By Keka Araujo and Sheryl Estrada
There’s a multicultural progressive New American Majority that made its voice heard in Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to Steve Phillips, a national political leader and civil rights lawyer.
Phillips, author of New York Times bestselling book, Brown Is The New White, and founder of Democracy in Color, offered a virtual play-by-play via Facebook Live as election results unfolded.
“Tonight was the first step in taking back our country,” he said. “It was not all the way. There are a number of things that we’ve not yet gotten in terms of being able to get there.”
Democrats secured 218 seats in midterms to win control of the House. Yet, Democrats lost key states, including Florida and Texas. And the GOP retains Senate majority.
Phillips said Democrats taking back the house will help in the fight for democracy, “and, frankly, the future of this country, if not the world.”
“The path of destruction the man in the White House was on, was bad enough,” Phillips began. “But what was almost worse was the complicity of Congress in terms of there being no accountability, just letting him do whatever.”
He said we are seeing how fascism “unfolds step by step.”
“[Trump] just kept doing more and more and no one was saying anything,” Phillips said. “So really, for the health of democracy, and the future of the country, it was so imperative that we take back the House.”
One of his most intriguing statements was the admission that progressive whites, Blacks and other critical voters for Democrats were doing their part to get the numbers in favor of their candidate, but ultra-conservatives were voting in droves because they have their own racist representatives who think like they do.
“There was an extraordinary turnout of people rallying to the defense of the defender of white supremacy in the White House,” Phillips said. “I really, deeply, believe that the intensity of the reaction that we’re facing is because these people are fearful about the changes in the country.”
He said their vote was “their best chance to hold back the demographic revolution that brings about a much more just and equal society.”
Phillips also said Florida’s gubernatorial election voter numbers rivaled Barack Obama’s presidential election numbers.
“The number of votes Andrew Gillum got today would have elected any Democratic nominee for governor of Florida in any prior time in the history of the United States of America,” Phillips said.
Andrew Gillum conceded the race against Republican candidate Ron DeSantis at around 11 p.m. Phillips said the election results were “disappointing,” but a sign of the times.
“What this shows is the level of veracity and the intensity of the fight that we are engaged in,” he said.
He reminded viewers that this election was crucial because clearly progressives are ready to take back their voices and fight for justice, equality and liberty for all Americans, without all of the racist rhetoric that’s been behind Republican candidates and President Trump.
Phillips said that the historic wins by an unprecedented number of women and people of color running for Congress was fueled by grassroots organizing.
“Thousands of organizers and activists, volunteers and new voters in Florida, Georgia, Arizona and Texas are not going away,” he said. “Tomorrow begins the 2020 presidential campaign.”
The video can be viewed below:
