Another under-the-radar election with huge implications for democracy
We’ve got some exciting news: We’re launching a new campaign to keep the Pennsylvania Supreme Court out of MAGA hands! Most people probably haven’t heard about the November Supreme Court election, but it’s a must-win race with serious implications for abortion access and voting rights in Pennsylvania — and for the outcome of presidential elections for years to come.
The race pits far-right Carolyn Carluccio against Democratic candidate Judge Dan McCaffrey. To secure the Republican nomination, Carluccio ran hard to the right to appease the MAGA base. She took aim at our democracy by suggesting the 2020 election was stolen and that she would roll back the freedom to vote by mail. She had also been unabashedly anti-abortion and aligned herself with the most extreme anti-abortion groups in Pennsylvania (before ultimately trying to scrub her website of any reference to her record on the issue).
Carluccio is far out of step with the majority of Pennsylvanians, but she still poses a formidable threat thanks to the millions of dollars from billionaires, corporations, and national Republicans propping up her candidacy.
This one race won’t make or break Democrats’ majority on the court, but with justices serving ten-year terms, a win by Carluccio will have lasting consequences — leaving Democrats with a narrow one-seat majority and putting MAGA Republicans on the path to retaking the court two years from now. We can’t let that happen.
In a battleground state like Pennsylvania, a MAGA-controlled state supreme court would wreak havoc on our elections and democracy, with devastating, national consequences.
That’s why we’re committed to getting out the vote this November and protecting the liberal majority on the court for the long term. If you’re able to pitch in right now, click here to donate and help us reach our goal of $15,000 so we can fund our GOTV work and win this November.
Since retaking the court in 2015, the Democratic majority has played a key role in deciding how Pennsylvania’s elections are run. In 2018, they overruled a Republican gerrymander and implemented new congressional districts. In 2020, the court issued multiple rulings defending vote-by-mail and stood as a bulwark against Trump’s attempts to overthrow the election.
Over the next decade, the court will continue to play a significant role in defending our democracy by ruling on voting procedures in high-stakes elections and potentially shaping the redistricting process after the 2030 census.
Despite the stakes, this race isn’t getting much national attention from progressive groups because it only threatens to take us to the brink of a MAGA majority — it won’t result in an immediate flipping of the court. But a one-seat majority on a court this important is not something we should feel comfortable with — and the fact that this race isn’t getting a lot of attention is exactly why it’s so important for this movement to step up and fill the gap.
Pennsylvania groups are committed to getting out the vote, and we’re ready to boost their efforts with reimbursements, support for local group-led peer-to-peer texting, and a revamped version of our Neighbor2Neighbor canvassing program. All in all, we’re estimating this will cost $15,000 and we’re counting on our grassroots donors to help fund this work. So, if you’re able to, click here to pitch in and help us win in November.
As with the Wisconsin and Ohio races, we know Indivisible activists like you understand the long-term national implications of these under-the-radar elections. And like Wisconsin and Ohio, we know Indivisible’s grassroots organizing can play a decisive role in Pennsylvania.
