FYI: Results are provisional, but Democrat Erica Deuso, a transgender woman, appears to have won the mayoral race in Downingtown, PA, despite horrific anti-trans ads and posts by her Republican opponent. Erica stayed focused and campaigned relentlessly on the real issues affecting her community instead of responding to those attacks.
I sincerely hope this is the beginning of the end for the insane, pervasive anti-trans hysteria that has been sweeping the country for the last three years. It has been disgraceful. Anti-trans politics are a loser strategy - besides being hurtful and an assault on human rights.
Absolutely AMAZING results! As we all know, when you stand with us you win, when you stand against us you lose. The general public is tired of hearing them vilifying one of the most vulnerable demographics in the world with no evidence of wrongdoing. Between that and stopping SEGM in their tracks at WSU I am one happy girl
Thank you Erin. These past 9 months I barely dare to skim through your articles because it’s so much terrible news…. But this time I read the ENTIRE post and took a deep breath of relief for a change. You really are awesome at your craft 🌹🌹🌹
I believe Trump‘s original test bed for anti-trans attacks was developed in VA based on misreported events here in the Loudoun County school system. Youngkin used the hysteria to win office four years ago. Trump used it a year ago. This rejection by the voters of Loudoun County and the state of Virginia is a signal to the country that the power is with the people.
This is a time when I stay in the moment and enjoy, celebrate and breath the success. I will not let the fear of tomorrow destroy my happiness tonight.
Must resist urge to rub swing voters' noses in how easy it would've been for them to do this last year. Must resist urge to rub swing voters' noses in how easy it would've been for them to do this last year. 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘣 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴' 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳.
This is the result of the general American public FINALLY realizing this evil regime is not only targeting the most vulnerable demographics but literally the ENTIRE population.
It's interesting to compare the Spanberger victory to the Sherrill victory. Both from the same generation. Both women, both White and blonde. Ironically, they were once even roommates. And now they have both been elected governor by nearly identical margins. Their states are politically similar: Kamala won both Virginia and New Jersey by almost identical margins in 2024.
What distinguishes them is Spanberger's march to the middle and her abandonment of support for trans people. Spanberger refused to answer questions about positions on trans issues, except to call them local issues and to put our people at the mercy of local governments. Sherrill, on the other hand, is on record as opposing a trans athletic ban, and she's unapologetic about it. She didn't make that the focus of her campaign, nor should she have, but she didn't treat it as an aspect of her political history she had to live down.
So, what did Spanberger's march to the right and abandonment of trans people gain her? NOTHING. She likely alienated a lot of Virginia's LGBTQ community and picked up some of the GOP racist vote that could NEVER, EVER support a Black woman. If anything, Spanberger was running against an easier candidate to defeat - a Black Republican woman with a 60-grit personality, vs. a more generic White Republican man.
So, throwing trans people under the bus achieves ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. NOTHING AT ALL - BY THE NUMBERS!
Over the years (my first vote was for George McGovern), I've become quite familiar with losing elections (see previous parenthesis). I don't know if I've ever had as good a night as tonight.
Not all the cases were impacted by questions of trans rights, but the good news from Bucks County to Maine to NYC to New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Virginia to Georgia to Mississippi to California kept coming.
It's a night for cake and ice cream. Then come January, I start pushing Sherrill to get Murphy's gubernatorial order protecting trans rights, protections which would have vanished with a Ciattarelli win, enshrined in law.
You know, trans people took the largest and most massive hit for Spanberger in Virginia, but unlike Mamdani, she never even addressed that or mentioned the people who took the blows. I checked her history on trans people and the most I got was that she wants the local communities decide for themselves if trans kids can play sports or if trans people can even go to the bathroom. I'm not impressed. In fact I'm angry that she is so mishmashy on the subject. And this after the massive hits trans people TOOK FOR HER from her opponent and she says NOTHING.
If you’re from Virginia, let her know your feelings on her “mishmashy” position on the subject by calling her office and leaving her your message.
If you aren’t from Virginia, write a letter and tell her how you feel.
Yours and others opinions may let her know it’s ok to support the LGBTQ+ community in Virginia and that you expect to hear some positive statements soon!
Erin, your analysis of the election results could be quoted verbatim by every Democrat running for office between now and 11/2/2026.
