John,
Welcome to The Blue Wave Weekly!
Every week I’ll be sharing insights, updates and ways for you to get involved and help us build the Blue Wave! This work takes serious resources, so if you’re able, please make a donation to support Blue Wave California today. Here’s this week’s edition:
Hope, Over-performance, and Building the Blue Wave
In addition to my work at Blue Wave California, I host a show called, "The Practivist Pod." Every week my co-host Jess Craven and I talk about the news, but always in the context of how we can make an impact as activists.
This week we focused on the huge Democratic over-performance in Tennessee and it gave me a renewed sense of optimism about where we’re headed — and why the work we’re doing at Blue Wave California matters so much.
What Aftyn Behn’s Campaign Shows Us
Aftyn Behn didn’t win her special election in Tennessee’s 7th District. Everyone knew the odds were long, but she ran anyway — boldly and authentically. And she over-performed Vice President Harris’s 2024 numbers by 13 points in a deep‑red district! This wasn’t a fluke. It reflects what we’re seeing nationwide, where Democrats are consistently over-performing by double digits. It’s a clear repudiation of the Trump regime and proof that when we organize and refuse to give up on any community, we move the needle.
Aftyn’s campaign reminds us that progress doesn’t always look like an instant win. Sometimes it looks like a measurable shift that tells us the ground is moving, slowly but meaningfully, beneath our feet.
A Moment of Clear Contrast — And Voters See It
The Trump regime is openly defying the rule of law — from illegal military strikes to escalating ICE abuses. But what gives me real optimism is this: voters are rejecting it. Across the country, turnout is up and over-performance has become the norm. The chaos coming out of Washington isn’t discouraging people — it’s sharpening their sense of what’s at stake.
The Voters They Try to Silence Are Showing Up
This week I also spoke with Tom Lopach of the Voter Participation Center, which focuses on young voters, voters of color, and unmarried women — precisely the communities lawmakers keep trying to suppress. Yet these are the voters who turned out in force on November 4th. This didn't happen by accident. Tom shared the example of a single mom in Atlanta working two jobs who isn’t thinking about registration deadlines or runoff rules. But when she has simple, accessible tools to vote, she participates. Millions did on Nov. 4th. That’s the power of sustained organizing and that’s the same approach we’re applying in California.
Why Blue Wave California Matters Now
Blue Wave California exists because our state is essential to retaking the House. And right now, the signs are encouraging:
- Prop 50’s new maps create real opportunities to flip seats.
- Democrats nationwide are overperforming by double digits.
- We’re building durable infrastructure — donors, volunteers, influencers, partners.
- We know early organizing works because we’ve done it here.
This isn’t blind hope. It’s grounded in data and in the impactful work we’re all doing together.
What We Need Now
I know we are all stretched thin especially over the Holidays, but if we want to capitalize on these trends — the over-performance, the energy, the new maps — we must invest aggressively now, not months before Election Day.
So I’m asking you:
If you can donate, please do. Monthly donations help us plan long-term. If you can volunteer, let me know. We’re staffing social media war rooms, district teams, and organizing hubs. And please share this newsletter. Forward it to friends, repost on social media, and help widen our circle.
Organizing is slow work — until suddenly, it isn’t. The shifts we’re seeing in Tennessee, Georgia, and here in California are proof that years of effort are paying off. That’s the perspective I want us to hold: progress is happening, and our work together makes a big impact.
Hope doesn’t mean pretending everything is fine. It means recognizing real movement while staying committed to what still needs to be done. As we say on our show, "Hope is an action."
Thank you for staying in this fight with us!
— Steve
