Welcome to Rally, Support, Vote with Power. Whether it’s your first election or your fifteenth, RSVP is your always-on guide to the headlines, a safe place to learn and consider, but also to laugh, relate, and find release. RSVP to our virtual group chat and to the election. We’ll see you there.
RSVP to our virtual group chat and to the election. We’ll see you there.
November 6, 2024, 12:52 PM ET
Why Did So Many Latines Vote for Donald Trump?
The list of horrific and harmful remarks president-elect Donald Trump has made about Latines, and especially Latine immigrants, in the United States is extensive: He’s called Mexicans drug mules and rapists. He spread a racist lie that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were eating domesticated pets. He seeks the support of people like comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who opened Trump’s Madison Square Garden October 27 rally calling Puerto Rico a “pile of garbage.”
And, beyond rhetoric, he has proposed policies that would strip naturalized citizens of their status, usher in the greatest mass deportations of immigrants in U.S. history, and end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Yet, Latine support for Trump is at an all-time high, helping him win the presidential election on November 5. — NICOLE FROIO & RAQUEL REICHARD
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November 6, 2024, 10:28 AM ET
Trump May Have Won The Presidency But Abortion Won In These States
Contributor
A record 10 states had abortion-related ballot measures in the 2024 election. While Florida was the first to record a disappointing result, failing to receive a supermajority of votes to pass the Right to Abortion Initiative, seven states passed abortion rights amendments, including Missouri, where abortion had been completely banned following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
November 6, 2024, 8:43 AM ET
How Do We Survive Another 4 Years Of Donald Trump? Together
Contributor
I’m at a loss for words. I’m hurt that Black people, Muslim people, Latine people, LGBTQIA+ people, disabled people, women, and other vulnerable people will be surrendered to four more years of Trump. Hurt that we will face decades worth of consequences from the fall out of decisions made by his appointed judges, cabinet members, and foreign policy officials.
Hurt that the Democratic Party didn’t use the four years granted to them in 2020 to build a stronger base and vision that the country would double down on. Hurt that the country has still not proven willing to elect a woman to its highest office. Hurt that so much of the coming months and years are unknown in a terrifying way.
November 6, 2024, 6:32 AM ET
Donald Trump Wins The Presidency
Donald Trump has won the presidency — this time, as the first convicted felon to become president of the United States, the AP reports. Trump, who is also the oldest person to be in the White House, is joined by Ohio Sen. JD Vance as vice president.
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November 5, 2024, 9:43 PM ET
Florida Fails To Enshrine Abortion In The State's Constitution
Florida’s Right To Abortion Initiative, or Amendment 4, has failed to receive enough votes to be enshrined into the state’s constitution, reports the Associated Press. The ballot measure would have protected abortion rights until viability, or about 24 weeks, and if the pregnant person’s life was threatened after that. While the amendment received the majority of the vote at 57%, it needed 60% of the vote to pass into law.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has been accused of using state agencies and partnering with anti-abortion organizations to proliferate misinformation surrounding the measure. His administration threatened to sue television stations for running pro-choice ads and sent police officers to voters’ homes to investigate already verified petition signatures, according to news reports.
Florida’s current extreme abortion ban will remain in place, and this loss doesn’t just affect state residents. Prior to the fall of Roe v. Wade, Florida was an accessible hub for abortion access among southern states. Abortion will remain banned in the state at six weeks, which is often before people know they’re pregnant, and parental notice and consent is required for minors seeking abortion care.
People who are in need of care can visit ineedana.com. — ELIZABETH GULINO
November 4, 2024, 10:52 AM ET
My Abortions Were The Most Freeing Experiences Of My Life
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Contributor
"I wish, before I had received care, that people had opened up and talked to me about their abortions, because it would have been so much easier to know that I wasn't alone. [While waiting for my last abortion], I ended up getting sick of the silence. I struck up a random conversation with one lady, and then we turned into a group of six. It was the most positive experience that I could have possibly had. We wanted to share and we wanted to comfort each other, because we didn't have the people there that we wanted to just hold our hand to say that it's okay, it's going to be fine." — As told to Elizabeth Gulino
November 1, 2024, 4:52 PM ET
I’m From Arizona & Was Forced To Travel Across State Lines For My Abortion
Contributor
Until Election Day on November 5, Refinery29 will be running real, powerful stories about abortion experiences in states where abortion is on the ballot or currently restricted. Here, Kristin tells the story of the abortion she had in Arizona before the trigger laws were put into place.
November 1, 2024, 2:25 PM ET
Will Hail Mary Efforts In Swing States Make A Difference For Kamala Harris? Let’s Hope So.
Contributor
Election Day is less than one week away, and no one knows that more than swing state voters. As a Georgia resident myself with a mailbox full of voting reminders and a phone full of texts from canvassers, I know this intimately. With this race so close and the electoral college poised to play a defining role yet again, both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have spent the last few weeks bouncing between Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and more. Harris appeared in Wisconsin’s capital alongside singer Gracie Abrams and beloved rock band Mumford & Sons – her seventh visit to the state this cycle – while Trump rallied in a Green Bay suburb, accompanied by NFL quarterback Brett Favre.
