Governor (WY)

The Sunset Statement 2026 Winners: The Progressives by Natalie Clarke With the 2026 midterms behind us, it is time to take a review at the major winners and losers of the elections as a whole. The Sunset Statement could not start anywhere else but with the Progressives who firmly sit in the winner's column. Firstly, in the Democratic primary they were the only ones who turned out in any semblance. With the benefit of hindsight all factions in Washington probably have a few regrets and things they would do differently. However, still looking at things holistically Progressives were capable of defending every single one of their Senate and Governors. They were able to pull off several upsets, with Nevada Cisco Aguilar pulling off a razor thin margin to win the nomination for Governor and Ritchie Torres did defeat sitting Governor Kathy Hochul in a landslide, while it did not turn out in Democrat's favor in those races in others it did work out. Sticking to Governors candidates backed by Progressives were elected in Michigan, Minnesota, Maine, and California by considerable margins. Michigan is the most interesting as its status as a swing state, but Governor McMorrow looks to have quite the bright future ahead of her. In addition, the only close primary for Governor Progressives were on the losing side was Georgia where Stacey Evans was narrowly defeated. In the Senate Democrats saw Elliot Pierce, Gretchen Whitmer, Michelle Wu, and Tim Walz secure their nominations without a fight and every one of those would be elected to the Senate. Whereas of the competitive primaries for Senate Progressive backed candidates saw success in states that do not typically lean towards the Progressives including Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. Which largely had more to do with lack of campaigning from other Democratic factions, but it still could represent a shift in the Democratic base towards further progressive politics even in more conservative states. In the less watched congressional races, there was a lot of victories, of all the races that started competitive Progressives were able to come out on top, they also got closer for comfort than I imagine people expected in races that were characterized as safe at the beginning. Notable victories include Katherine Tai in Maryland, Laura Conover in Arizona, and Sam Bell in Rhode Island. Sources close to the former Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal when asked about how the CPC was feeling after the first round of campaigning said "The Progressive Caucus has demonstrated unprecedented momentum this cycle. We've expanded our ranks with candidates who champion critical values: access to safe and stable housing, as exemplified by Monica Montgomery Steppe; criminal justice reform, led by Sarita Simmons; and reproductive rights, championed by Laura Conover. Chair Jayapal believes this success is a testament to the grassroots energy behind our agenda and the growing demand for transformational change in Congress." The Stars of the Show: There has been a real passing of the torch in Progressive politics. We have moved from the days of Bernie Sanders, where the Progressive leaders in the Senate were only malcontents on the outside looking in. Instead, we are at a point where Progressives are the major leaders, and more importantly largely the interparty bridge builders. It is interesting especially interparty wise Progressives are generally not the ones publicly being at the center of interparty issues. Of the bipartisan deals from the previous congress Progressives were at the center of them. Four Senators stand out at the top for their push policy wise, Senator O'Hare leading on Climate, gun control, and education. Senators Storm and Kahiona were leaders on the Democrats energy plan, and Senator Crafts has been involved on pushing Green Housing proposals. In addition, these four have worked closely with certain state governments to pass progressive legislation. No one embodies that push more than Senator O'Hare who rarely took a break from working with state democratic parties to push through progressive priorities, including universal school lunches, gun control, sanctuary states for abortion access, amongst others. Three of these Senators have also used their influence to push handpicked candidates in Democratic Primaries. Further details in their sections. Senate Minority Leader Charlotte O'Hare of Hawaii Personal Story: Born on the big island of Hawaii to a middle-class family. She played softball in high school and later for both the University of Hawaii and the University of Washington, making the NCAA tournament twice during her collegiate career. After graduating from the University of Washington to returned to her home of Hilo, Hawaii and became a teacher for third grade students at the Ernest