When Republican presidential hopefuls take the stage Wednesday night to vie for their party’s nomination, millions of viewers will tune in to watch the dysfunction of candidates fighting over the chance to serve as the nominee. The overriding focus on this spectacle that climaxes every four years has come, however, at the expense of voters’ attention to state legislatures. But it’s in these undervalued down-ballot races where the power — and the solution to our country’s woes — actually lies.
For the past 50 years, Democrats have been singularly focused on securing federal power, campaigning almost exclusively to win the White House and seats in Congress. Meanwhile, Republicans set their sights on state legislatures, which hold immense power over the day-to-day lives of citizens and are powerhouses of policymaking, with control of $2 trillion in annual spending.
This concerted, decadeslong maneuver across several presidencies has resulted in significant, consolidated control for conservatives, proving how fruitful state power can be. In their hands, with 58 Republican-controlled legislative chambers and 19 unaccountable supermajorities, state legislatures have turned into laboratories against democracy: systematically suppressing votes, gerrymandering districts and passing unrepresentative laws that fly in the face of fundamental American principles.
These antidemocratic policies blatantly ignore the will of the people. Studies have shown that full Republican control of a state government leads to democratic backsliding. We’re seeing examples of this in states like Texas, Tennessee, Alabama and Wisconsin, where legislatures have passed draconian abortion bans with no exception for rape or incest; moved to silence the dissent of Democratic lawmakers who have advocated for reasonable gun control restrictions following mass shootings; and tried to undermine state supreme courts that stand in the way of attempts to disenfranchise Black voters and gerrymander majorities. These decisions are not representative of the ideals our nation was founded on, nor are they popular among the American people. Allowing this trend to continue without intervention could have catastrophic consequences.
To set our country back on track and restore our democracy, Democrats must focus on reclaiming power in state legislatures and on building upon last year’s historic wins. This starts by concentrating efforts on elections that have traditionally been dismissed as unwinnable and by focusing on overlooked voters and untapped districts. It also starts by making smart, strategic investments in candidates who are determined to protect the founding principles of democracy, particularly in a climate where Democrats are often outspent and receive little to no financial support from the national party. In 2022, this effort resulted in Democrats flipping four state legislative chambers: the Michigan House and Senate, the Minnesota Senate, and the Pennsylvania House.
The next opportunity to secure democracy lies in Virginia — set to be a national bellwether for next year’s election — where Republicans are making a play to take full control of the General Assembly. If Republicans win the commonwealth this fall, they plan to enact an ultraconservative agenda, which would advance Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s attacks on LGBTQ+ youth, jeopardize abortion access in the state (the only Southern state that has not enacted abortion restrictions in the wake of Dobbs), and roll back climate change policies that tie Virginia’s emission standards with some of the strongest in the nation.
Preventing the trifecta and winning both chambers is within reach, but requires Democratic leadership to heed the lessons of 2022 in races that are likely to come down to razor-thin margins. Going on the offense and running cost-effective programs to persuade and turn out key voters will make all the difference in a state like Virginia, but only if Democrats compete — and work to outrun Youngkin’s record-breaking fundraising.
Protecting and reforming democracy doesn’t have to wait until the next election cycle; it should start well before the final few months of a campaign. Long-term, strategic investment and voter engagement must happen year-round in neglected geographies where majorities can be won or lost. Nor do these efforts revolve entirely around who holds the presidency. The time is now for Democrats to invest down-ballot to restore the foundations of democracy, reshape political history and secure fundamental rights for future generations.
Democrats — and voters — ignore state-level races at our peril: American democracy will be won or lost in state legislatures.
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