As I watch Rep. Haley Stevens, a sitting democratic congresswoman, endorse Republican candidate Mike Rogers against Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, it seems critical to reflect on the contradictions of the Democratic party, and what it means to lose an election as a candidate.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for the U.S. midterm elections on November 3rd. On the ballot, we don’t only have individual candidates with their biases and imperfections. We have two visions of a country: One of a more representative democracy focused on improving the life and opportunities for the majority of Americans; and one of authoritarianism where war and terror are acceptable tools for the enrichment of those in power and their corporate friends.
Rep. Haley Stevens is not only betraying Michigan democrats, she is endorsing authoritarianism itself and exposing how she is more interested in opposing Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed rather than representing the best interest of the people that voted for her.
While Rep. Stevens' case is an extreme disgrace, it is worth thinking about what it means to lose a democratic primary when you are a progressive Democrat.
Running for office should fundamentally be an act of love for your community, an act of collective courage where neighbors come together to do the hard work of designing actionable policies and programs to build a better future for all.
As dysfunctional and biased as party primaries are, they are still the place where candidates have a chance to present and discuss their perspectives with their communities.
Losing is hard, but we cannot afford to undermine the future of the democratic project when our vision is not supported. Otherwise we risk making our critiques, however valid they may be, a tool for the far right to pit us against each other and weaken us all, rather than a conscientious and constructive effort to make our country a better place for all.
You don’t make our electoral system better by enabling those who benefit from its dysfunction to stay in power. You make it better by exposing its corruption, by building civic movements, by engaging in legislative work, and by making elected officials accountable. All of which are infinitely harder when we don’t have progressive democrats in power.
In other words: don’t be a sore loser.
It is not news that we have an electoral system that privileges those with money and systematically disenfranchises those who endure poverty.
From the outdated electoral college and deeply gerrymandered districts, to poorly implemented censuses and a racist criminal justice system that further disenfranchises people of color. At best, we have US States with dysfunctional rules that carry the legacy of Jim Crow law. At worst, we have US States actively pushing to disenfranchise people as the Supreme Court weakens the Voting Rights Act.
As if that wasn’t enough, electoral financing is distorted by the role of Super PACs as a result of the Supreme Court ruling on Citizens United that enables corporations, wealthy individuals, and special interest groups to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections.
And yet, if you are a candidate, it is because you chose to fight within those rules. Sure, the campaign trail is a great place to highlight these inequalities assuming that you are running on electoral reform. If other candidates' values are more flexible than yours, you can let voters know.
If you lost, you should know that there will be a time and place to advocate for electoral reform again, hopefully now you will have an ally in the progressive candidate that won.
In other words, yes, fight for electoral reform, and still, don’t be a sore loser. You can do both!
So, allow me to offer you a guide on what to do if you lose…