Elections Recap: Joyful Politics, #OneMinnesota, and Making History

During midterms, TakeAction Minnesota members, member leaders, and volunteers showed up joyfully and powerfully.  

And it paid off.  

Bahieh Hartshorn door knocking for Angela Conley

At TakeAction Minnesota, we’re working toward a bold, progressive vision for our state and a people-centered democracy. Going into this election, we committed to electing leaders who are ready to co-govern and share our vision for a Minnesota for all of us. A Minnesota where we all have affordable and accessible health care. Fair wages. Clean air and water. Affordable housing. Safety and liberation. 

Over 600 volunteers across the state—including St. Paul, Duluth, and St. Cloud—dreamed and mobilized for that vision of Minnesota with us. Together, we reached out to 300,000+ progressive voters, on the doors, by phone, and by text. 

Together, We Won Big

TakeAction Minnesota made over 24 endorsements—and together, we won big. 

• Tim Walz and Peggy Flanagan will be our next Governor and Lt. Governor. Peggy is the first Native American woman to be elected Lt. Governor in our state—and we’re thrilled.  

Guess who is going to be our next Governor and Lt. Governor?!

TakeAction Minnesota members, leaders & volunteers knocked nearly 4,000 doors TODAY ALONE.

That’s power folks. Can’t wait to see what we build together with @Tim_Walz & @peggyflanagan. #TogetherWeWin #OneMinnesota pic.twitter.com/h0KsWueuGB

— TakeAction Minnesota (@TakeActionMN) November 7, 2018

• We won every statewide office, including Keith Ellison for Attorney General. In a particularly divisive election, Minnesotans resisted divisive politics that attempted to polarize us and diminish the complexity of our movement. Instead, we came together and elected an attorney general that we know will stand up against corporate greed, corrupt politicians, and discrimination.  

Attorney General-elect Keith Ellison

• We elected Ilhan Omar, one of the first two Muslim American women, to the U.S. House of Representatives, and we took back the Minnesota House. 
• We elected Angela Conley, a TakeAction Minnesota member and graduate of our public leadership institute, to Hennepin County Board of Commissioners. She’s the first Black woman to serve on the board and she won against a 27-year incumbent. Angela Conley and Irene Fernando are the first women of color to be elected to the board.  
• Half of our new Congressional delegation is pro-choice women—including Tina Smith, now the highest ranking former Planned Parenthood executive in the country.   

Reproductive Justice Day with NARAL

• We elected Dave Hutchinson, a progressive sheriff, into Hennepin County. He is the first openly gay sheriff in the Midwest.   

A People’s Wave

This isn’t a “Blue Wave.” It’s a “People’s Wave.” It’s a wave that has been building over centuries—ripples of direct action, political courage, and organizing. Across our state, people knocked doors, made phone calls, texted, and had conversations with their neighbors in order to build power in our communities. 

Winning elections is part of movement-building—but we are working towards more. We are building a movement to systematically end the barriers that prevent us from all living joyful lives.  

“Joy doesn’t betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a fine act of insurrection.” 💫 💫 💫

― Rebecca Solnit #GreaterThanFear #PoliticsofJoy #OneMinnesota

— Kenza Hadj-Moussa (@KenzaHadjMoussa) October 18, 2018

That’s why we are not only proud of what we won on Tuesday—but also how we won. We lifted up a joyful kind of politics, and showed that we are #GreaterThanFear. And we proved that when we come together, we can win.  

GOTV

We are carrying that energy and momentum with us into the fights we have ahead. We know what we deserve, and we know that when we come together, we can win. And you can bet that we’ll have fun doing it.  

• Join us on December 8 for our People’s Celebration for a massive celebration of the change we’re creating in our state.  
• Become a TakeAction Minnesota member to continue building power with us as we head into the legislative session.