The "Red Wave" Hit a Blue Wall

So the “red wave” they kept screaming about hit our blue wall. We held the line. Our ship did not sink. We defied the polls and expectations. All of us who have worked hard over the previous few months to prevent a bloodbath succeeded!

A fascist takeover with election deniers and voting suppressors did not happen. Even with all their cheating, they still didn’t win like they screamed they would.

That says A LOT.

To celebrate, we're releasing THIS amazing shirt!

Heather Navy unisex t-shirt that reads THE RED WAVE HIT A BLUE WALL. The words THE RED WAVE is arched over an illustration of the Republican elephant that is upside down and floating in some red waves. HIT A BLUE WALL is in a blue, thick font. There are decorative elements arranged around the shirt.

Gen Z of voting age (18-25) showed up in HISTORIC numbers, more than any other generation who voted in the midterms. Republicans are already telling us what they want to do: they’re screaming they’re going to raise the voting age. It’s pathetic. They are incapable of winning on merit, and many times, not even when they cheat. They’re bigots and schemers, so we can’t let our guard down.

Overall, we had some wins. Michigan now has a blue trifecta for the first time in 40 years! Pennsylvania elected Fetterman. Abortion rights measures passed in California, Montana, Michigan, and Kentucky. About 330 election deniers were on the ballots, and only about 70 of them won. It’s spurred rage and tantrums from their orange god.

Our ship did not sink.

With that comes some disappointments. Tennessee went even redder. We lost some Democratic seats. Nashville was already gerrymandered, and 1-2 years ago, they gerrymandered it even more by splitting it into three districts to dilute blue voters. Now, there are three bigoted Republicans representing a population that doesn’t even remotely support their ideologies.

On top of that, Tennessee re-elected Bill Lee over Dr. Jason Martin. Dr. Martin was incredible, and it's so disappointing he didn't win. Lee supports anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and makes sure Tennessee remains one of the top states for misogyny.

Lee fumbled the Covid response, killing thousands of Tennesseans. He’s anti-public school, refuses to expand Medicaid for low-income families, and signed Tennessee’s 100% total abortion ban, with NO exceptions, not even for our lives. Any doctor performing an abortion for any reason in Tennessee, even if it's to save our life, is immediately arrested and charged with a felony.

Even with the disappointments, we defied history, and that “red wave” was nothing more than some... mid-cycle spotting. For example, in the years past:

  • Trump lost 40 seats in Congress during his midterm
  • Obama lost 63 and 13
  • Bush lost 30
  • Clinton lost 54
  • Reagan lost 26
  • Carter lost 15
  • Nixon lost 48

In heavily gerrymandered states, it’s more important than ever to reach Republicans and flip them, one voter at a time. How do you do that, you ask? Education and conversation. Keep talking about it. Keep wearing your Blue Dot in a Red State shirts. It’s making a difference.

Keep resisting. Keep pushing back. Keep fighting. Keep making your voice heard. Keep making them uncomfortable. It’s working.

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