Fifty Five Votes

What does it mean to lose an election by 55 votes? Does it mean you tried and failed? That all your efforts were wasted? Or is it a testament to the work that you put in — a monument to your commitment?

Tiffany Cabán was a 31-year-old public defender when she got five short text messages that would change her life. Her friend Alana had just heard that the 86-year-old Queens District Attorney wouldn't be seeking reelection. She thought her friend Tiffany would be perfect for the job.

A week later, they got together at a bar in Tribeca, and set about doing the impossible.

First, they filled out a candidate questionnaire from the Democratic Socialists. With no money, experience, or political connections, the grassroots were their only path to victory.

Just a year prior, they'd watched as a young bartender in Queens defeated a 10-term Congressman, using nothing but grassroots energy and support. They wondered: What if that model could work for a progressive D.A.?

This is a story of a grassroots movement that came up short. It's the story of an election loss — but it's not about a setback. It isn't a recitation of wasted energy, or wasted time. This is a story about the things we earn from the effort we give.

It's about how much we can gain from loss.

As long as we're willing to try.