A year ago, Vice President Kamala Harris stood before a crowd of her family, friends, staff and supporters and conceded the presidency. It was an unseasonably warm day in November, and had the previous night gone differently, the streets of Washington, D.C. would have been flooded with joy.
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November 2, 2025
A year ago, Vice President Kamala Harris stood before a crowd of her family, friends, staff and supporters and conceded the presidency. It was an unseasonably warm day in November, and had the previous night gone differently, the streets of Washington, D.C. would have been flooded with joy.
Instead, a cloud of despair hung over the city. We knew we were on the precipice of something awful, and even with Donald Trump’s previews, it was hard to imagine what was to come.
Yet, when Vice President Harris stood before the crowd of her tired, teary-eyed team, she had one message for them: fight. “On the campaign, I would often say when we fight, we win. But here's the thing, here's the thing, sometimes the fight takes a while. That doesn't mean we won't win. That doesn't mean we won't win. The important thing is don't ever give up.”
It’s a message that has carried us through this year, and it has been my personal North Star through so many of the hard days and difficult fights.
As Donald Trump has trampled our freedom, attacked our democracy and undermined the rule of law, my message to you has never changed: regardless of any setbacks, regardless of how tired and scared we may feel, we must continue to fight. Because eventually, we will win.
We may very well experience one of those wins this week. On Wednesday, I believe we will wake up with a very different feeling than the one we had on that solemn Wednesday last year. I think we will witness Democratic victories in Virginia, New Jersey and New York City, and we will see an important redistricting victory in California.
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I considered sending you this piece after those victories were cemented, but I decided it’s important to discuss these things while uncertainty still hangs in the air. Because regardless of what happens on Tuesday — whether we win big, win small, or find ourselves with a shocking loss — my message stays the same: we need to continue to fight and we need to keep the target on Donald Trump.
Once the shock of the 2024 loss wore off, Democrats were left standing in the rubble of our party. The pundits had a lot of opinions. We had a messaging problem and a relatability problem. We reacted too slowly to President Joe Biden and left Vice President Harris with too little time. We didn’t understand how to utilize the new media landscape.
Some assessments were right, some were off base, some distracted from the real threat that Donald Trump poses to our country. But just two days before our very first test, as I reflect on the last year and consider how hopeless we felt, I now feel confident.
Taking Vice President Harris’ words to heart, Democrats have come to understand that the fight may take longer than we want, but that doesn’t mean we can give up. Democrats took on the GOP redistricting battle and flipped it on its head.
Now, we are likely to gain seats in California. Meanwhile, Virginia Democrats have a plan to move forward as well. And, we may have more to come in New York.
As Trump’s attacks on other voting rights and free and fair elections escalate, Democrats aren’t conceding. Secretaries of State are refusing to hand over voter rolls and officials aren’t giving in to the corrupt Justice Department’s demands. Meanwhile, governors like JB Pritzker are fighting back as Trump tries to send the National Guard to Chicago.
We must bring this energy into the midterm elections. 2025 has been a test for Donald Trump and the Republican Party, and we must continue proving that we will not roll over and will not back down. So, while the 2025 campaigns wind down, it’s imperative that we stay laser-focused on the most important message: oppose Donald Trump, defeat Republicans and save democracy.
From rallies to protests to local government hearings, the people have spoken loud and clear: they do not want a king. This is the message that will not only win the midterm elections but win back our country.
Democrats come in all shapes and sizes. We have a lot of different ideas, policies and personalities. However, we are united by the common goal of taking back our government. If this last year has proven anything, it’s that when we are down, we can get back up. And when we come together instead of drifting apart, we are stronger for it.
Last year, I wasn’t certain how we would react. There was no clear path forward. However, in our fight together, I believe we have found one. For the sake of our country, we must remain strong and focused. For the sake of our democracy, we must band together.
At Howard University, Vice President Harris said for the benefit of us all, she hoped we weren’t entering a dark time, but that if we were, “let us fill the sky with the light of a brilliant, brilliant billion of stars.”
We have entered that dark time. But through our hard work, our determination and our fight, I believe we are filling the sky with stars. I believe we are saving our democracy. And on Tuesday, regardless of what happens, I believe we wake up in the morning and continue this fight for the next four years and beyond.
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