By D’Anne Witkowski, Senior Copywriter
Hoo boy. 2024! It’s wild, right? How are we here? How does time even work?
Even though I don’t know the answers to those questions, it looks like we’ll be time-traveling back to 2020 with a Biden/Trump rematch. And I have to say, I don’t know anyone who wants to go back to 2020, except perhaps a select group of “tourists” who went “sightseeing” in our nation’s capital on an infamous Jan. 6. Oh, and the man who urged them to do it. Trump undoubtedly would like to travel back to 2020 because he’s learned that no matter how lawless, how reckless, how anti-American he acts, he will not lose support and will not be held accountable.
Y’all, we do not want that man to be the president again. I don’t care if you don’t like Biden. Voting for Biden doesn’t mean you’re pledging your life to him, nor does it mean that you share all of the same values. If you’re not hyped about Biden, consider your vote a strategic decision. A step in the direction of keeping democracy intact. Something that only a few countries have done as long or as successfully as the U.S.A. And it’s that success that allows so many Americans to take democracy for granted.
Of course, the presidency isn’t the only thing on the ballot. Sure, it gets the most attention every four years, but down ballot races are important, too. Let’s talk about some of them!
School Board: Every school board needs thoughtful, capable people who care about public education and children. Whether or not you have school-aged children, you do not want people on your district’s school board who want to, say, ban books with LGBTQ+ themes or characters, teach that slaves were “guest workers” who actually had it pretty good, pretend that public health is a woke plot to force children to wear masks because The Left™ hates noses and mouths. Across the country in 2022, people won school board elections running on this very nonsense. And they certainly aren’t done.
City Council: Have you ever heard the saying, “The further down your ballot, the closer to your door?” Chances are good that you will never run into the President of the United States or even your U.S. Senator in the grocery store and get to talking about trash pick up or zoning law issues. But in a lot of smaller cities, that is a thing that actually happens with city council members. Even in larger cities, city council meetings are open to the public and residents are encouraged to attend. Who sits on your city council is important because you want someone who is knowledgeable of and cares about your community to be making decisions on things like the city budget and adopting ordinances because those things will directly affect you and your family.
State House of Representatives and State Senate: The 2022 election was a game changer in Michigan. For the first time in nearly 40 years, Democrats took control of both the House and Senate and, along with Gov. Whitmer, They! Have! Been! Delivering! A stand out issue is, of course, abortion rights. Despite the overturning of Roe v Wade, Michigan remains a place where abortions are legal and progress has been made when it comes to making abortion care more accessible. If you look around the country at states with a Republican majority you’ll see that they’ve spent the last year banning transgender athletes and making abortion illegal, even when the life of the pregnant person is at risk. Republicans have proven time and time again that they aren’t capable and aren’t interested in governing. Democrats in Michigan are showing the country how this government thing is done.
You may be asking yourself, who can run for these positions? And the answer is, well, anyone. Even you. Especially you. We need people who actually care not only about their communities, cities, and states, but also about people.
The Guerrilla Politic has helped candidates up and down the ballot run and win with our mix of clear and compelling messaging, beautiful design, savvy social media skills, robust communication plans, and a team of people who care about progressive values and want to see good people get elected.
If you’re thinking of running for office, let’s talk. We’d love to help you win.