By Robert Sulzer
November 10, 2013
The November 5, 2013 elections were both very good for Democrats and also very good for progressive politics.
In these elections, my hometown, New York City set the stage for a national shift to the center-left. Democrat Bill de Blasio defeated GOP opponent Joe Lhoto, in the biggest landslide ever in a New York City mayoral race—becoming the first Democrat to hold that office in 20 years. Previously the position of mayor was held for two terms by Republican Rudolph Guiliani followed for three terms by independent billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who is the 7th richest person in United States. Those two mayors acted strongly in favor of the very wealthy at the expense of the middle class and the poor. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio promises to create more income equality with higher taxes on the very rich and support for programs to help build a strong middle class, such as more money for pre-kindergarten education and implementation in New York of the Affordable Care Act. He also promises to create more fairness by ending the police practice of stop-and-frisk—a practice which leads to racial profiling. Hopefully, De Blasio will be successful and set the stage nationwide for a movement embracing progressive values.
The governor race in Virginia was supposed to be an easy win for the Republicans, but instead it was a close race with Democrat Terry McAuliffe, a veteran Democratic fundraiser and good friend of Bill Clinton, nosed out far right-wing GOP`er Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, who is extremely anti-woman’s rights and anti-immigration in his positions. McAuliffe won this close victory by both exposing, his opponent`s unpopular and extreme positions and also by McAuliffe running a brilliant grass roots campaign inspired by President Obama`s successful election campaigns. In his campaign, unlike the current governor, McAuliffe promised to implement the Affordable Care Act for Virginians.
In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie won an expected landslide victory–because his competition was very weak. But “New Jerseyans” also voted in favor of a ballot measure for a state constitutional amendment, increasing the minimum wage by $1 to $8.25 and having it automatically rise with inflation in the future—a measure strongly opposed by Gov. Christie.
In Coralville, a small conservative Iowa town, the mayoral and City Council candidates most closely tied to the message promoted by Americans for Prosperity, a Koch Brothers backed group, were soundly defeated—because the residents there understood and resented interference by outside groups in their elections.
In Colorado, voters approved a heavy tax on recreational marijuana, which was legalized last year in that state. Voters in three Michigan cities approved ballot measures legalizing the possession of up to an ounce of marijuana on private property. Voters in Portland, Maine passed an ordinance legalizing the possession of up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana by adults over 21—which according to advocates is the first East Coast city to pass such a law.
An aggressive campaign by business interests was not enough to defeat a $15 an hour living wage ordinance for the SeaTac workers supporting Seattle`s airport. (Update: Vote recount scheduled for 11/12/13.)
Three out of four Colorado cities with anti-fracking ordinances on the ballot, passed them.
In other mayoral races, left-leaning candidates won in Charlotte, N.C. and Dayton, Ohio. Houston, Texas reelected its first openly gay woman mayor.
The 2013 elections were good for Democrats and for liberals, in general—because our country is in a more center-left mood The Seminole DEC activists can feel encouraged by this in their upcoming battles for the elections in 2014 and 2016.