On the road: NYers mobilize buses of canvassers to ‘purple’ districts and states for Harris and Walz
Throughout September and October, buses full of dedicated canvassers from New York’s worker unions and Democratic party are targeting “purple” battleground districts and states that could help Vice President Kamala Harris and other electeds win their respective races in November.
Door-knocking before an election is a time-honored tradition, and other than during the pandemic, considered the best method to connect with voters by meeting them at home or in the streets. Many canvassers have flooded Rockland County and Nassau County, as well as nearby Pennsylvania, in an effort to swing local voters to choose Democratic candidates.
“This is an exciting day for us because we’re getting Brooklynites, along with 1199ers (union members) to go to Pennsylvania, to really put our civic work into play. This is an opportunity for Brooklynites to help deciding states turn blue,” said Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, who’s the Brooklyn Dem Party boss. Her party and 1199 Service Employees International Union (1199SEIU) members began their bus trips on Saturday, Sept. 21.
“We are here in big force. We have food. We have drinks. We’re energized,” said Bichotte Hermelyn. “We’re going to spend the whole day out in Pennsylvania knocking on doors, encouraging people to go out and vote early, and encouraging people to know that they can protect their rights just by voting.”
Bichotte Hermelyn said the canvassers mainly speak with people about equal rights, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, gun control, and access to healthcare.
Cynthia Neita, 72, an 1199SEIU administrative organizer, said she hoped for positive answers and positive vibes as she boarded her bus. “It’s important to remind workers who can vote, especially young people who think they don’t matter,” Neita said.
Ariama C. Long photo
“I hope they’re open to the conversation,” said Rosa Cruz, a Brooklyn Dem from Hunter College. “Everyone understands the value of the vote. It’s important that we’re there to help make that final decision.”
Like countless other New York State Democratic clubs, county parties, and political groups with bus loads of canvassers, the focus is not just on getting Harris elected as president. There’s also a bevy of state and congressional races in Republican-leaning districts that Dems are scrambling to flip.
“New York is now a battleground for the first time in decades,” said Ny Whitaker, a former White House senior advisor and founder of Project Nyne Productions, who created the campaign group New York for Harris. “People talk a lot about swing states—Pennsylvania, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin—but we don’t talk enough about battleground states. The difference is a battleground means [that] by registration, there’s more Democrats than Republicans [and] turnout is low.”
Whitaker said New York technically has seven races where Dems are running in highly competitive Republican districts: Laura Gillen in Long Island’s 4th Congressional District (Nassau County); former Congressmember Mondaire Jones in upstate’s (Rockland County) 17th Congressional District; Congressmember Tom Suozzi, 3rd Congressional District; John Avlon, Long Island’s 1st Congressional District; Congressmember Pat Ryan, upstate’s 18th Congressional District in Hudson Valley; Josh Riley, Ithaca’s 19th Congressional District; and John Mannion, 22nd Congressional District in Syracuse’s Onondaga and Madison counties.
What’s at stake, said Whitaker, is Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries becoming Speaker of the House, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer holding his position as Senate Majority Leader, and making sure Harris has a cooperating Senate and Congress should she get elected.
“Onward to victory in November,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul at the annual AmNews labor breakfast in Manhattan. “Let’s talk about this, my friends. We have to win in November and make Kamala Harris president of the United States, and I’m working on making sure Yvette Clarke is now in the majority with Hakeem Jeffries as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. That’s real power.”
Hochul said she plans to make the state party a powerhouse for national Democrats. “This year, it’s all or everything,” she said. “Get on a bus and go to a battleground area.”
The post On the road: NYers mobilize buses of canvassers to ‘purple’ districts and states for Harris and Walz appeared first on New York Amsterdam News.