People-powered Democratic wave
The 2006 midterm election was a huge victory for Democrats, who won the House, Senate, and a majority of governorships by riding the 50-State Strategy and the anti-Iraq War message that was first tested in the Ned Lamont campaign. Nancy Pelosi also became the first woman to serve as the Speaker of the House. Dems failed to lose even a single incumbent or open seat in Congressional or gubernatorial races. Democracy for America played a big part in this electoral success:
- Calling for Change: Partnering with MoveOn, DFA members helped make over seven million calls to get out the vote in key districts across the country at Calling for Change house parties during the six weeks prior to Election Day.
- Taking Back the House and Senate: Beyond just raising money directly for candidates, DFA members continued to provide the boots on the ground in critical races across the country. Our Million to Win campaign organized volunteers to attend campaign rallies, make phone calls and knock on doors delivering more than a million hours of action for key endorsed races and putting candidates like Jon Tester (MT-Sen) and Jim Webb (VA-Sen) over the top in close races.
From electing Howard Dean to DNC chair to showing Democrats around the country that running against the war in Iraq was a winning strategy, 2006 was truly a people-powered wave year, and set up even more success in 2008.