The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) has issued a memo outlining how critical it is for state legislatures to uphold democracy and protect elections. The memo, released less than two weeks before the 2024 presidential election, warns that the same GOP-led efforts to challenge the 2020 election results could re-emerge as the twice-impeached former president Donald Trump signals to his MAGA allies to contest the outcome if he loses again. The DLCC is making the defense of democracy a central focus in its campaign strategy, sounding the alarm on insurrectionist candidates who threaten fair elections.
In 2020, Republican state legislators were key players in promoting Trump’s ‘Big Lie’ and attempting to undermine the election results. DLCC officials said they conspired with insurrectionists, sponsored bills to overturn results, and even acted as fake electors. Heather Williams, president of the DLCC, emphasized that state legislatures remain “the building blocks of American democracy” and noted that these same GOP actors are still in positions of power, ready to execute similar tactics in 2024. “The only way to stop them is to defeat them at the ballot box by electing Democratic defenders of democracy all the way down the ticket,” she said.
The stakes are exceptionally high in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Michigan, which saw some of the most intense insurrection activities during and after the 2020 election. Control of state legislative chambers in these key states could come down to just a few hundred votes, and those outcomes could determine whether democracy prevails or dies. The DLCC contends that electing Democrats to these chambers is the best safeguard against another potential attack on the electoral process.
The memo also highlights specific races, such as Pennsylvania Senate District 37, where MAGA extremist Devlin Robinson was involved in election conspiracies. In Arizona, the DLCC has targeted candidates who have pushed an extreme agenda to overturn elections. The DLCC argues that defeating MAGA state Republicans is essential to preventing future insurrectionist activity and ensuring a peaceful transfer of power.
Officials said Democrats’ recent successes in state legislatures exemplify what is at stake. In Minnesota, after securing control in 2022, Democrats passed a voting rights package with protections for election workers and a ban on tampering with voting equipment. In Michigan, Democrats enacted new laws aimed at streamlining elections and punishing those who attack voting access.
The outcome of state legislative races this year could be pivotal for the 2024 presidential election and the future of American democracy, officials proclaimed. With narrow margins determining control of chambers in battleground states, the DLCC urges voters to elect Democrats to protect elections and preserve the will of voters. According to the memo: “Electing Democrats to statehouses next month will have immediate and long-term impacts on upholding our democracy and ensuring a safe and stable transfer of power.”