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October 29, 2024, 8:27 AM ET
A Louisiana Law Could Kill Women Giving Birth & Other States May Copy It
On October 1, a Louisiana law took effect that reclassifies medication abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol as controlled substances — alongside drugs like Xanax and Valium — that have the potential for addiction or abuse. It’s the first law in the country to target abortion pills in this way, representing a new front in the attack on abortion rights as lawmakers try to restrict access to the most common method of abortion. The passing of the law is part of a larger national effort by anti-abortion extremists to crack down on medication abortion, including an ongoinglawsuit against the FDA over expanded access to mifepristone, specifically. Nearly two-thirds of all reported abortions in 2023 were done with pills, and medication abortion by mail is helping people get care in the 21 states where abortion has been partially or fully banned after the 2022 fall of Roe v. Wade. — BY SUSAN RINKUNAS
October 27, 2024, 11:13 AM ET
October 24, 2024, 5:30 PM ET
Will Nostalgia For The Obama Era Help — Or Hurt — Kamala Harris?
Contributor
Earlier this week, a Detroit rally for Kamala Harris’ Presidential campaign opened up with two household names: Eminem and Barack Obama. When the Detroit-native and rapper took the stage to introduce President Obama, the convention center erupted. Obama leaned into the personality America fell in love with when he rapped a few lyrics from Eminem’s hit song Lose Yourself.
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“I don’t usually get nervous. But I was feeling some kind of way following Eminem. Now, I noticed my palms are sweaty,” he began, “knees weak, arms are heavy.” The crowd laughed and began to continue the lyrics along with the 44th President. Obama’s visit came less than a week before Michelle Obama is expected to hit the campaign trail — for the first time this election cycle. Mrs. Obama will be making her first stop in Kalamazoo, a two hour drive from Detroit that shows a lot of effort is being put into Michigan.
October 22, 2024, 6:27 PM ET
Will Nostalgia For The Obama Era Help — Or Hurt — Kamala Harris?
Contributor
Earlier this week, a Detroit rally for Kamala Harris’ Presidential campaign opened up with two household names: Eminem and Barack Obama. When the Detroit-native and rapper took the stage to introduce President Obama, the convention center erupted. Obama leaned into the personality America fell in love with when he rapped a few lyrics from Eminem’s hit song Lose Yourself. “I don’t usually get nervous. But I was feeling some kind of way following Eminem. Now, I noticed my palms are sweaty,” he began, “knees weak, arms are heavy.” The crowd laughed and began to continue the lyrics along with the 44th President. Obama’s visit came less than a week before Michelle Obama is expected to hit the campaign trail — for the first time this election cycle. Mrs. Obama will be making her first stop in Kalamazoo, a two hour drive from Detroit that shows a lot of effort is being put into Michigan.
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Here’s How Kamala Harris & Donald Trump Differ On Press Freedom
Contributor
Freedom of the press, which guarantees the right to report the news without government interference, is protected by the First Amendment. But as we approach the 2024 election, it’s clear that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have two very different ideas as to what that freedom actually entails. A new report published Oct 22 by the Coalition for Women in Journalism, a nonprofit organization, suggests how each candidate may handle the press in their respective terms. We rely on our government to enforce the Constitution as the law of the land — but under Trump, access to our First Amendment rights appears to be in danger.
October 15, 2024, 5:46 PM ET
Kamala Harris & Donald Trump Are Neck-in-Neck In Key Swing States
Contributor
The election is just 21 short days away and, according to multiple bipartisan polls, it remains a historically tight race: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are neck-in-neck, most notably in key swing states, including Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, according to a The New York Times / Siena College polls published Oct 15. “There has never been an election with so many polls showing such a close race,” reports The New York Times.
Now, remember — the popular vote doesn’t guarantee a Harris win. The Electoral College determines elections, and they’re made up of electors appointed by their state’s political party. Each state gets a set number of electoral votes, and while they promise to vote in their party’s favor, they technically don’t have to. It could come down to just a handful of states who will decide the fate of reproductive health, climate change, the economy, and even democracy itself. (As a reminder, here’s where both candidates stand on key election issues.)
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The pressure is on. A candidate must win a simple majority of 270 electoral votes to be elected, and right now, both candidates are currently likely to win 200 electoral votes each. These battleground states are essential and they could very well determine who gets to 270 and therefore becomes President of the United States. Swing states are called that because the electoral outcome could literally swing either way — towards Democrat or Republican — and we won’t know until the ballots are all cast and accounted for.
Nationally, Harris is currently polling ahead of Trump by three percentage points according to the Harvard/CAPS Harris poll released on Oct 14, but Trump currently leads with battleground state voters. These are small margins, and at the moment, both candidates are essentially tied: Harris currently leads Pennsylvania by four percentage points and Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin by one percentage point. Trump leads Arizona by six percentage points, North Carolina and Georgia by one percentage point, and Arizona by two percentage points.