I sincerely hope the Repubs have lead feet on the issue of LGBTQA+ and just cannot pivot quickly enough to lying about how much they’ve always supported the community.
It almost seems like a good strategy would be to pretend to be part of their base and send your congress people and senators strongly worded messages that this lgbtqia nonsense must be stopped,(etc. etc ad nauseum) and tell them to stick to their guns. If they believe that people in their base still support it they may continue on that path. Let them think this was just a fluke. It'll be interesting to see if trumpie sends the storm troopers in to contest these "fake election" results.
Agree! Tell them to focus on the important issues like putting food on the table and healthcare. Not attacking vulnerable communities. It’s not going to work anymore.
I hope politicians understand this. Christian nationalists certainly will not. For years now, elections have demonstrated that gender identity is not an issue among the majority of citizens. Conservatives seem to ignore this to focus on other reasons for the losses. Do they even care?
It seems they are more concerned with pandering to their religious base. And while gender identity isn't an issue for the majority of voters, it seems that neither is empathy for trans people. Many of them have demonstrated that they will turn their backs on us in light of issues they take more personally.
I'm not saying this isn't good news. But we need to build bridges of personal connection with the greater cisgender community. We need to help foster empathy, not just for ourselves but for the greater community of humankind.
Why do we keep doing this whole “yay Dems won” song and dance when they so often fail to support us once in office? Great, the awful people didn’t win, but will the Dems elected now promptly throw us under the bus like they so often do? I guess I’m over rewarding rhetoric and silence instead of real legislative action to make our lives better. Power and money matter to centrist Dems, not our lives, and to me that is the bottom line here (Mamdani is the obvious exception). Dems have repeatedly broken my heart, and until they grow real spines, show some courage, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to justice and their voters , I’ll hold off on the celebration.
FYI: Results are provisional, but Democrat Erica Deuso, a transgender woman, appears to have won the mayoral race in Downingtown, PA, despite horrific anti-trans ads and posts by her Republican opponent. Erica stayed focused and campaigned relentlessly on the real issues affecting her community instead of responding to those attacks.
This needs to be a bigger story!!
Her race was featured in a Philadelphia Inquirer article and her win is reported both there and in this WHYY article: https://whyy.org/articles/election-2025-pennsylvania-downingtown-mayoral-race/
I sincerely hope this is the beginning of the end for the insane, pervasive anti-trans hysteria that has been sweeping the country for the last three years. It has been disgraceful. Anti-trans politics are a loser strategy - besides being hurtful and an assault on human rights.
Absolutely AMAZING results! As we all know, when you stand with us you win, when you stand against us you lose. The general public is tired of hearing them vilifying one of the most vulnerable demographics in the world with no evidence of wrongdoing. Between that and stopping SEGM in their tracks at WSU I am one happy girl
Thank you Erin. These past 9 months I barely dare to skim through your articles because it’s so much terrible news…. But this time I read the ENTIRE post and took a deep breath of relief for a change. You really are awesome at your craft 🌹🌹🌹
I believe Trump‘s original test bed for anti-trans attacks was developed in VA based on misreported events here in the Loudoun County school system. Youngkin used the hysteria to win office four years ago. Trump used it a year ago. This rejection by the voters of Loudoun County and the state of Virginia is a signal to the country that the power is with the people.
This is a time when I stay in the moment and enjoy, celebrate and breath the success. I will not let the fear of tomorrow destroy my happiness tonight.
Must resist urge to rub swing voters' noses in how easy it would've been for them to do this last year. Must resist urge to rub swing voters' noses in how easy it would've been for them to do this last year. 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘣 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘷𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴' 𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳.
𝘚𝘪𝘨𝘩...
To quote the Borg: "Resistance is futile".
TFG!
The Rethugs lost because all they had to offer was hate. Which warms their cold bitter hearts but does little for anybody else.
Oh, also, the Political Consultant Class can go suck it, you only win against bullies when you fight back.
This is the result of the general American public FINALLY realizing this evil regime is not only targeting the most vulnerable demographics but literally the ENTIRE population.
From your lips to goddess' ears...
It's interesting to compare the Spanberger victory to the Sherrill victory. Both from the same generation. Both women, both White and blonde. Ironically, they were once even roommates. And now they have both been elected governor by nearly identical margins. Their states are politically similar: Kamala won both Virginia and New Jersey by almost identical margins in 2024.
