All Politics Is Local

After the 2016 election, the Republican Party seized control not just of the White House and Congress but of many state governments. To be precise, the GOP seized control of both legislative chambers in 32 states and governor offices in 33 states-a majority the party hadn't held since 1928. What happened?

In In the Red, journalist Meaghan Winter argues that over the last couple decades, the Democratic Party has made a very risky strategic choice to abandon state and local races in order to win federal races, while the GOP poured money into winning state governor seats and state congresses. For Republicans, it paid off.

For Democrats--and the American public--the fallout has been catastrophic. Abortion access is more restricted than it has been in decades; gun control legislation has become even harder to pass; and ID laws are undermining voting rights. In states across the country, activists on the ground are fighting massive Republican power alone, liberal and progressive candidates are running campaigns with no support, and American citizens are suffering.

If the Democratic Party establishment changes its strategy--and soon--there is hope. Meaghan Winter's book reminds us of the importance of robust local politics and the role that states can play in checking presidential power.

“"The fight for control of state governments is the biggest sleeper issue in American politics right now and that story is told brilliantly in Meaghan Winter's new book. From extreme abortion bans to undermining gun control to gutting unions, Winter compellingly shows how democracy is being subverted in the states, and how Democrats and progressives can fight back."-- ---Ari Berman, senior reporter at Mother Jones and author of Give Us the Ballot”

"A timely, urgent call for political engagement."--Kirkus Reviews
"In this rousing debut...Winter's account is well-reported and reasonable...With its emphasis on the power of long-term organization and incremental change, this book will speak deeply to aspiring activists."--Publishers Weekly
"The fight for control of state governments is the biggest sleeper issue in American politics right now and that story is told brilliantly in Meaghan Winter's new book. From extreme abortion bans to undermining gun control to gutting unions, Winter compellingly shows how democracy is being subverted in the states, and how Democrats and progressives can fight back."--Ari Berman, senior reporter at Mother Jones and author of Give Us the Ballot
"Why do Democrats--the party of prosperity--keep losing to [Republicans]? Can this be changed? How much does it matter? Meaghan Winter's All Politics Is Local: Why Progressives Must Fight for the States looks into these questions with remarkable clarity and tenacity."--New York Review of Books
"Winter shows through deeply researched storytelling how progressives can win and keep winning: start with issues that matter in people's everyday lives, build infrastructure that can win on the local level, and grow our power from the ground up-not from DC down."--Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL-CIO

Meaghan Winter is a freelance journalist who has written features for New York, Bloomberg Businessweek, Cosmopolitan, Slate, and Fusion. She has reported long-form projects in partnership with The Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute. Since 2012, Winter has been a regular contributor to New York's The Cut. She has an MFA from Columbia University, where she was a Dean's Fellow. She has taught writing at Columbia, The New School and The City University of New York. Winter was a finalist for a 2016 National Magazine Award in public interest writing, and her work is included in the 2016 edition of The Best Magazine Writing. She lives in Brooklyn.

After the 2016 election, the Republican Party seized control not just of the White House and Congress but of many state governments. To be precise, the GOP seized control of both legislative chambers in 32 states and governor offices in 33 states-a majority the party hadn't held since 1928. What happened?In In the Red , journalist Meaghan Winter argues that over the last couple decades, the Democratic Party has made a very risky strategic choice to abandon state and local races in order to win federal races, while the GOP poured money into winning state governor seats and state congresses. For Republicans, it paid off.For Democrats--and the American public--the fallout has been catastrophic. Abortion access is more restricted than it has been in decades; gun control legislation has become even harder to pass; and ID laws are undermining voting rights. In states across the country, activists on the ground are fighting massive Republican power alone, liberal and progressive candidates are running campaigns with no support, and American citizens are suffering. If the Democratic Party establishment changes its strategy--and soon--there is hope. Meaghan Winter's book reminds us of the importance of robust local politics and the role that states can play in checking presidential power.

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