On election night last Tuesday, candidates, students and residents gathered at watch parties with phones in hand, checking constantly for updates or anxiously awaiting results from key swing states as they trickled in throughout the early hours of the morning. Many of us began the day uncertain, though perhaps optimistic — that there would be breathing room after building momentum and battling over our climate, bodily autonomy, rights and role in global conflicts — that despite the results, change was bound to happen.
Donald Trump would go on to win the presidential election and, with control of the House of Representatives pending as of the time of publication, the feelings of uncertainty and disillusionment about our future — and even about how to react — are common on our campus, including within the Editorial Board. As local Democrats saw several victories, we must remain steadfast in celebrating these changes, which underlay and challenge the true unpredictability of national politics. From abortion to the economy, meaningful work in local politics can provide a sense of comfort, possibly even changing the tide.
The future of abortion access undoubtedly weighs heavily on many at this moment. With Trump having boasted about his role in overturning Roe v. Wade and has signaled support for a nationwide ban on abortion in the past, his renewed deference to states’ decision-making is up in the air. Still, voters showed up in many states this election to indicate growing support for abortion against what may seem like dominant, national pro-life beliefs. In 10 states, voters saw ballot initiatives to protect or expand abortion rights, which passed in seven and, in Arizona and Missouri, effectively overturned existing restrictive abortion laws. Florida voters failed to enshrine abortion as a right, falling just short of the 60 percent needed to pass.
This may feel like a loss, but it is not. It’s clear that people in local communities are overwhelmingly committed to abortion rights, and if push comes to shove nationally, state and local leaders may help. In New York, for example, we’ve elected politicians, including Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo MA ‘84, who supported the Reproductive Health Act in 2019, regulating abortion as health care, not a crime of homicide, and holding it to the same standard as the Roe v. Wade decision.
One of the most significant wins this past week was the passage of Proposal 1 in New York, which extended equal-protection rights to include ethnicity, gender and reproductive health care, among others, in our state constitution. As discourse about a conservative-leaning Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branch continues, it’s important to keep in mind that possible restrictions on abortion would encounter obstacles in New York because of Proposal 1’s success. Lupardo, State Sen. Lea Webb ‘04, Broome County Legislator Kim Myers and Representative-elect Josh Riley, all of whom saw recent victories, have been vocal supporters of Proposal 1 while Maryland, Nevada and Montana saw and passed similar constitutional measures — this is the will of our communities despite Trump’s wishes.
Binghamton’s Proposal 2, which amended the appointment process to the local Human Rights Commission, also passed this week with an overwhelming majority, according to unofficial results from the county’s Board of Elections. With these changes, the commission may reconvene after sitting vacant since 2016 and address human-rights violations, including police brutality and racially motivated police misconduct. This comes amid Trump’s tough-on-crime rhetoric, including against health care providers, scrutiny of “progressive prosecutors” prioritizing rehabilitation and reform and consent decrees that halt federal investigations into abusive policing.
It’s important to note that despite Trump’s profuse attitudes on crime and policing, local results have heavily varied. In Illinois and Michigan, “progressive prosecutors” won against opponents promising more punitive approaches, such as Monique Worrell’s reelection in Florida after being removed from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Economic stability, inflation and unaffordability have been some of America’s most pressing issues, and Trump vows to increase tariffs, cut taxes and mass deport undocumented immigrants. In light of economists’ warnings and growing value on immigrants’ contribution to our economy, Trump’s election is more indicative of a larger desperation among America’s working class than blind belief in the effectiveness of his plans. But fear of deportations and lack of asylum are certainly exacerbated by this new election — in Trump’s first year as president, deportations rose by 150 percent in New York City until the state attorney general, Letitia James, successfully sued to stop the practice. Even with statewide victories, such as sanctuary laws, the promise of lawyers for detainees and limitations on cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency with a wide range of powers, we must have faith in Proposal 1’s protections against discrimination.
The economy is where local politics can make or break the day-to-day quality of life — talks of budget deficits from Washington D.C. come as Broome County has one of the highest rates of poverty by population in New York and, because of their community ties, local politicians have proven to be well-equipped at creating policies and budgets inducive of local economic growth. This includes Webb’s work securing funds for local industry, workforce development, expansion of tuition aid and rent assistance and Lupardo’s investment in community infrastructure that host emerging industries. These local initiatives reflect the immediacy of economic reform.
The threat of Trump’s overbearing and often transphobic, xenophobic and misogynistic rhetoric translating into policy is real and immobilizing — it is difficult to see someone in office vehemently opposed to and spreading misinformation about our core identities. In these times of national worry, we must trust our power in electing community representatives and prevent large-scale fearmongering from overshadowing the work we can do on a local level — with politicians that understand and connect with diverse groups, including the undocumented, queer people, people of color and those not represented in mainstream narratives about the overwhelming support for Trump’s plans.
National and local politics are often seen as mutually exclusive, with those in higher offices having the final say over the direction and even beliefs of our communities, but to overwrite grassroots efforts and marginalized voices with Trump’s victory is to abandon their potential on a material, everyday level. We must continue to work locally and invest in community-oriented political figures to parse through our current uncertainty and represent our communities where national politics may fail — we must remain optimistic.
The staff editorial solely represents the majority view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board. It is the product of discussions at regular Editorial Board meetings.