What distinguishes them is Spanberger's march to the middle and her abandonment of support for trans people. Spanberger refused to answer questions about positions on trans issues, except to call them local issues and to put our people at the mercy of local governments. Sherrill, on the other hand, is on record as opposing a trans athletic ban, and she's unapologetic about it. She didn't make that the focus of her campaign, nor should she have, but she didn't treat it as an aspect of her political history she had to live down.
So, what did Spanberger's march to the right and abandonment of trans people gain her? NOTHING. She likely alienated a lot of Virginia's LGBTQ community and picked up some of the GOP racist vote that could NEVER, EVER support a Black woman. If anything, Spanberger was running against an easier candidate to defeat - a Black Republican woman with a 60-grit personality, vs. a more generic White Republican man.
So, throwing trans people under the bus achieves ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. NOTHING AT ALL - BY THE NUMBERS!
Over the years (my first vote was for George McGovern), I've become quite familiar with losing elections (see previous parenthesis). I don't know if I've ever had as good a night as tonight.
Not all the cases were impacted by questions of trans rights, but the good news from Bucks County to Maine to NYC to New Jersey to Pennsylvania to Virginia to Georgia to Mississippi to California kept coming.
It's a night for cake and ice cream. Then come January, I start pushing Sherrill to get Murphy's gubernatorial order protecting trans rights, protections which would have vanished with a Ciattarelli win, enshrined in law.
You know, trans people took the largest and most massive hit for Spanberger in Virginia, but unlike Mamdani, she never even addressed that or mentioned the people who took the blows. I checked her history on trans people and the most I got was that she wants the local communities decide for themselves if trans kids can play sports or if trans people can even go to the bathroom. I'm not impressed. In fact I'm angry that she is so mishmashy on the subject. And this after the massive hits trans people TOOK FOR HER from her opponent and she says NOTHING.
If you’re from Virginia, let her know your feelings on her “mishmashy” position on the subject by calling her office and leaving her your message.
If you aren’t from Virginia, write a letter and tell her how you feel.
Yours and others opinions may let her know it’s ok to support the LGBTQ+ community in Virginia and that you expect to hear some positive statements soon!
Hell yeah! I am pleasantly surprised by this. This has been a hell of a year for us, but I am grateful to still be here to witness these victories 🙏
Outstandingly good news on many fronts!
Erin, your analysis of the election results could be quoted verbatim by every Democrat running for office between now and 11/2/2026.
I sincerely hope the Repubs have lead feet on the issue of LGBTQA+ and just cannot pivot quickly enough to lying about how much they’ve always supported the community.
It almost seems like a good strategy would be to pretend to be part of their base and send your congress people and senators strongly worded messages that this lgbtqia nonsense must be stopped,(etc. etc ad nauseum) and tell them to stick to their guns. If they believe that people in their base still support it they may continue on that path. Let them think this was just a fluke. It'll be interesting to see if trumpie sends the storm troopers in to contest these "fake election" results.
Agree! Tell them to focus on the important issues like putting food on the table and healthcare. Not attacking vulnerable communities. It’s not going to work anymore.
I hope politicians understand this. Christian nationalists certainly will not. For years now, elections have demonstrated that gender identity is not an issue among the majority of citizens. Conservatives seem to ignore this to focus on other reasons for the losses. Do they even care?
It seems they are more concerned with pandering to their religious base. And while gender identity isn't an issue for the majority of voters, it seems that neither is empathy for trans people. Many of them have demonstrated that they will turn their backs on us in light of issues they take more personally.
I'm not saying this isn't good news. But we need to build bridges of personal connection with the greater cisgender community. We need to help foster empathy, not just for ourselves but for the greater community of humankind.
Why do we keep doing this whole “yay Dems won” song and dance when they so often fail to support us once in office? Great, the awful people didn’t win, but will the Dems elected now promptly throw us under the bus like they so often do? I guess I’m over rewarding rhetoric and silence instead of real legislative action to make our lives better. Power and money matter to centrist Dems, not our lives, and to me that is the bottom line here (Mamdani is the obvious exception). Dems have repeatedly broken my heart, and until they grow real spines, show some courage, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to justice and their voters , I’ll hold off on the celebration.