DLCC launched a once-in-a-generation strategy to compete in 42 chambers to permanently shift the balance of power in state legislatures
WASHINGTON — DLCC President Heather Williams recently joined Joe Sudbay on SiriusXM’s State of the States to discuss the DLCC’s expanded target map for 2026 and plans to seize the once-in-a-generation opportunity to build Democratic power in state legislatures.
Listen to the full interview here.
SiriusXM Host Joe Sudbay:
- Everyone focuses on the federal but if you want to look at what’s happening at the federal level, you have to look at what’s happening at the state level. […] There is just really that direct connection from what happens in the states to what happens in DC.
- I get the best intel of what the electorate’s thinking about from the candidates running for state legislature around the country. […] It’s better than any polling because it’s real. When you’re face-to-face with someone, you have to be authentic.
- When I see a New York Times article that Democrats make a fresh push to win state legislatures – this was last month – and are using terms like ‘an unusually aggressive push.’ And you know, I’m like, absolutely, bring it on right now. Let’s be unusually aggressive. And you’ve got a pretty major campaign with some good funding to make it happen.
DLCC President Heather Williams:
- [In 2025] we performed 4.5% better than Democrats do in these districts. When you apply that formula forward into 2026, where there are 88 legislative chambers on the ballot and more than 6,000 legislative elections, you start to see some pretty incredible numbers, where Democrats could win more than 650 legislative seats, and where we could put real meaningful power in play with just 19 seats flipping from Republican to Democrat. Remember, we [flipped] 25 in 2025, so in 2026, with that many more races on the ballot, if we can just flip 19 strategic seats, six new legislative chambers will be in Democratic control, and four new trifectas.
- The electoral wins in Mississippi and in Iowa moved Democrats from the superminority into the negotiating room… Our ability to tell the story and to show that we can win in red states and that we can connect with voters on the issues that they care most about was so incredible. I also think that they just tell this story of what it means to build state power, and what it means for Democrats to chart a path forward that is rooted in being in that negotiating room and being able to have levers of power to not only combat what is happening here in Washington, DC, but to be able to move forward on the promises that that Democrats are making to voters and to create resilient, strong communities that are thoughtful, that have good education and great places to raise a family. These races in Iowa and Mississippi were so indicative of what is possible, not just in 2025 but in the future.
- What happens in our state capitals is really important, and it matters for public policy, for those who live within that state border. But more broadly, it is state legislators who draw congressional districts. It is state legislators who secure the path to the presidency when we think about the transition of power and electoral votes. It is state legislatures that determine our voting laws for the entire election, federal and state, and it is state legislators that give the governor the veto power that move their agenda forward, and create opportunity for them to fulfill their promises to their communities and their states.
- We are competing in places that other levels of the ballot are not. We are bringing Democrats and our values and our vision for the future into communities that have not seen Democrats in a while. We are bucking the sort of the stereotype of who a Democrat is and showing up for people. […] In many red states, it is the minority leader of one of the legislative chambers that is the highest-ranking Democrat in the state. It is our ballot level that is representing communities and able to move the needle on our values and our path forward.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is the campaign arm of Democratic state legislatures and leads the national strategy for building power and winning new majorities. Over the last three decades, we have strategized cycle over cycle to win majorities and lead the effort to bring national attention and investment to our ballot level, winning nearly a dozen new chamber majorities over the last decade. Our work has ensured that nearly half of Americans are represented by at least one Democratic majority in their statehouse. State legislatures are the building blocks of our democracy and have the closest connections to Americans’ day-to-day lives. From protecting fundamental freedoms and voting rights to growing the middle class and advancing opportunity, the DLCC and state legislators are moving the Democratic agenda forward and shaping the future of this country.
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