STATEMENT: After Historic Midterms, Dream.Org Calls on New Leaders to Deliver on Housing, Justice, and AI Accountability
From Janos Marton, CEO, Dream.Org
Last night’s historic midterm elections set the stage for long-needed reforms to housing, justice, and jobs, and the opportunity to protect workers and our rights from AI surveillance.
Tonight, Democrats triumphed decisively across the country, reclaiming control of Congress, and winning trifectas in three of Dream.Org’s priority states: Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
Democrats ran on a message of affordability, and there is no issue more important to affordability for American families than housing. In each of these states, we are working with broad coalitions to facilitate the production and access to more housing at all levels, especially affordable housing and transitional housing. We have made significant progress already, and look forward to partnering with Governor Katie Hobbs, Governor Josh Shapiro, and Governor-elect David Crowley to make housing one of the central priorities for the next legislative session. Given our history of organizing in Milwaukee, we also want to recognize the historical milestone of David Crowley being the first Black governor elected in Wisconsin’s history, and one of only six in American history.
2027 will also be an opportunity to remind legislatures that support for criminal justice reform remains strongly bipartisan across the country. For the past decade, we have worked with leaders across both parties to pass significant reforms at the federal and state level. As with housing policy, we are encouraged by steps Republicans have already taken while in leadership on these issues, passing criminal justice reform in Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in recent years. We congratulate the Democratic leadership in those legislatures, including Arizona’s likely incoming Senate Majority Leader Priya Sundareshan, Arizona likely incoming Speaker Oscar de Los Santos, Pennsylvania Speaker Joanna McClinton, Pennsylvania incoming Senate Majority Leader Jay Costa, Wisconsin incoming Assembly Speaker Greta Neubauer, and Wisconsin incoming Senate Majority Leader Dianne Hesselbein.
Like much of the country, at Dream.Org we are both concerned with the rapid, unregulated proliferation of AI, even as we recognize its benefits. We believe that important aspects of AI must be regulated at the federal level, including the negative impact of AI-enabled surveillance on dignity in the workplace. When it comes to the intersection of AI and the justice system, especially the potential increase of mass surveillance technology against people and communities, certain issues are going to be best addressed at the state level. We look forward to working with both our federal and state partners to ensure that AI’s benefits flow to all, not solely to a few powerful tech companies.
In Washington, D.C we send our congratulations to the presumptive Speaker Hakeem Jeffries for becoming the first Black Speaker in American history. Leader Jeffries has been a criminal justice reform champion for years and one of our most dependable partners on the Hill. We look forward to continuing to work with him. Likewise, we appreciate Senator Chuck Schumer’s leadership as he returns to the position of Majority Leader. Finally, we extend our congratulations to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse and Representative Jamie Raskin, who are likely to lead the critical Judiciary Committee in their respective chambers, and who we will work with to make America’s criminal justice system safer and fairer.
