The Women’s March: 2018 is off to a running start for Democrats
On Saturday, thousands of people gathered along the National Mall to take part in the second Women’s March. Hundreds of thousands more participated in coordinated marches from New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago to Waco, Little Rock, and Omaha.
Babies in strollers, elementary school students to college students, mothers and their daughters, fathers and sons, elderly couples — and even a few enthusiastic dogs like Chuy — all gathered to bring female power to the polls in 2018. In this same spirit, a group of Democratic Party staff and volunteers spent time asking marchers to commit to vote for Democrats in upcoming elections throughout 2018.
There were undeniable differences between this year’s march and the one that took place a year ago. In 2017, we marched to protect women’s rights, and to stand up to a hateful administration with sexist policies, and ended up forming the the single largest march in U.S. history. This year, the Women’s March symbolized something even bigger. It was was about channeling the passion, energy, and unity that we garnered over the course of the past year into tangible results. We marched in the name of getting more women registered to vote, to organize in their communities, to run for political office — and to win.
Simply put, women aren’t just marching in the streets in 2018. We’re marching into campaign offices, into voting booths, and into office. In fact, more Democratic women than ever before have already committed to run for positions up and down the ballot. That means we must do our part to help these women flip seats from red to blue, and to cross the finish line in November.
Democrats know that in order to do this, we must rise and organize. It is absolutely essential that we mobilize our communities and get everyone to the polls on Election Day, because when Democrats show up, field good candidates, and compete, we can win anywhere — even in places like Alabama, Virginia, and Oklahoma.
DNC Chair Tom Perez and Waikinya Clanton, the DNC’s Associate Director of Community Engagement, both took the stage and shared why we must support women in politics. We know that the Democratic Party’s success in 2018 begins and ends with women — particularly black women, who’ve carried the party on their shoulders for too long.
The truth of the matter is this: “Women’s issues” affect more than just women. Unequal pay, unaffordable child care, unsafe workplace environments, and inaccessible health care affect our economy, our families, and our futures. Women’s issues impact all of us, which is why all of us have to advocate for them. Elevating more women to positions of power will make all of us better off, and will make our country stronger.
From the school board to the Oval Office, the Democratic tide that is sweeping the nation is being driven by women. 2018 is going to be a big year for Democratic women — and in 2020, we’ll be the reason that Donald Trump goes down as a one-term president.
