As we wrap up the year, we’ve also been thinking about what it means to make progress even when the outcome isn’t what we hoped for. Many of us were disappointed that Aftyn Behn didn’t win her special election for Congress in Tennessee (CD-7). But she made up significant ground in a deeply gerrymandered red district, the kind of place where Democrats rarely come close. Her margin of improvement would be enough to win in many of the districts that will be on the map for us in 2026. That matters. Momentum matters.

We are grateful for the big things: hundreds of thousands of postcards we wrote together this year; for our Giving Circle, which raised almost $120,000 and helped fuel the flipping of 13 House seats in Virginia; for voters who showed up in record numbers this November to have their voices heard; for the 7 million of us who showed up for the No Kings protest; for the women journalists who continue to do their jobs with courage despite the horrific abuse they endure; for the Epstein survivors whose persistence and resistance remind us what strength looks like; and for the lower courts that are still holding the line and upholding the Constitution when it matters most.

Across the country in blue, red, and purple areas alike, voters turned out and delivered a Blue Wave of 2025. From state legislatures to local races, our collective grassroots efforts helped Democrats win big and advance the values we fight for every day.

No Thrones, No Crowns, No Kings

This is what authoritarianism looks like. And this is when we show the world what democracy looks like.

On October 18, we march. Wherever you are, march! If you can’t march, bring a chair. What matters is that we show up in the streets, in our towns, shoulder to shoulder to remind everyone that in America, we don’t do kings. Power belongs to the people.

These past weeks have been hard on our country, and it’s easy to feel weighed down by the headlines. But even in the roughest moments, there are sparks of light. Freedom of speech is still alive; if you haven’t seen Jimmy Kimmel’s stirring defense of it, we hope you’ll take a moment to watch. And thanks to everyone who canceled (or threatened to cancel) their Disney+ accounts or wrote to Bob Iger.  As Robert Hubbell wrote:  “Disney caved to pressure from the American people and allowed Jimmy Kimmel to return to his late-night comedy show. Let’s be clear: Kimmel’s return is a victory for the resistance in its defense of the Constitution. The victory teaches us a powerful lesson that we must internalize and replicate at every opportunity: Together, there is nothing we cannot do.”