thank you & next steps

V Fixmer-Oraiz
Jun 11
3 min read

It has taken me about a week to emotionally and physically recover from that last push of the campaign. AND I AM SO GRATEFUL TO BE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF IT WITH A WIN!!!

That win is indebted to each and every one of my supporters and volunteers and family members who knocked doors, made phone calls, talked to friends and neighbors, wrote Letters to the Editor, hosted Meet & Greets, attended coffee chats, danced with Mandi and me at our joint fundraiser, and the list goes on and on. I am truly humbled by your support and shared belief in a welcoming and safer Johnson County for All!

And now the work shifts. The political forces that be will tell you that it's now all in for getting Democrats elected up and down the ballot this November. And it's true, we do need to get that done. That's what the binary-party system is focused on, as is often the case- Get Out The Vote. But that is not what I am focused on. With candidates willing to throw transgender and LGBQ+ people under the bus on the regular, it often seems that mediocrity is what the party strives towards. Making sure we vote for candidates like Josh Turek, whose post-primary acceptance of the Democratic nomination for US Senate stated that he 'does not believe males should be playing female sports'. Even our own Iowa Democratic Platform does not support this. And yet, he is our candidate.

So I will continue to work and vote for Democrats, and against MAGA fascist rule, but my gaze is set on a brighter horizon--namely, our community, shared vision, and the referendum on local politics that the primary results made clear. The three progressive candidates (Mandi, Jon, and me) won their seats back and, more specifically, I unseated a 20+ year, local, Democratic legend in his own right. As I have said many times, and will continue to say, I am deeply grateful for the decades of service that Rod Sullivan provided our county, it is on the shoulders of those that came before us that we stand. AND while he recruited me to run four years ago, these past few years have been strained between us, largely in part because of our different stances on law enforcement issues and understanding of the carceral system. Last week's results showed that our district is ready for change.

Three with V. Here is what I plan to do now that the people have spoken:

We will keep up the Progressive momentum in our county!
The primary election was not about me, it was about us and our shared vision for Johnson County. What's awesome about that is we are also part of a larger progressive movement across the country. The Trump Administration is not letting up and neither are we! We are going to continue to do everything we can to keep ourselves and our neighbors safer and find creative solutions to thwarting authoritarianism.
Mandi and I share much of the same vision and are values-aligned. Hence, we are putting together a local, progressive agenda and roll it out over the next month or so. To help us do this, we are:
1. Drafting a document that outlines our shared goals and benchmarks.
2. Hosting 'The V-eekly Mand-ate'! These are weekly video chats that will range from 10-15 minutes long and will discuss progress updates, what's going on at the county that week, and answer resident questions.
CELEBRATE!!! We don't have an official graphic to share yet, but we are planning to co-host a Volunteer Appreciation & Victory Party at the Greenhouse (505) E. Washington St. on Saturday, June 27th from 4-6 pm. Not only will there be snacks, music, and camaraderie, but we will also be unveiling our Progressive Movement strategy! So please mark your calendars now!!!