Bowen de Silva Elementary School. She was the 2021 Hawaii teacher of the year for her work quickly adapting to the pandemic and helping other teachers out. She ran for the state legislature in 2022, and for the United State Senate in 2024. She has two daughters with her husband William, who is a pediatrician. Political Story: The thirty-two-year-old Senator has made quite the name for herself since being elected to the Senate in 2024. It was a bold move by the party to select a youthful but inexperienced person to be in charge of the Democrats 2026 hopes. However, in that role she has proven the doubters wrong. Without a doubt this congress Senator O'Hare was the Democrats legislator-in-chief, most of the big policy pushes by Democrats have been with bills that she authored or co-authored. From gun control to student loans, education, Pell Grant, tax cuts, minimum wage you name it, Senator O'Hare at a minimum has a bill in the hopper at the very least. She also has the distinction of having two of the only bills without a Republican sponsor to pass the Senate with only one being vetoed by the President. Senator O'Hare is also not a noted partisan firebrand but is unafraid to take strong stands with several noted filibuster threats. Which is certainly going to keep fans of the more all or nothing Progressive types at least happy with the new Senate Minority Leader. She certainly retains a number of the traits of previous progressive leaders unwilling to keep quiet about issues she has with legislation, but if anyone has questions about her ability to get a deal done. They need not to look further than the fact that the minimum wage was increased and the expansion of the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit. Additionally, her work as DNC Chair, while early results in 2025 were mixed there were a lot of positives to come out of that experience, and the lessons learned could be just what the Democrats needed to push a successful 2026 campaign. While not without failures it is hard not to call it anything short of a mild victory. In the Primaries Senator O'Hare showed her value to the Progressive movement personally helping to deliver wins in the Rhode Island 1st, Maryland 5th, the Arizona 7th, and the South Dakota Senate race. It was her effort that nearly got Stacey Evans to win the Democratic nomination for Governor in the noted Progressive Stronghold of *checks notes* Georgia. In the General Election Senator O'Hare shows some value to the campaign helping out Senator Jon Ossoff successfully win reelection and was on the ground in Iowa helping Dr. Ellie Miller pull off a near upset. Senator O'Hare has at least shown that she has some campaign chops and fundraising ability has proven to be a major asset for Democrats. It is not hard to see why Senate Democrats have chosen to continue to place faith in the young Senator. Key Allies: Charlotte O'Hare is noted for her ability to work with all a broad range of ideologies within the Democratic caucus. She is noted for her circle being largely consistent of people who have formerly worked within education including Senator Rafael Coleman, Governors Anne Scarlett of Maine, Miranda Owens of California, Congresswoman Mālie Keahi, and Speaker of the House Willow Lui. She also is known to have a great relationship with noted Progressives Congresswoman Katherine Tai, Governor Josh Green, and Congresswoman Laura Conover. Outside of Progressive circles there are rumors that her and former Blue Dog Co-Chair Jared Golden had a great working relationship. Notable not Friends: Senator O'Hare is not the only member of the Democratic caucus to have issues with Treasury Secretary Levi Koenig. For anyone at the 2024 Democratic National Convention it should come as no surprise the Senator is no fan of former President Bill Clinton. I imagine Democratic Leadership meetings are a bit awkward with the Senator being seen as actively avoiding the newly elected DNC Chairman Gus Guenther. The Oil Industry is also unlikely to be fond of the Senate Minority Leader given her vocal opposition to the Republican energy plan without changes to the drilling sections that better protected the environment and removed the tax breaks for oil companies. 