We are still trying to reach our goal for the effort we introduced yesterday, but we have another new effort today, too. If you missed yesterday’s pst, here’s the thermometer and a link.
All Politics is Local (Down-Ballot Races and Reverse Coattails)
Our fund-raising efforts for most of 2021-22 were focused on smaller, but very impactful organizations, who often needed our help to expand their infrastructure – a field organizer for Voces in Wisconsin, interns for Promote the Vote in Michigan, startup funds for Four Directions in multiple states, boots on the ground for Voting Access for All Coalition, etc.
By August or September, that could no longer be considered “early money”, so we shifted gears. The goal was, and still is, to donate strategically, with targeted fundraising – not just to the big names or to the candidates we love – but trying to donate where there’s a chance of success and where our money is not like salt in the ocean! Trying, also, to protect voting access and trying to build firewalls against the election-deniers who are running for SOS and AG in multiple states.
Our most recent rollout is a combination of “trickle up” fundraising to increase turnout and giving a leg up to smaller state-level campaigns where $2,500 a person really could make the difference between winning and losing. Those folks aren’t spending thousands and thousands on TV ads; they are printing literature and door knocking and running targeted internet ads, and they can really put the last-minute money to good use.
Now we have one more fundraising effort to roll out.
WORKER POWER
Worker Power is a larger organization than we have targeted in the past. However, this close to the election, our money and efforts are best deployed to a “shovel-ready” organization (so to speak), with its organizational infrastructure already in place.
Almost Retired and I spoke directly with Worker Power Executive Director Brendan Walsh, who estimated that $1,000 would support an out-of-town canvasser for a week, if he or she required travel and housing stipends. Donations will also, of course, support the hiring and training of local residents, who would not require stipends.
He assured us that canvassers would also be laser-focused on the down-ballot races we’re supporting with Balloon-Juice thermometers, including the Secretary of State and Attorney General races.
Worker Power is on the ground in Arizona right now.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could fund 25 people on the ground in AZ for a week?
They have a proven track record of driving voter turnout.
Worker Power is a multi-racial, multi-generational organization built by UNITE HERE Local 11 and CASE Action Fund that uses union organizing tactics and community-driven electoral campaigns to fight for economic social and immigrant justice. In 2020, Worker Power ran the single largest field operation in Arizona, flipping the state blue. Then we went to Georgia to flip the US Senate. At the height of the pandemic, our team of more than 500 workers and young people put on masks, hit the pavement and knocked on over 1 million doors to transform the country.
An article in The Nation
Through these campaigns, they established a sterling track record of bringing new voters – especially low-income and minority residents, as well as young people in high school and college – into the political process.
Over the five months they were in Phoenix, the local’s canvassers knocked on hundreds of thousands of doors (union officials put the number at 800,000, including repeat knocks) and talked to 190,000 people, of whom roughly 150,000 gave positive responses indicated they supported Biden for president and Kelly for the open US Senate seat. This was after registering many thousands of new, often young voters earlier in the year.
WaterGirl
Oh, and in case anyone missed my note at the end of the fundraising thread yesterday…
I found a setting in ActBlue where I can say NO to automatically sharing your contact info with candidates and say YES to actively giving you a choice about that when you make your donation!
I went back and changed all our recent thermometers to YES, to give you the choice. Yay!
WaterGirl
Oh, and I forgot that we already have one $500 match for Worker Power from Almost Retired!
The $500 match has been met!
He will match up to $50 from each person who donates and puts their donation amount in the comments.
I think it was obvious, but just to be super clear: Donations to the Down-Ballot Races thermometer are not being matched.
Joy in FL
2nd3rd comment; first donator for Worker Power- $111 : )Thanks to Almost Retired for matching $50.
WaterGirl
@Joy in FL: First donation!
$50 of your $111 is matched. :-)
WaterGirl
Has everyone seen this ad? He is going all out in support of our rights to our bodies, our health, and our rights of self-determination.
