alma Adams will soon become the 100th woman in Congress.
With our victories, we are on a journey that continues every election cycle in our country. This isn't just about one night, but about the movement for social change.
The fight to make women and families' lives better did not start in 2014. On this day in 1872, Susan B. Anthony voted, even though the 19th Amendment wouldn't be ratified until nearly 50 years later. "
From CNN:
"Tim Scott became the first African-American from the South elected to the Senate since Reconstruction, according to the Charleston Post and Courier. The last black Senator was Blanche Kelso Bruce, who left the chamber 133 years ago. Scott also became the first African-American to be elected to both the House and the Senate.
Mia Love became the first black Republican woman elected to Congress -- ever. Love, who is a first-generation American, will also become the first Haitian-American to serve in Congress, according to the Washington Post.
Joni Ernst smashed a couple of glass ceilings of her own, becoming the first woman to represent Iowa in either house of Congress and the first female combat veteran ever elected to the Senate, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
Shelley Moore Capito cruised to victory in West Virginia to become the first woman elected to the Senate from her state.
Tom Cotton is the first Iraq War and the first Afghanistan war veteran to be elected to the Senate. "
Plenty of Democrats were re-elected like Al Franken, Cory Booker, Tom Udall, and Jeff Merkley.
Now about those firsts. I know on the surface, it looks scary because most of them are Republican, but let's focus on the awesome part for at least a minute. These are women and people of color and people who are both and people who are young! We elected a 30 year old woman to Congress in the same year that a Fox News host said young women shouldn't even be allowed to vote!
Sure, some of them will toe the party line but these are younger people with different experiences than all the old Caucasian men that preceded them. We might be able to hope for a more moderate, understanding party that wants to rethink human rights and the environment!