2028 Endorsement: None Senate Minority Whip Hannah Trujillo Kahiona of Hawaii Personal Story: Our second native of Hawaii, Hannah was born on Kauai to an upper-class family. Her father was a local politician while her mother was a schoolteacher. Hannah a practicing Catholic has stated previously that religion plays an important role in her life. She is a graduate of Notre Dame before returning to Hawaii to work as a lawyer. Early in her career she went through a political journey started as a self-described republican prior to Donald Trump's entry into the 2016 Republican primary. As an attorney she worked for Governor David Ige and argued a case before the Hawaii state Supreme Court. Hannah and her husband Michael have two daughters. Political Story: In 2015 she ran for the State Senator for the 25th district, where her campaign was focused on broad appeal despite being in a safe democratic district. By the time of the 2020 primary, Hannah had moved quite a bit more to her left supporting Bernie Sanders over Joe Biden. In 2022 she ran for senate to replace the retiring Brian Shatz. It did not take long for her to get settled into Washington with her seen as a contender in the Veepstakes after the surprise retirement of Kamala Harris. After Biden dropped from the top of the ticket, she was able to build the coalition needed to be nominated President. Ultimately despite winning the popular vote by nearly 3% she would lose the electoral college to President Allred and has remained in the Senate where she has moved over to being more of a Progressive voice. Her tenure in the 119th congress had notable wins but also a few missteps. A poor interview and hearing participation has taken her from the damn near guaranteed nominee if she wants it to just the frontrunner for the 2028 democratic nomination. She still stands strong with a very strong press presence and fundraising ability. No matter what the future holds Senator Kahiona is a major asset to the Democrats who helped turn a few races into nailbiters this cycle such as the Georgia Governor race and North Carolina Senate election as well as made sure that Michigan has a progressive governor in Mallory McMorrow. Key Allies: It is one of the worst kept secrets in Washington that Hannah seems to be preparing another run for President and in that is including helping get allies into key states. She worked hard to have allies in rust belt states such as Governor Tiffany Kristiansen of Minnesota and Governor Mallory McMorrow of Michigan. One has to assume that she is still close to her choice of Vice President Governor of Kentucky Percy Eller. In addition, her endorsement of Jennifer Roumjong Lewis gave her the edge she needed to be elected to congress. Otherwise, her campaign in the primaries led her to having close relationships with Katherine Tai, and Kristen Gonzalez. Notable not Friends: It is no secret that there is no love lost between Senator Kahiona and the 119th congress's Republican leadership. She was constantly clashing with Levi Koenig and later Earl Duplantis. 2028 Endorsement: None Senate Progressive Caucus Chair Osiris Storm of New York Personal Story: Born in the Bronx, Senator Storm comes from a working-class family. His mother was a nurse and his father a construction worker. He has said that he got into public service over the economic challenges he witnessed in his neighborhood as a child. A graduate of Columbia, Senator Storm started his career as a tenants' right lawyer. Helping renters in his community against evictions, rent control disputes, and protecting them against unscrupulous landlords. Senator Storm and his wife have three children. Political Story: He started his political career in 2016 when he was elected to represent the New York 14th congressional district. His tenure in the house was short-lived as he ran for the Senate in 2018 successfully winning and becoming the junior senate for New York. During his tenure he has always been considered a leader on housing equality, economic equity, education, healthcare, and climate change. Osiris has always kept his roots close and has never forgotten where he came from. In 2024 he was selected to lead the Senate Progressive Caucus, and his tenure has seen progressives move from the fringe to the leaders. While his close connection with the Ritchie Torres campaign does dull a bit of the shine. One cannot overstate the impact that he has had on New York Democratic politics completely reshaping the party in his image. Time will tell in New York if this passed election was merely growing pains related to that. Outside of the top side races his influence within the congressional races shows that he is a valuable campaigner for the caucus and is a major asset to the party. He is also a very capable negotiator and his willingness to sit down and get a deal down is commendable. Key Allies: Senator Elliot Pierce is a known close ally of Senator Storm. In addition, Senator Storm is closely associated with Mayor of NYC Brad Lander, and basically all elected democrats from New York City. Within the House wing outside of New York there are not a lot of immediate relationships, however he did campaign for Katherine Tai so there is likely a lot of good will there. Senator Storm's movement away from aggressive twitter feuds is likely going to see him bounce back in approval ratings which will probably make fair-weather friends come out of the woodwork. Notable not Friends: One name comes to mind immediately. Kathy Hochul. While she might be finished in frontline politics. I imagine she might have been the only New York Democrat happy on election night. There's a very strong grudge here and it could manifest itself as a primary fight or a key endorsement of an opponent in Storm's next major campaign if that is a white house bid or reelection as Senator. Senator Storm and Rafael Coleman have seemed to bury the hatchet but there is likely still no love lost between the two men, especially as primary season quickly approaches. 