Brooklyn Dodger
Donated $50 – thank you for highlighting this effort and for matching!
WaterGirl
Worker Power was in GA in 2021 for the runoff, and they will be there again if there is a runoff.
Which I hope there isn’t!!!
Dangerman
For Goodness Sakes, if you are walking and chewing gum at the same time, don’t spit it on the ground. Thank you.
/publicserviceannouncement
David 🌈 ☘The Establishment☘🌈 Koch
Associates would openly complain Ford, who was Minority Leader of the House, had no ability to multi-task or what they called “juggling”.
kalakal
In for $50. Thanks to Almost Retired
Old School
I’ve added $50. Thanks for the match, Almost Retired!
Geminid
@WaterGirl: There was an election discussion on Twitter and a person asked about the Democrats’ prospects for holding the House. Someone from the progressive organizing site Way to Win answered:
That made me think of the good work you’re doing here.
Emily B.
I’ll make a contribution from my home (not work) computer later today.
Just want to add—thank you for coming up for intelligent ways for us to donate. Especially at this point in the race, when the fundraising emails flooding my inbox reach new levels of weirdly personal desperation (“This is my last email” “What will it take?”) every day.
WaterGirl
@Geminid: The good work we are all doing together!
Thanks for sharing that.
SiubhanDuinne
I think I was too late for Almost Retired’s matching gift, but threw in $50 for Worker Power anyway. Thanks to AR and WG for your generosity, fundraising creativity, and indefatigability!
Glidwrith
In for $50
WaterGirl
@SiubhanDuinne: You are not too late – I think that takes us to $250 of the match.
WaterGirl
@Glidwrith: And yours takes us to $300 of the $500 match!
Remember everyone, only donations that you tell us about in the comments count toward the match.
H.E.Wolf
@Geminid:
I love the metaphor they used: “the Margin of Effort”.
Thank you to WaterGirl and all the other Balloon Juice contributors to the Margin of Effort!
skerry
I’ve been writing postcards for a few election cycles. Today, I got one!
VFX Lurker
I just donated $100 to Worker Power – AZ.
Once again, thank you so much for making it so easy for the rest of us to help. 💖
KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))
I just donated $50 to Down-Ballot Races (didn’t see the request earlier) and $50 to Worker Power – AZ.
nonrev321
Thank You
Rgds
Splitting Image
@H.E.Wolf:
I like it too. “What oft was thought but never so well expressed.”
karen marie
@WaterGirl: I made a donation that should qualify. Thanks, Almost Retired!
dnfree
Also probably late for the match, but I just put in $150. Thanks to everyone supporting this effort.
WaterGirl
@skerry: oh, nice!
I still think everyone on BJ who does postcards should draw a little green balloon in a certain corner so we will all know if we get a postcard from one of the other Bj peeps.
Gretchen
Kansas candidates for state offices are being harassed while canvassing: https://kansasreflector.com/2022/10/19/terrified-disheartened-and-confused-democrats-running-for-kansas-house-face-threats/
WaterGirl
Okay, the match from Almost Retired has been met!
WaterGirl
@dnfree: No, you were not too late!
thank you!
oldgold
The GOP should be running 10 points behind in generic polling. That they are not, is explainable in one word – Race.
Another Scott
@oldgold: On NPR’s All Things Considered, Ailsa Chang led a discussion with a couple of their political reporters. The Montanaro (sp?) guy said that the party in power usually loses 26 seats on average in the House so obviously the GQP is favored to win back the majority, [narrator:] because this election is exactly like every mid-term election since 1945 and averages are just the smart and savvy expectation. And nothing important has happened since January 2017. Obviously.
(sigh)
The woman reporter was better, but the editorial slant I heard from all of them was that Democrats were strange creatures who are trying to keep the GQP from its natural place in power. Democrats would obviously be losing if it weren’t for women being strangely and persistently animated about abortion. It’s like they don’t understand that inflation is what everyone cares about right now.
Grr…,
Scott.