Polls aren’t the end-all-be-all of elections, and results will change between now and Election Day. They’re useful for a temperature check, but they don’t always accurately predict what’s going to happen in an election. Voters can gain some insight into who’s popular or not, and campaigns can use the info to determine which swing states and specific areas to target. Even so, no matter what the polls say, make sure you get out and vote.
October 10, 2024, 5:20 PM ET
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Kamala Harris Isn’t Playing by The Rules On Her Media Tour — That’s A Good Thing
Contributor
With only a month before the 2024 election, Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for President, is on quite the media tour as she talks to voters on a range of platforms. In line with a longstanding tradition, Harris recently appeared on CBS’ “60 Minutes” for a hard-hitting conversation that tackled immigration, economic policy, foreign policy, and bipartisanship. The day before that conversation, Harris had another equally rigorous conversation with host Alex Cooper on her popular Call Her Daddy podcast where she discussed sexual violence, abortion access, and attacking student and medical debt.
Call Her Daddy is Spotify’s second most-listened-to podcast, and number one when it comes to women listeners (most popular among Gen Z and millennial women with nearly 8 in 10 of the show's listeners being under 35, according to Edison Research). Harris was able to dig deeper than she has in weeks about the fears, hopes, and concerns women uniquely face. It was a refreshing conversation, but the content of the interview was somewhat eclipsed by the controversy over whether Harris should have joined the podcast at all.
October 9, 2024, 9:58 AM ET
ICYMI: Here’s Where Harris & Trump Stand On Key Election Issues
Contributor
It’s clear that the 2024 election is a choice between two opposing visions of America: Donald Trump, a convicted felon who openly admires autocrats, seeks to divide through fear and hate; Vice President Kamala Harris, a Black and South Asian woman, stresses the need for empathy in politics. These two potential futures balance on the edge of a knife: With only a month until Election Day, the two candidates remain deadlocked in the polls.
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Election anxiety makes it hard to think past November 5. Regardless of who wins the election, however, communities across the country will be hard at work, fighting to stabilize an eroded democracy. We’ll need a plan to move forward. And to do that, we need to know how each candidate plans to address major issues, including abortion access, immigration, the cost of living, the climate crisis, and the crisis in Gaza. As you come up with a voting plan, get to know where each candidate stands on the major issues.
October 3, 2024, 12:10 PM ET
The 2024 Election Is Giving Us Hope — But We Need Community To Sustain It
Contributing Editor, Politics
A few months ago, I was feeling especially hopeless about the election. But in July, something miraculous happened: Joe Biden dropped out of the race. His replacement was Vice President Kamala Harris, a Black and South Asian woman whose very embodiment defies Donald Trump’s white hegemonic vision of America. My reaction — a clenched knot loosening in my stomach — was immediate and visceral. It felt like hope. Hope that our collective future might actually get better come November. The feeling was shared by millions: Harris broke donation records in just 24 hours. Megan Thee Stallion performed at her first presidential rally, and Hotties for Harris was born. As one woman told Refinery29 in our survey about the election, "Before I was apathetic and resigned to a probable Trump presidency, now I feel hopeful that change can happen if we speak out and stand together."
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October 3, 2024, 9:34AM ET
Rally, Support, Vote With Power: Welcome To Your Election Group Chat
Contributing Editor, Politics
VP Brand Strategy and Development, Refinery29 Unbothered and Somos
Senior Director of Editorial, Refinery29
The 2024 presidential election has been a bumpy ride with unexpected twists and turns. Between balancing a desire for radical change with our enduring skepticism of institutions that have consistently failed us, we’re exhausted — but with so many of our basic freedoms on the chopping block, apathy is not an option.At the same time, there’s a feeling of hope in the air.
How can we engage this energy to recognize the seismic implications of potentially having the first female, and Black and South Asian president, as well as the issues at stake, from reproductive rights, racial justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, and immigration to income inequality, climate change, and more? Whether it’s your first election or your 15th, you need a familiar place to learn and consider — but also to laugh, relate, and release.
October 2, 2024, 2:33PM ET
JD Vance Is More Dangerous Than Donald Trump
Contributor
Donald Trump’s Vice-Presidential nominee, JD Vance, made his first major showing for the campaign at the U.S. VP debate last night. It was unlike anything I expected. The topic of abortion access came up and Vance took a stance that sounded much closer to a Democratic one. “There's so much that we can do on the public policy front just to give women more options,” he said. Vance was asked about Project 2025’s assertion of abortion surveillance and federal monitoring of pregnancies and miscarriages – in part, for the purpose of enforcing conservative policy.
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He quickly denied that he or Trump would support such a policy and pivoted, “I want us, as a Republican Party, to be pro-family in the fullest sense of the word.” I was as stunned as Democratic nominee for Vice President, Tim Walz. “I agree with a lot of what Senator Vance said about what's happening,” Walz admitted earnestly. “His running mate, though, does not. And that's the problem.” Despite the cordial rapport between the two candidates, make no mistake: JD Vance is just as — if not more — dangerous than Donald Trump.
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