2028 Endorsement: None Senator Samuel Crafts of Washington Personal Story: A quaker from Washington State, Samual Crafts comes from a working-class family from Olympia. He attended the University of Washington for a degree in political science and a master's in environmental and forest science. After graduating he worked as a volunteer firefighter and a member of the Washington National guard. After leaving the Washington national guard, he worked as a political staffer for a few years before running for public office. He and his wife have two children, Carter and Leanne. Political Story: After working as a political staffer in Olympia he was elected to the Washington State house where he served four terms. In 2012 he was elected as the Representative for the Washington 6th congressional district. His four-term tenure he served on the Committee of Natural resources and the Transportation and Infrastructure committee. In addition, he was the ranking member on the Water, Wildlife, Fisheries Sub-committee. In 2020, he ran to be Washington's Public Lands Commissioner proving his ability to win a statewide primary and general. He was elected to the Senate in 2024. While it took him a bit of time to get settled, he has been a voice pushing for environmental protections and green housing. He has truly started to hit his stride and was an important figure in helping Democrats outreach into rural Washington. Key Allies: He has limited to build a large circle in Washington, but it is known that he is well liked amongst Washington Progressives including congresswoman Ana Ruiz Kennedy, congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, and Governor of Washington Bob Fergusen. He also participated on the campaigns of congresswoman Lori Wilson, and Governor of Michigan Mallory McMorrow likely leaving a bit of good will there. Notable not Friends: The good thing about keeping your head down for a while is that you're not likely to have many adversaries. Other Progressive Leaders: With the Speaker of the House, nine other senators, twelve of Democrats twenty-three governors, and the largest caucus period in the house, there has been quite the change in the Democratic party. Progressives are ascendant at all facets of the party. Below is a list of Progressive Democrats whose endorsements should be considered important in the 2028 primary, and/or have a long promising career ahead of them in politics as progressive voices. Democrats' inclusion of super delegates only after the first ballot does limit the impact of endorsements by congressmen but still early momentum can have a major impact on the race. 2028 Endorsement: None Speaker of the House Willow Lui (California 28th) The newly elected Speaker of the House is widely regarded as one of the most pragmatic members of the Congressional Progressive caucus. A former teacher and child of Taiwanese immigrants. Willow has served five complete terms in the House and was the Chairwoman of the Education and Workforce committee during the 119th congress. She is considered a major ally of Senator O'Hare and the two of them are expected to be working closely together at least during this upcoming congress. Democrats are putting a lot of faith in their youth this congress. Speaker Lui was noted for breaking with the Congressional Progressive caucus when they would threaten to not support Nancy Pelosi or Hakeem Jeffries for speaker. Her election shows that Progressives are moving up but bridges with the rest of the party are important. The Speaker like the Senate Minority Leader have a tough task to balance an aggressive and hungry progressive wing with much more measured members in the blue dogs and new democrats. 2028 Endorsement: None Senator Elliot Pierce of Illinois The new Senator for Illinois who was elected to replace the former Minority Whip Dick Durbin on a Progressive Platform focused on expanding collective bargaining rights, supporting small businesses, closing corporate tax loopholes, expanding affordable healthcare, investing in public schools, and fighting climate change. Senator Pierce is a former labor organizer. He helped negotiate a better contract for the United Steelworkers. He later worked as a labor attorney for the Illinois AFL-CIO. In 2010 he was elected President of the Illinois Federation of Labor. His efforts opposing right-to-work laws helped raise him to prominence and in 2014 he was elected to the Illinois State Senate, where he served for four years before being elected as the Representative for the Illinois 17th congressional district. He is associated strongly with Senator Osiris Storm and is seen as a key ally of the New York Senator. 