Zephyr Teachout’s Loss and the Fight Against Dark Money

Late Tuesday, in a small hotel on the eastern bank of the Hudson River, Zephyr Teachout stood in a dark stairwell. She had just learned that she had lost her bid for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. A clear majority of voters in New York’s nineteenth congressional district had chosen to send her Republican opponent, John Faso, a sixty-four-year-old lawyer and former state assemblyman, to Washington. Now she had to address her supporters, dozens of whom filled the bar and restaurant of the Rhinecliff Inn, wearing Teachout caps and buttons. But first, a moment of grief. I could see her in silhouette, standing alone with her head down and her hand on the railing. Perhaps she needed to compose herself. Or perhaps she wanted a few more seconds of silence before confirming out loud, to the people who had worked hard over the previous year to get her elected, that she had lost, and that the country had lost. Moments later, she was behind the lectern, facing the crowd. “It’s been a bad night for honest, respectful democracy,” she said slowly. “Across the country, and in this race, we did not have the results we wanted. But I am so proud of our campaign.”

See the rest of the story at newyorker.com

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