Dear Members and Friends,

Waking up this morning to Harris losing, losing the Senate, being in worse shape in the House, and that Amendment 4 did not pass is devastating. All of you did so much for the reverse to happen. Please be proud of all we did and know that we couldn’t have done more. We stood on the moral side of the ballot where one has to stand to fight fascism and stand for women’s rights—against racism and sexism. Overall, it is very hard to win when playing honest against constant and repeated lies and misinformation backed by a lot of money. However, inflation was a big issue for so many people even though we know Trump’s plans are going to make it worse.

I think we lost Amendment 4 due to the high 60% threshold, the TV ads of lying done by the opposition, the bogus financial statement on the ballot, and the Governor’s use of tax dollars to fight Amendments 3 and 4.

I am in shock. I’m sure you are too. I’m sad and I’m sure you are too. I’m angry at white Americans and others (Republican women) and I’m sure you are too. I’m disturbed by how many people voted against their own best interests. It really does feel like the beginning of the Nazi era in Germany. It is scary that the GOP has control of the Presidency, the House, the Senate, and much of the Courts.

Now what? Over the next days, weeks, and all throughout Trump’s term we will be figuring out what to do. We will have to be vigilant with the State Legislature and DeSantis since they will be emboldened to further work Project 2025 in their upcoming session. We will be working hard at partnerships and alliances because we stand stronger together.

Fighting for women’s rights and gender liberation has never been more important in our lifetimes and in the South. We will charge on in the face of severe opposition to the rights of women, girls, and the LGBTQIA2S+ community. I think of other horrific times like the Civil War, the Great Depression, the World Wars, etc. which were even worse times than now. America will never be the same, but we will fight against fascism, sexism, racism, Christian nationalism, and white male supremacy. So, we pick up the charge to fight all of this chaos tomorrow. We’ll do it together and we never give up.

Take Care,
Debbie Deland,
Florida NOW President
president@flnow.org