2028 Endorsement: None Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware 2028 Endorsement: None Senator Michelle Wu of Massachusetts 2028 Endorsement: None Senator Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan 2028 Endorsement: None Senator Tim Walz of Minnesota 2028 Endorsement: None Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey 2028 Endorsement: None Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon 2028 Endorsement: None Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island 2028 Endorsement: None Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont 2028 Endorsement: None Senator Peter Welch of Vermont 2028 Endorsement: None Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin 2028 Endorsement: None Governor of California Miranda Owens Progressives pulled of a coup with the election of Governor Miranda Owens, a former Principal of Lowell High School in San Fransico. Education is in her blood, with both of her parents being teachers, she has stated that she wanted to work as a principal to be a school administrator that her parents would have loved to have. Her work as principal helped raise her to local prominence which helped when she ran for congress in 2012. During her time in Congress, she was seen as a progressive voice opposing the Keystone XL Pipeline and the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act. In 2018, she was elected the California State Super Intendent of Public Instruction defeating Marshall Tuck, a charter school advocate. During her tenure she fought hard for expanded funding for education, Universal School Meals, and Universal Pre-K. Her time as Governor while a mild departure from Governor Newsom's time she is expected to continue her efforts to improve the California education system and address the housing issues in California. She is seen as a strong ally of Senator Charlotte O'Hare fitting the mold of the circle she keeps quite well. 2028 Endorsement: None Governor of Connecticut Sean Scanlon 2028 Endorsement: None Governor of Hawaii Josh Green 2028 Endorsement: None Governor of Maine Anne Scarlett Governor Scarlett comes from a middle-class Mainer family. Anne Scarlett is a former Pre-K teacher from Portland, Maine. The thirty-nine-year-old is the former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives. Her election as Governor is a clear commitment to the path of public education. She is expected to fight for higher wages for teachers and smaller class sizes. it is likely that she will pursue expansions to public housing and push to increase the supply of new houses being built to help lower prices in Maine. She is also expected to work with other New England states in efforts to expand the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in an effort to help protect the environment. With the unpopularity of Maine's for-profit energy utilities, she could pursue promoting Cooperative Energy companies commonly found in other states. She is a firm ally of Senator O'Hare giving O'Hare allies on both coasts. 2028 Endorsement: None Governor of Massachusetts Maura Healey 2028 Endorsement: None Governor of Michigan Mallory McMorrow 2028 Endorsement: None Governor of Minnesota Tiffany Kristiansen Governor Kristiansen has been a powerful progressive force in Minnesota politics. She was the leading voice in the efforts to pass an assault weapons ban in Minnesota that ultimately stalled out. Her election as Governor shows that the people of Minnesota are looking for stronger gun laws especially in the wake of continual inaction in Washington. She is also expected to pursue polices focused on combatting climate change, expanding union rights, and promoting affordable housing. Like many progressive Governors education is likely high on her list of priorities. Before her election as Governor, she passed Universal Pre-K for children in Minnesota. She is a former tank commander in the Minnesota national guard and later was a state trooper. From 2012 to 2020 she was the Governor of Duluth. Governor Kristiansen is a noted ally of the 2024 Democratic Nominee HTK. 2028 Endorsement: None Governor of New Mexico Tim Keller 2028 Endorsement: None Governor of Oregon Tina Kotek 2028 Endorsement: None Governor of Rhode Island Dan McKee 2028 Endorsement: None Governor of Washington Bob Ferguson 2028 Endorsement: None Governor of Wisconsin Tony Evers 2028 Endorsement: None

Vinachelli: Present

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