Change is coming

Progressives are flipping Republican statehouse seats to the Democrats — and sending a message to the rest of the country. Two liberal Bernie Sanders-Democrats just won elections where Trump beat Hillary by a landslide.

 ‘This Is a Thunderbolt of Resistance’

Progressives are flipping Republican statehouse seats to the Democrats—and sending a message to the rest of the country.

Christine Pellegrino did not just declare victory after a remarkable special-election win that saw her flip a historically Republican New York State Assembly seat to the Democratic column on Tuesday. The elementary-school teacher turned candidate announced that Long Island was sending a message that will resonate far beyond a legislative district that backed Donald Trump last fall but that has now will be represented by a bold progressive activist.

“This is a thunderbolt of resistance,” announced Pellegrino, a union activist and 2016 Bernie Sanders delegate who had just won what was being described as a “stunning” victory. “This is for all the supporters and voters who understand a strong progressive agenda is the way forward in New York.”

Pellegrino is being modest. In combination with a New Hampshire special-election win on Tuesday (after which the state Democratic Party announced that “Democrat Edie DesMarais…became the first ever Democrat elected in Wolfeboro”), the New York result sends a national message.

Read more: https://www.thenation.com/article/this-is-a-thunderbolt-of-resistance/