Katherine Clark, assistant speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, offered insights on the 2022 midterm elections. Representative Clark provided reasons for hope but also cautioned that hope can only be realized if we do the work now to elect Democrats in November. “We are the ones who are going to have to fight for this majority,” she said. “These are the days that matter.”
Clark spoke with more than 180 people at a special virtual event organized by Together We Elect, a project of Left of Center PAC.
Congressional Democrats need to deliver legislation to gain voters’ support. Clark said, “We’ve got to do the most good we can to help the most people.” There is widespread agreement on improving access to childcare and universal pre-K. Even the business community supports these issues since they are crucial to the country’s economic recovery. Clark added that Democrats can’t give up on climate change legislation either, “despite Joe Manchin.”
The Democratic Party also must keep the Republican failures in sharp focus, voting against middle class tax cuts, for example. We need to pressure media and social media outlets to counter the lies – including the Big Lie – that Republicans tout. “We have to push back and correct the record,” she said. “This is going to be a very difficult cycle, but we have a lot to tell the American people. Not only what they stand to gain and protect our democracy, but what they stand to lose if they vote Republican.”
People should remember what has been accomplished since Biden became President. “We talked, we organized, and we drove out the vitriol of the previous administration,” she said. The Biden administration made huge investments in infrastructure, which helped in every district in the country. “We need to tell these stories,” she said.
And, although Republicans have engineered new, unfair Congressional districts, the work done by Democrats, including independent commissions and legal challenges, has meant that the results are much better than expected. She pointed to specific recent events, such federal judges ruling that the Republican-drawn maps in Alabama violate the Voting Rights Act and must be redrawn.
Congresswoman Clark also predicted that the assault on reproductive rights will mean that abortion will be a leading issue in the midterms.
Clark answered questions posed by those who attended. One person asked her to talk about which are the most critical House races. Some redistricting has shored up support for certain Democratic incumbents, but other newly drawn districts spell trouble for Democratic incumbents, Clark said. She mentioned the following as now more vulnerable: Daniel Kildee, Michigan 5th district; Dina Titus, Nevada 1st; Josh Gottheimer, New Jersey 5th, and Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey 11th. Cong. Tom Malinowski, New Jersey 7th, is going to have a particularly hard race now because of redistricting, Clark said.
Answering a question about the possibility of breaking out portions of the Build Back Better or Voting Act bills, Clark said that would not be as easy as some might think. Better options may include using reconciliation and Executive Orders, she said.
Clark also said the political arm of the Democratic Party — the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) — will meet in February to formulate a united strategy for the coming election cycle. New Frontline and Red 2 Blue lists will be released shortly, Clark said. The DCCC operates Frontline and Red to Blue programs to provide additional support to Democratic candidates in competitive races. Clark was vice-chair of the DCCC’s recruitment subcommittee, which oversaw the highly effective Red 2 Blue program in 2018. The Red 2 Blue program worked to flip red states blue.
“All our Frontliners need our support. We can’t afford to lose any of them,” Clark said. “What we know is all of these races are going to be close. It’s going to be (about) turnout. It’s going to be (about) how we can connect with people.”
After Clark, members of Together We Elect spoke about the effective actions that volunteers can access in order to join the struggle to hold the U.S. House and Senate. These included a Volunteer to Volunteer (V2V) program that asks volunteers to reach out to other volunteers to inspire them to re-engage. Another option for volunteers is to become an Action Coach, helping others find effective actions that suit the individual volunteer.
Nearly 100 people responded to a poll held during the Zoom event, saying that they want to get involved in volunteering with Together We Elect or its actions.
Event emcee Michael Ansara of Together We Elect advised that the road to Democratic success in the midterms will require a unified effort. “Yes, it will be harder than it was in 2020, but it is possible – if we do the work.”
At the conclusion of Clark’s presentation, Ansara asked what gives the congresswoman the most hope. After admitting it might sound corny, Clark said, “It’s all of you – people that continue to take their time and remain active.”
Access to a video recording of “Holding the House in ‘22” is available here.
Written by guest contributor Angela Carbone. Angela is a retired journalist and freelance writer based in Massachusetts. She is one of many Together We Elect volunteers sharing their professional skills to help elect Democrats.